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Peanut Butter and Jelly Management

Written by: Andy Marken

Article Overview: Book Review -- – Chris and Reina Komisarjevsky, AMACOM, www.amanet.org, 173p, $16.95

Peanut Butter and Jelly Management

We’ve always been an avid business management reader hoping to learn at least one kernel of useful information from the latest guru or individual who had the guts and determination to commit his or her experience and thoughts to print. We can hardly wait for Jack Welch of GE to deliver his manuscript to the printer.

But we really didn’t expect to get much of value from a book entitled Peanut Butter and Jelly Management.

Dumb title and probably an even dumber book.

Were we ever wrong.

This book is an absolute treasure trove of management information, insight and guidance. This is definitely not one of your dry or ivory tower management theory books. This is not one of the books that emerge from the overly fertile minds of someone here in Silicon Valley who has decided he or she has found the key to what drives the computer, communications and Internet industries. This is not one of those idiot savant get rich books.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Management is like a breath of fresh air in delivering management information and guidance. The book is easy to read, easy to understand and with a little concentration and effort easy to put to practical use.

The Komisarjevsky’s draw crystal clear management guidelines from everyday family experiences. We’ve never met either Chris or Reina but after reading the book Chris has got to be the kind of boss you wanted to work with…the kind of boss you would take a cut in salary just to learn from…the kind of boss you wish you could be every day.

Of course Chris and Reina have had a lot more experience that few of us (fortunately) will have at being superior bosses and managers. Raising nine children has to teach you something about dealing with different personalities, building individual self-esteem, helping individuals find and explore new opportunities and dealing with crises.

We read this book not once but twice. You find yourself drawing from your own childhood and gaining a little better understanding as to why you’re the type of professional you are. You learn how you can improve your actions and decisions and more importantly help those you work with reach their fullest potential.

In all, Chris and Reina (you honestly do feel you know them as you skim through the highlights of their family’s life) give you 19 examples on how to improve your management style by drawing from daily family experiences such as:
 homework – learning, studying and planning for the future
 little league – always push yourself to be better
 street hockey – how to spot natural leaders on your staff
 a shoe box under the bed – the importance of personalizing otherwise sterile office space
 the ice cream man – trying different things to find out what you like
 sand castles – nothing stays the same…everything changes…that’s reality
 making two families one – making a success of merger and acquisition activities is a lot like bringing kids from earlier relationships into one harmonious family…it takes work
 baking and cooking – reading and watching others do something can only take you so far. Ultimately you have to do it yourself and you have to take personal pride and satisfaction in what you do while setting your own ultra high standards for what is quality

After reading the first few chapters, you slap yourself on the side of the head and say…”Of course!”

Don’t take the raising children and managing employees analogy the wrong way. Employees aren’t kids. Nor do the authors tend to portray them as such. But as you read the book you quickly understand some of the parallels. You can see that if you really listen and watch your children at home, think about what they do and how you bring them up you can actually be a better leader at the office and in your business relationships.

If you’re young enough to still have children at home you’ll probably want to do your own analysis of your family life to see what you can learn from the day-to-day activities. If you’re like us and the kids are now standing on their own two feet you’ll find yourself thinking about what you learned from them and their experiences.

Being a good leader isn’t easy but being a good parent is even tougher. Peanut Butter and Jelly Management will help you on both counts.

Periodically we give general business, personal enrichment and professional management books to clients as gifts. Peanut Butter and Jelly Management has just been added to this list. It’s also a book we plan to give to our own children.

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