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  • 1.  Free Teaching Resource

    Posted 01-30-2010 20:09
    I would like to briefly announce the availability of a book I have co-
    authored entitled The Sergeant Major Syndrome: A Book For People Who Want
    to Advance Their Careers. It is intended as a career advice book for the
    popular reader. It is designed to help the reader better understand the
    relational dynamics of organizational life for the dual purpose of
    becoming a more effective manager and for more effectively managing one’s
    career . It is written for the popular reader and can be a suitable
    resource for HRM or Careers courses. Initial readers have also suggested
    it is a fun read.

    Due to the nature of the publishing industry today, we have made the book
    available online as a free download at:

    http://www.managementdevelopment.biz/thebook

    Here's the introduction:

    " In the glory days of the British Empire, commissioned
    officers in the military were children of the aristocracy. A commoner
    entering the ranks might hope to rise to the rank of Sergeant Major
    (Master Sergeant), but there was no chance of crossing the glass ceiling
    separating the enlisted men from the commissioned officers, Lieutenant and
    above. It was widely known that the British Army was run by its Sergeant
    Majors, but, no matter how much a Sergeant Major was valued, the reward
    for performing well was no more than another seniority stripe on his
    sleeve and another, more impossible assignment. Those who lived to retire
    ended their careers with Her Majesty's sincerest gratitude – and little
    else.

    " I have served as a corporate Sergeant Major and, if you are
    reading this book with interest, then probably so have you. Unlike our
    military predecessor, today’s organizational Sergeant Major is not held
    down by tradition or policy, but by a variety of factors which, if
    understood, can be changed. Part One of this book will help you to
    understand what a Sergeant Major is and how these limiting factors
    operate. In Part Two, we outline a plan for strategizing what you will
    choose to do about being – or not being – a Sergeant Major."

    Roy Stager Jacques
    Massey University
    r.stagerjacques@massey.ac.nz


  • 2.  Free Teaching Resource

    Posted 01-31-2010 11:09
    Prof Stager Jaques,

    Fantastic Book!  For students as well as professors.  Thank you so much for committing to such a progressive means of distribution.  I hope it will serve as a model for future publications.

    Jason

    Doctoral Student, Organizational Behavior
    Boston University School of Management

    On Sat, Jan 30, 2010 at 8:09 PM, Roy Stager Jacques <r.stagerjacques@massey.ac.nz> wrote:
    I would like to briefly announce the availability of a book I have co-
    authored entitled The Sergeant Major Syndrome: A Book For People Who Want
    to Advance Their Careers.  It is intended as a career advice book for the
    popular reader.  It is designed to help the reader better understand the
    relational dynamics of organizational life for the dual purpose of
    becoming a more effective manager and for more effectively managing one's
    career .  It is written for the popular reader and can be a suitable
    resource for HRM or Careers courses.  Initial readers have also suggested
    it is a fun read.

    Due to the nature of the publishing industry today, we have made the book
    available online as a free download at:

    http://www.managementdevelopment.biz/thebook

    Here's the introduction:

              " In the glory days of the British Empire, commissioned
    officers in the military were children of the aristocracy.  A commoner
    entering the ranks might hope to rise to the rank of Sergeant Major
    (Master Sergeant), but there was no chance of crossing the glass ceiling
    separating the enlisted men from the commissioned officers, Lieutenant and
    above.  It was widely known that the British Army was run by its Sergeant
    Majors, but, no matter how much a Sergeant Major was valued, the reward
    for performing well was no more than another seniority stripe on his
    sleeve and another, more impossible assignment.  Those who lived to retire
    ended their careers with Her Majesty's sincerest gratitude – and little
    else.

              " I have served as a corporate Sergeant Major and, if you are
    reading this book with interest, then probably so have you.  Unlike our
    military predecessor, today's organizational Sergeant Major is not held
    down by tradition or policy, but by a variety of factors which, if
    understood, can be changed.  Part One of this book will help you to
    understand what a Sergeant Major is and how these limiting factors
    operate.  In Part Two, we outline a plan for strategizing what you will
    choose to do about being – or not being – a Sergeant Major."

    Roy Stager Jacques
    Massey University
    r.stagerjacques@massey.ac.nz