The Fog of Work : A Simple Approach to Navigating the Complexity of Middle Management.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Tarnow, Adam.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Middle managers.

Executive ability.

Management.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (227 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Newark : John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2026.

Summary:

A comprehensive playbook for mid-level leaders and managers who want to excel and achieve - without burning out In The Fog of Work: A Simple Approach to Navigating the Complexity of Middle Management , author, podcast host, and management consultant, Adam Tarnow, delivers a transformative guide for mid-level leaders doing their best to traverse.

Contents:

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Page

Contents

Prologue: Welcome to the Valley!

I Laughed Because It Was Funny

I Cried Because It Was True

Do You Have a Hidden Camera Following Me Around?

The Valley Is Only Part of the Story

Is There a Way Out?

Hello, My Name Is Adam, And I'm a Recovering Middle Manager

Introduction: Not All Middles Are Miserable

Not All Middles Are Miserable

Are You Ready to Find a Way Through?

Part I Why Is Middle Management So Difficult?

Chapter 1 This Is All Dilbert's Fault

Like Your Parents, Middle Management Used to Be Cool

I Want to Climb My Way Up to Middle Management

Reason #1: Nothing Happens Without Middle Managers

Reason #2: This Is a Rite of Passage

Frank, Meet Joseph

Joseph, Meet Frank

We've All Seen This Movie Before

A Season That Makes You, Not Breaks You

Chapter 2 Wait, Where's My Porsche?

The Higher You Climb, the Better the View

What Did You Expect?

A Valley of Unmet Expectations

My Story Must Have a Villain

The Guy Who Lost His Job to George Brett

Your Story Has a Valley, Not a Villain

Chapter 3 I Never Liked Hiking Anyway

Fifty-Five Minutes (But Not Really)

Tricky Terrain: Ands, Egos, and Exposure

Which One Is Bothering You the Most?

Unpredictable Weather: Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity (VUCA)

Valleys and Fog Go Together Like Peanut Butter and Jelly

VUCA Creates Fog

What the Tricky Terrain and Unpredictable Weather Have in Common

Part II How Do You Find a Way When the Path Isn't Clear?

Chapter 4 Two Paths Diverged in a Valley

Strange Things We Say in Texas

Understandable, but Still Unhelpful

The Valley Is All About Control

Two Paths That Lead to the Same Dark Fog-Filled Place

Chapter 5 Now I See a Third Path (and It's Made All the Difference).

I Could Be an Olympic Athlete

The One Question to See Clearly

It's Never "Nothing"

The New Operating System

Chapter 6 In the Valley, Scorecards Are Better Than Scoreboards

Scorecards Versus Scoreboards

Coaches Are Really Just Middle Managers

Can You Do Me a Favor?

Scorecards Tell a Better Story Than Scoreboards

The Third Unexpected Insight

Part III What Happens When You Don't Want to Do What Needs to Be Done?

Chapter 7 You Don't Need More Serenity

I Think This Prayer Is Misnamed

The Third Surprise

Ideas Often Arrive Before Motivation

Adam, You Have to Chase Him

Fear Causes Fog

Chapter 8 How to B.Y.O.P.R. (Bring Your Own Pep Rally)

Eight Questions for When You're Not Feeling It

Human Motivation Is Tricky

Chapter 9 Resistance Training

The Last Resort

You Need Skill and Will

The Dishes I Want to Wash

You Always Control Which Valley You're In

Easier, but Not Easy

Resistance Isn't Futile

The Valley Didn't Break You, It Made You

Epilogue: Welcome to Leadership!

Appendix A Recommended Resources

Books

"How to Lead" Podcast Episodes

Appendix B Twelve Guiding Principles from Three Great Middle Managers

Laura Maravi, Vice President of Operations, Tacala Companies

Blake Holmes, Campus Pastor, Watermark Community Church

Srikanth Goli, Software Engineering Manager, UWorld, Inc.

Notes

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Index

EULA.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

1-394-36814-3

1-394-36815-1

9781394368143

OCLC:

1583171612