This book attempts to break down leadership concepts into an easy-to-follow, repeatable strategy for managers at any organizational level. The authors begin by addressing a recent trend in academia and social media to diminish or eliminate the idea of management and accountability. They hold this trend to be misguided and flawed. The book's central premise is fairly straightforward, to become an effective manager you must master fundamental management skills. The eight chapters go on to outline the most important ones and the aspects of hiring and managing they address. The work's foundation, so to speak, is the principle that while excellent work may be outwardly visible (extrinsic), excellent results are rooted in the individual's work and intention (intrinsic). Moreover, seeking to inspire without earning the respect of the team is futile. Both while hiring and leading, the actions must be fair and ethical, to provide the most value to stakeholders. The authors explain how it is essential to ensure maximizing productivity while nurturing the team's creativity and problem-solving ability, and that managers should strive to be the kind of leader who accepts responsibility for the team. There is also a word of caution against confusing accountability for micromanagement, at the expense of employee autonomy and overall productivity. The book explains why a great manager's role is to create an environment conducive to business success by finding the right people for specific jobs, empowering them to perform, guiding them in executing tasks, and recognizing accomplishments. The chapters also offer pointers to successfully fulfilling these managerial responsibilities by building the right team. There's even a simple formula in the form of an equation for maximizing leaders' effort, and the authors explain the significance of each element therein toward achieving the goal of all management and leadership: Excellence.