The book 45 manager tattoos consists of 45 chapters. The title of each chapter is a tattoo left after a life lesson learned. Is learning these rules enough to become an effective leader? No. The rules work if you apply them, and do not limit yourself to reading the text.
Maxim Batyrev — About the author
Maxim Batyrev - famous Russian manager, winner of the “Commercial Director of the Year” and “Manager of the Year” awards, author of the bestseller “45 Manager Tattoos”.
Maxim's career is a vivid example of brilliant vertical growth. He worked his way up from an ordinary specialist to a top manager of a large Russian company. The Kommersant publishing house included Maxim in the TOP 1000 best managers in Russia.
Manager tattoos
Tattoo 1. First learn to play by the rules, then come up with your own
The author is convinced that one should always learn to play by the rules and not look for “magic buttons” for success. You can’t earn a million right away if you haven’t learned how to earn a ruble. You cannot become a director if you have not led a department. Boxing taught him this.
As a fourteen-year-old boy, inspired by the movie “Rocky,” he dreamed of becoming a boxer, but during training he was forced to run around the ring, developing his breathing. Once he objected to the coach and got into a sparring match with an experienced partner, he quickly became exhausted and remembered for the rest of his life that he first needed to understand the nature of the rules and the reasons for which they were adopted, and only then come up with his own.
Tattoo 2. Read, comprehend. Train your core muscle
According to Maxim Batyrev, most of his personal achievements are associated with the books he read and subsequent reflection, which quickly turns into action. He is convinced that books are investments that return. If you want strong arms, build up the muscles in your arms. If you want strong legs, run and squat. If you want to think quickly, make decisions quickly and make discoveries, you need to pump up the most important muscle in the body - the brain.
Tattoo 3. Refuse wrong strategies - this is a manifestation of strength
There is an opinion that retreating from planned strategies is a weak position. The author fundamentally disagrees with this. You need to be able to change your strategy, turn off the path, look for other models of behavior, try something new, and sometimes step back if you cannot achieve what you want in the usual way. Changing a strategy, including abandoning a previously chosen one, can lead to excellent results.
Abandoning the wrong strategy means using common sense, taking control of the situation, hitting the brakes at the right time, and winning in the long run.
Tattoo 4. What is obvious to you is not obvious to others
This tattoo appeared on Maxim’s first day of work at the company “What to do Consult” and subsequently became Rule No. 1 of his management style. Before this, he had never worked for a day in a commercial organization, but here he had to immediately get involved in a work process about which he had not the slightest idea. Go to negotiations with a client, fill out a report, issue an invoice, send it by fax... He was embarrassed to ask clarifying questions, and his intuition at that moment failed. The first day of work almost became the last.
He considers the rule “What is obvious to you to be not obvious to others” important for a manager at any level.
Tattoo 5. Look for the strong, the weak will stick to you
Thousands of people will walk around you and complain about life. They want you to help them solve their problems or give them moral support. And it’s even better that you become like-minded people. After all, doing is hard, but complaining is easy.
Maxim tells a story about two colleagues: the first constantly whined about how bad everything was, and when the boss threatened to fire them if there were no sales by the end of the month, he immediately gave up. Maxim turned for help to another colleague, a successful sales manager, and he so charged him with love of life, positive energy and success that Maxim brought the client on the last day of the probationary period. And he stayed with the company for many years.
The author is convinced: you need to achieve meetings with the strong, you need to look for them, you should look up to them and take an example. The weak will find you themselves.
Tattoo 6. Everyone can be forgiven for making a mistake (under certain circumstances)
Probably every person has cases for which he is truly ashamed. The author had such a case. During the negotiations, competitors offered the potential client a large discount. Maxim could offer similar conditions only by violating strict internal rules. Yielding to the temptation and pressure of his leader, he did this and signed the agreement. But six months later, the head of the company became aware of this transaction and other similar ones made by Batyrev’s colleagues. Everyone was fired. Except for Maxim. He was the only one who believed that he himself had made a mistake, did not blame others and was ready to do everything to correct this mistake. Since that moment, Maxim Batyrev has been protecting the interests of business for many years, fanatically monitoring compliance with those same norms and rules and forcing every employee “from the cradle” to know and comply with these norms.
Tattoo 7. Don't do the work for your subordinates
Doing work for subordinates is a classic mistake of all managers who “grew up from below.” The main recommendation: find the “golden mean”, knowing how to abandon previous experience. At the same time, don’t lose it, it can come in handy at any moment.
Tattoo 8. Do not negotiate with terrorists
Any employee who threatens you in any way can be considered a terrorist in business. Particular fans of such threats are departments or personnel with unique functionality.
Tattoo 9. Clients are our everything
Any business depends on customers, but not everyone remembers this. The company where the author worked for many years is super customer-oriented. And this is a great merit of its general director, Pavel Mikhailovich Gorislavtsev. If the issue is urgent and concerns the client, then you can interrupt any conversation, meeting, and even a meeting of the company’s board.
Tattoo 10. And even in a tavern you are a manager!
The behavior of a manager in a drinking establishment is a broad topic. Key point: the manager must organize the work and leisure time of his employees, if he is nearby. From overseeing joint payment of the bill to arranging for all participants to be delivered to their homes at the end of the evening. The author highlights the main points.
— When everyone pays for themselves, that’s normal. Payment disciplines people and forces them to be more careful when choosing food and drinks. The solution is simple: place the first order for everyone and pay the total bill at once. Then everyone can order anything extra for themselves.
- No conversations in the spirit of “Until six I was your boss, and now I’m your drinking buddy and friend.” You are the commander. And the reputation that you have gained over the years can be ruined in one evening. While your employees are around, you are working.
— There are two types of bosses: those who are respected by the relatives of employees, and those who are hated. If you want to fall into the second category, then be sure to have a drinking party on payday.
And one more thing: never enter into negotiations about salary, career growth and other similar issues at public celebrations. Say you are ready to return to the question tomorrow. 80% of employees do not show up the next day.
Tattoo 11. Do not work with morally disabled people
One of the author’s most important tattoos is never work with people if they themselves do not consciously want to change and believe in themselves.
Tattoo 12. Call a spade a spade
Many managers are afraid to tell an employee that he is not performing well. And when it comes to dismissal, they dump a bag of reproaches on the employee’s head. This is the wrong approach. People must clearly understand what the leader wants from them and what the leader is not satisfied with. It is important to give feedback: praise when there is a reason, and not remain silent when the results are unsatisfactory. This creates a certain coordinate system. It is clear what is good and what is bad. And if you have a coordinate system, it is always easier to work.
Such conversations are never easy, and there is always a risk that a person will be offended, but will be transformed literally the next day. Remember the importance of calling a spade a spade, it helps you make the right decisions.
Tattoo 13. Practice what you preach
All conversations about double standards begin with the fact that the manager himself does not comply with the rules that he requires employees to follow. And this is not just ugly, but truly destructive. You can't force employees to read books if you don't even open them yourself. You cannot force an employee to comply with a dress code if you wear jeans yourself. You cannot force an employee to arrive on time if you yourself are late for work. The boss is always evaluated. Words should not be at odds with deeds, otherwise you will be considered a weak leader or worse, a liar.
Tattoo 14. The pack copies the leader
Don't expect it to be different. We are talking about the so-called indirect education, expressed in micro-emotions, energy, and attitude to tasks. Employees are able to determine what is important and unimportant to you based on your emotions and reactions. And what is important to you is also important to them, because you are their leader. You give them a standard of correct behavior, a standard of morality, a standard of willpower, a standard of conviction.
The leader always changes the culture and trends in his unit because the pack copies the leader. If you want to understand what kind of manager you are, look at the employees who have been working with you for more than six months.
Tattoo 15. Good must be rewarded and evil must be punished. Always
The author considers this principle one of the most important in the work of a manager. Employees test the manager's strength every day. Any violation that you consciously go unnoticed is the first sign that soon “all the windows will be broken.”
Tattoo 16. Teach - treat - wet
“Teach - treat - wet” are essentially the stages of working with each employee to complete any task. By and large, all leaders are divided into three types: each prefers a certain action. Maxim suggests using the tattoo in stages:
- Learn. No matter how smart your employee may seem, it is vitally important for you to make sure that he understands the task as needed. Remember tattoo number 4? What is obvious to you is not obvious to others.
- Treat. This stage occurs if the rules are agreed upon, the employee understands the task correctly, but still does not complete it. How many times to treat? Suppose the first time is an accident, the second is a coincidence. But the third is a pattern. Warn during the second case of “treatment” that it is the last. And then something unpleasant will happen.
- Get wet. Discipline an employee. This can be anything, as long as the subordinate experiences personal suffering and never again does it occur to him not to complete the assigned task. This stage, in fact, is the only one where your power is needed. In all other cases, it is better not to use it, but to negotiate normally with people.
Always act exclusively in this order, and everything in your managerial life will be great!
Tattoo 17. You need to develop your strengths, not your weaknesses.
When you see an example of a successful person who has achieved career heights that you are only dreaming of, there is a high risk of starting to copy some traits, doing it literally. But what one has is his specialty, the other is not his strong point. Often this behavior looks unnatural and looks like clowning. Instead, focus on your strengths and focus on developing them. What to do with weaknesses? The author advises to minimize losses (not to get into situations where you can expose your shortcomings).
Tattoo 18. The strong respect only strength
Don't work with the strong at all or become stronger than them. There is no third. In an undeclared war for power, negotiations often do not lead to the desired result. And then it is necessary to demonstrate strength, rebuff the uncontrollable employee and put him in his place. Be adamant and draw a clear line between what is acceptable behavior and what you will not tolerate under any circumstances. Your employee can do what he wants, where he wants, but not with you. Here you are the leader, and if opinions differ, he will have to take your side. If you're not ready, let him leave right now.
Tattoo 19. Only like-minded people strengthen a team
The author is convinced: a team of people with the same views on business, results, approaches to work, and most importantly - on common goals - is many times stronger and more productive. When working with people who have different opinions, you will constantly spend energy overcoming resistance. Even if there is only one such person, he will slow down the entire team. Work with like-minded people! It's more effective this way. Checked!
Tattoo 20. Do not discuss decisions made with subordinates
One of the worst sins of a leader is trying to discuss a decision with his subordinates. Don't give in to temptation. You may not find support for a fresh idea from the team, but the job has already been done. This does not add authority to the leader.
Tattoo 21. Recognizing the specificity of death is similar
Is your business “specific”? Do you work in a “specific” department? Forget about it. The client absolutely always wants better quality for less money. Both a VIP client and the smallest one. Even if he has nothing to compare with, he still wants it cheaper than you offer. Each of the clients also wants guarantees and instant solutions to their issues. And the specifics have nothing to do with it.
Recognizing specificity is akin to capitulation: you will always have an excuse and temptation to blame any of your failures on some special circumstances that others do not have. From his own experience, Maxim Batyrev was convinced that only those departments and companies in which they managed to kill the stereotype of “specificity” are selected from bad results.
Tattoo 22. Praise people
Praise is building a coordinate system. An employee will focus on what he is being praised for, whether you like it or not. The main thing is to praise people only for what you yourself think is right. And do this until the employees themselves learn to praise themselves for the things that you consider right. This rule works not only in business, but also in any new situation where you learn new things. Everyone wants to do what they are praised for, and try less to do what they are catastrophically unsuccessful at. In addition, praise is a completely free tool for motivating people. Use it!
Tattoo 23. Don't count on people's gratitude
One of the principles of Maxim Batyrev is to return to people the goodness, good deeds and investments they make. He helps his managers who spend resources on him, his parents who have invested a lot of effort in him, his subordinates who achieve results not only for themselves, but also for the company. He spends time, effort, energy, but does not expect gratitude, “does good and throws it into the water.”
Tattoo 24. A team is created only by common efforts
Team building and corporate events, according to the author, are not particularly effective in building an effective team. Distributing paints and brushes to all employees and painting a two-hundred-meter fence together is much more effective for building a team than everyone playing bowling together. Because doing things together always implies the participation of everyone, a personal area of responsibility, a visible personal result of work and a visible common result.
Tattoo 25. A manager must be extreme
Most of all, employees value managers for their ability to personally resolve issues. It is the ability to work as if no one is behind you, to make maximum personal efforts to resolve issues, that distinguishes a good manager from a bad one.
At the end of 2008, the financial crisis struck, and Maxim’s company had a hard time. In order to prevent people from despair, he again began to communicate with clients, showing by personal example: even in such times you can sell, and a crisis is not only threats, but also opportunities. This greatly motivated the employees. At the end of the year, they had 1.5 times less sales than planned. Their competitors had no sales at all.
Tattoo 26. Time is more important than perfection
In business, the winner is much more often not the one who thought through the details and was better prepared, but the one who took the risk and did it first. Even if it’s “crooked”, even if it’s not fully thought out, even if mistakes are corrected along the way, even if you have to apologize to clients, but it’s vitally important for you to get ahead of everyone and then loudly declare your triumph. Otherwise you will lose. The tattoo “Time is more important than perfection” helps the author make decisions in conditions of uncertainty. Finding a way out in situations where nothing is clear is one of the main competencies of modern managers.
Tattoo 27. Protect the interests of your leader
Protecting the interests of your leader is not a principle or a belief. It's a skill. You have to learn it, like riding a bike. It is much easier to criticize other people's decisions and be indignant at new tasks. Instead, try to delve into the manager’s motives, understand them, understand them - and start helping him. After all, you have a common goal - growing your business. It is completely ineffective to spend additional resources on persuasion, explanations, and sometimes even a showdown. It’s better to immediately take the manager’s side, think about how to help him in this situation, and complete the task quickly and well.
Advice for managers: When choosing which employee to appoint to the role of manager, take this skill as one of the criteria. It cannot be lost or forgotten. It is imprinted forever.
Tattoo 28. People will do it when it's easier
what to do, what not to do
One of the fail-safe management rules. The idea is simple: if a task is not completed time after time, then the subordinate needs to create conditions under which it will be easier for him to complete this task than not to complete it. Then an employee, choosing between two evils, will choose the lesser, and the likelihood of completing the task will increase significantly.
The author has been convinced more than once that this rule works. And when I first came to Germany, I was amazed that there was an entire country where this approach had been elevated to a national cult. He found out that the Germans do not violate traffic rules; it is not profitable for them. If you exceed the speed limit by just 20 km/h three times, you will lose your driving license for three months, and if caught driving, you will be sent to prison. You can get your license back after an idiot test, which is always preceded by 40 sessions with a psychologist lasting one hour and costing 100 euros each. Multiply yourself. In short, they are creating such conditions in the country for drivers that next time it will be easier not to break the rules than to break them. Everyone knows about this and is so afraid that there are almost no violations on the roads. This is effective management.
Tattoo 29. Grow people - this is your main goal
People need to be given opportunities and hope. Don't be afraid that you will be scammed. If you are strong, you grow people, and you produce excellent results, then your best employees may actually be perceived as your replacement. And these employees can really replace you. This is precisely the meaning of managerial work. This is what will allow you to grow further. Moreover, a grown replacement is the only condition under which you yourself grow. The people who work with you are your main capital. You can’t work in business while constantly accumulating something or someone around you. Business values investment and asset movement.
Tattoo 30. Any idea you have can be questioned
Even if the idea is good and correct, be sure to expect that it will be questioned. The reason doesn't matter. Before you offer anything new to your colleagues (and clients), prepare for objections and think about what arguments are best to make.
Tattoo 31. Fuck analytics during a crisis
Imagine that on a sinking ship, the captain opens a large map, maritime regulations and begins to think about the reasons why his ship is sinking, instead of saving people. Stupid, right? At such a moment, you cannot delve into the past, only actions and only forward. Never look back if you find yourself in a quagmire. Any analytics, any reporting, any inspection is a step into the past, a step back. Any action aimed at overcoming the crisis is a step into the future, a step forward.
Eastern samurai have a phrase: “If you don’t know what to do, take a step forward.” If you find yourself in a crisis, if it’s hard for you, if you don’t have enough strength and want to give up everything, follow the rule of the samurai - take a step forward.
Tattoo 32. There is no justice
People with a heightened sense of universal injustice are the most serious destroyers in your company. “Fairness” is the most serious manipulation, and you can tell your opponent about this right from the start. There can be no social justice in commercial organizations. Those who work well should earn good money, bring more profit, make more significant and significant decisions, are responsible for the most important processes, and make a greater contribution to the movement and development of the organization.
The author advises to remember: in your company, in your department, justice is you. Whatever you decide will be fair. Don’t explain yourself to such people; they still won’t understand you and won’t agree with you.
Tattoo 33. First we fight the consequences, then the causes
Very often managers struggle with causes rather than effects. Maxim Batyrev fundamentally disagrees with this approach. He gives an example of actions from Tigran Harutyunyan’s training. If you are sick and have snot running, before you develop a comprehensive treatment program and go to the pharmacy for medications, and then make a plan for the coming year to buy new winter boots and lead a healthy lifestyle, you need to find a handkerchief and blow your nose. It's the same in business. Eliminate the consequences first and only then move on to the causes.
The author is convinced: if he had not been guided by such logic, his fighters would never have studied their product and would not have been the coolest ConsultantPlus sellers in the country.
Tattoo 34. Everyone is responsible for themselves
Maxim holds an unpopular opinion: everyone is responsible for themselves. He builds his own life, sets goals that can be either completely mundane or completely grandiose. But he does it himself.
RESPONSIBILITY = ACTION. Moreover, the actions are proactive. If we talk about work, then each employee has his own responsibility. The manager is responsible for creating conditions for the normal work of the employee (transfer of experience, material and non-material motivation, and so on). The employee’s responsibility is to use the created conditions for the benefit of the company. If he does not do this, if he is inactive, he is irresponsible. And this is only his choice.
Tattoo 35. Coaching in business is evil
The author has nothing against coaching as a separate direction of Gelstalt therapy, but categorically does not accept it in business, considering it anti-management. This is a good technique for unlocking a person’s inner potential, but in personnel management it works against the company. A cold approach to employee functionality increases the efficiency of their work.
Coaching is based on the idea that a person is not an empty vessel that needs to be filled, but is more like an acorn that needs to be given a fertile environment in order for it to sprout and subsequently become an oak tree.
Tattoo 36. Be consistent: they will start pushing you out
Any of your decisions, rules or instructions is perceived as a restriction of the freedom of a subordinate. Therefore, they will try to squeeze you out. Hundreds and even thousands of ways to NOT complete your tasks will be invented. Everyone will look for loopholes to stay comfortable. And most importantly, you will be tested for strength every day. There are only two options: either your subordinates will break you and everything will return to normal, or you will manage to build what you want.
Advice: Be steadfast and consistent. People respect consistency. Inconsistency causes laughter and shows the weakness of power.
Tattoo 37. Don't trust people of dreams, trust people of goals
The author divides everyone into “people of purpose” and “people of dreams.” “Dream people” take practically no action and very rarely connect their current activities with their own aspirations. Unlike people with goals, who know for sure: all today’s actions move them forward, even if only a millimeter. Goal people always know what they want, who they will be, with whom and where. They are constantly in search of opportunities, which is why they practically do not need management. Maxim Batyrev calls such people supermen and believes that there are no more than 10% of them. If you have such people subordinate to you, consider yourself very lucky: the target’s people would work well without you, they work well with you, and in the future they will work well no matter with whom. Be a person of purpose and manage people of dreams. There is no way without managing it.
Tattoo 38. Any ambiguity is interpreted for the worse for you
People tend to develop worst-case scenarios in their heads when they don't have clear answers. And they usually come up with ideas that are not in favor of the employer. Try to avoid ambiguity in your work, make sure that ordinary employees have the opportunity to get the correct information first-hand. Encourage feedback by setting up boxes for anonymous letters and responding to them from time to time. This way you will keep your finger on the pulse and be able to tell your subordinates about the real state of affairs in a timely manner, dispelling their fears and filling the voids with your influence.
Tattoo 39. Any words you say can become a task
Even casually thrown words addressed to a subordinate can turn into a task for which you are obliged to demand a report. To motivate someone to do something and then not ask about doing it means to demotivate the employee. And the more influential your role in the organization, the more powerful the blow you deal with your indifference.
The author considers it extremely important to allow people to realize their main need - to be supermen in our eyes. A person who completes a task you set or even a simple request should receive praise and feel a sense of pride in himself and his actions. And the person who “gave up” and did not do what you asked him to do should experience a feeling of embarrassment and shame for letting his manager down. These are the moments when people begin to understand that their leaders have truly powerful power.
Tattoo 40. A single conceptual apparatus improves controllability
Maxim Batyrev is convinced that the effectiveness of a unit directly depends on how well people understand each other. The more you have in common, the better the contact and the faster your employees accept tasks. To do this, it is important to create and maintain a single conceptual apparatus and synchronously develop in a single conceptual field.
In his company, he uses a number of tools to do this. Among them are employees watching films that are useful for business, and mandatory reading of selected business literature (newcomers, after a six-month probationary period, even take an exam based on the books they have read). Sometimes, to evoke certain emotions and actions among employees, he quotes movie characters, and his colleagues know exactly what he means.
Tattoo 41. Discipline is the mother of victory
Maxim Batyrev is adamant in everything related to discipline. He believes that disciplinary breaks on the part of managers lead to a direct decrease in performance. He figured this out empirically: he once sorted out explanatory notes from two years ago from employees who were late more than twice in two weeks. And I was surprised to discover that none of these subordinates were working in the company anymore.
In his opinion, being late is the first signal for the head of any department: given the same recurring situation regarding discipline, the probability of tasks not being completed is close to 100%. Because being late is a litmus test of attitude towards the current job. If you want your unit to be combat-ready, demand iron discipline. From everyone, including myself.
Tattoo 42. Exchange the weak for the strong
If you see that your employees are underworking, under-fulfilling, postponing tasks for later, and working sporadically, say goodbye to them. Any concessions to poor students are not good for business. Of course, you need to give a person the opportunity to improve, but not after he has already lost his authority in the eyes of successful colleagues. Do this in advance. And then strong people will know that they can and should work with you.
Tattoo 43. Do more than necessary
Not all good employees are good managers. Especially for subordinates who want to grow vertically, Maxim once compiled a portrait of an ideal candidate for a managerial position, so that applicants would know what they should strive for. It can also be obtained by writing to Maxim at [email protected] with the theme “Portrait”. One of the principles for becoming a manager is: “Do more than is necessary.”
When Maxim Batyrev is faced with a choice of whom to appoint to a new position - a person who worked well, like many others, or an employee who worked well, but did more than necessary - he always prefers the second option. The calculation is simple: he expects him to behave in exactly the same way, but in the role of a manager.
An important point: doing more than necessary is strictly necessary only in those moments when you are coping with your main tasks. Maxim professes this principle in his life. His active life position and rapid career have proven that by doing more than is necessary, you create an advantage for yourself compared to others.
Tattoo 44. Don't be afraid when you're alone. Be afraid when you're zero
Everyone wants to work with strong managers. With those who win awards, he can go to the client if necessary, do something that will make his boss proud. Do you want to be a strong manager in the eyes of your subordinates? Then don’t be afraid to make decisions, take responsibility for them, challenge yourself with new challenges, and become an example and source of inspiration for your colleagues. Be the one who is willing to step out and say, “I will do it!” - and do this until you achieve what you want.
Tattoo 45. Always remember: one day you will be fired
Everyone is fired. Even Lee Iacocca. Even Steve Jobs from his own company. We can only delay this moment. But it will still happen sooner or later. Maxim decided to write about this separately so that the reader would not relax. In the book, he mentions Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford commencement speech (watch it on YouTube if you haven't seen it), where he talks about death as a reason for change and the best way to avoid thinking that you have something to lose.
Changing jobs is one of the main shocks that a person experiences in his life. That is why you need to be mentally prepared for your own dismissal. For many years, Maxim Batyrev has been telling himself the same phrase early in the morning: “Today I could be fired.” Thinking about it has become as mandatory as brushing your teeth in the morning. Thoughts help you get ready for the work day, correctly list your tasks, and tone you up better than any coffee. In this way he creates his own motivation to survive.
Remember, our time is limited and we need to get everything done. Remember that our day today is not a rehearsal for real life. This is real life.
As a person with a tattoo “My world is in my hands,” I, of course, could not pass by a book with that title. No, we are not talking about real tattoos - roses, crosses, domes and motivational inscriptions, but about life lessons that the author learned from different situations. Tattoos, scars, nicks - you can call them whatever you want. The main thing is that after reading this book they will stay with you forever.
“45 Tattoos of a Manager” is a domestic book, written by a Russian businessman for a Russian manager or entrepreneur. The author of the book, Maxim Batyrev (Combat), went from an ordinary employee to a top manager at the company “What to do Consult”. Batyrev travels around the country and conducts master classes, where he shares his practical experience with leaders of Russia and neighboring countries.
With such a track record, one immediately believes that all 45 tattoos appeared on him for a reason - these are traces of life experience and the most diverse situations in which he has been. Relationships with people, conflicts in a work team, secrets of creating an ideal work team, specific examples of how to act in a given situation - all this is in the book.
My rakes, bumps and tattoos
“All that is in the book are my rakes, bumps and tattoos. I share with you a part of my life and hope that my practice will serve as a good example for you,” says the author. Each of the 45 tattoos is, in fact, a life principle that Kombat developed and which can become a rule for each of us. Here are some of them:
1. First learn to play by the rules, then come up with your own
Kombat's first tattoo appeared after an unsuccessful sparring. As a teenager, Maxim signed up for a boxing class and was perplexed: why, instead of teaching punches and techniques, the coach forces him to run sixty laps and squat for another ten? Everything became clear when our hero was easily defeated by an unsightly guy, just deftly dodging blows.
“I didn’t turn out to be a boxer, but I remembered the lesson for the rest of my life. Wherever I have gone since then, I have learned to play by the rules of the system, trying to understand the nature of those rules and the reasons for which they were adopted.It's the same in business. In life too. You can’t earn a million right away if you haven’t learned how to earn a ruble. You can't become a director if you haven't managed a department. You can't attract many clients if you haven't learned to understand what motivates them. You should always learn to play by the rules and not look for magic buttons.”
2. Look for the strong, the weak will stick on their own
In any company, in any team, there are whiners and complainers. Everything is always bad for them, they are looking for a strong shoulder to complain about life and the injustice of fate. Even if such a whiner is a lousy worker, he will definitely find an excuse. Even if he is fired for drunkenness, absenteeism or endless joints, everyone around him will be to blame, but not our sufferer.
” The strong will never come up to you and be the first to say: “Hello! How are you? I’m Strong, what’s your name?” Meetings with the strong must be achieved. You need to look for the strong. You need to look up to the strong, you need to take an example from the strong. The weak will find you themselves. And they will come with a big spoon to scoop up your dreams, hopes, good mood, faith in success and smiles with this spoon.”.
3. Don't do the work for your subordinates
Have you recently been made a manager and are you trying to do everything perfectly? Do you control your subordinates like a mother hen, and sometimes even do their work for them? Maxim Batyrev also fell into this trap when he was appointed head of the sales department.
“ I started working as a salesman. One for all! And, succumbing to temptation, he began to help his employees in what he knew and could best himself... The result was stunning. In the first month of operation, the department took first place in the company. I was Superman, and my people understood everything and sat comfortably on my neck.”The result of this work was a reprimand from the boss:“If I see you doing work for your subordinates one more time, I will fire you. Do you understand that if you go on vacation or get sick, your unit will instantly fall apart? Most likely, at that moment I got a tattoo just below my back: “DON’T DO THE WORK FOR YOUR SUBORDINATES.”
4. Everyone can be forgiven for a mistake. But only under certain circumstances.
And again, an example from life: The battalion commander told how one day the entire department violated the established rules. Yes, he violated it so much that the founder began to call everyone on the carpet and fire them. Maxim was not fired. As the big boss told him,“because you are the only one who believes that you yourself made a mistake. You are the only one who does not blame others. And you are the only one who is ready to do at least something to correct the mistake.”
And 41 more tattoos, which are written in detail in the book and which will never leave the author.
All that is in the book is my rakes, bumps and tattoos
Pros of the book
- No lengthy arguments, fluff or other blah blah: everything is clear, simple and understandable. This is understandable: slow philosophers rarely become top managers. And for us, readers, there are only advantages: not to wade through the author’s reasoning, but to absorb and take simple everyday wisdom.
- Lots of specific examples. Weight. The above is just a small sampling. There are more living examples than in any business book I have ever read. And I have never read another one so quickly and excitedly!
- Russian realities. Of course, reading about how the Starbucks empire was created cup by cup or how the American dream of Jay Gatsby collapsed is fascinating. Involuntarily, you try on the events of these books on your own, painfully familiar reality. And in “Tattoos” you don’t even need to try anything on: here it is, Mother Race, with its formation of a civilized business, kickbacks, competitors and other delights.
- No instructions or advice - we are all big boys and girls, and Maxim understands this perfectly. His job is to honestly talk about his experience, and then everyone decides for themselves. However, reading these revelations, you begin to think: what would I do? Or maybe it should have been done differently? What if you put this advice into practice next time? It seems that this is what the author wanted to achieve.
- Positive attitude. The author is not a professional writer, but he writes in a very light style. For him, the reader is a friend with whom he shares incidents from his life in his own way. While reading a book, you often smile and catch yourself thinking: “Yes, yes, it happened to me too!” And after reading, you are so charged with energy that you want to immediately go and put the given tips into practice. Maybe even get yourself a few extra tattoos!
There are no downsides to the book, in my opinion. No wonder it is recognized as the best-selling business book in Russia.
Who is the book “45 Manager Tattoos” for?
Definitely for managers, entrepreneurs, executives of all ranks who are interested in putting together a strong team. It will also be useful for any person who dreams of achieving success, and simply for anyone who communicates with people. The lessons of interaction, communication with another, understanding the motives of another person are priceless.
“ I started listening to this book in audio format when I was traveling to Saratov, recalls the founder of Envybox by CallbackkillerAlexey Molchanov. — This is a very cool book, many of the tips resonate with my own experience, I am already using them. And if you get such information at the start, when you have no experience yet, it’s absolutely priceless! I would recommend everyone to implement these tips into their daily activities, into their lives. They really can and should be used.”
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the copyright holders.
© M. Batyrev, 2014
© Publication. Decor. Mann, Ivanov and Ferber LLC, 2017
* * *
Dedicated to my main teachers Valery Vladimirovich and Tatyana Vitalievna BATYREV
Please consider any resemblance to real people to be an accident.
During the writing of the book, not a single person or animal was harmed.
Resolution: study, take notes, comprehend, apply!
You need to read this book. Thoughtfully. Leisurely. If you are a leader or want to become one. If you are successful and if you are not so successful. Why? It was written by a PROFESSIONAL. A person who systematized and described his WAY. To success. Warning: not good luck. To success.
You may be asking: what is success? And add: well, you know, this is such a complex concept... Of course. You're right. But there is one sign that takes into account all the nuances. A successful person when asked, are you happy, answers: Yes. He doesn’t say: well... happiness... you know... it’s different for everyone...
This is a book about management. There are millions of books on management. But this book was written by a professional. And he described in it the rules, the effectiveness and significance of which he tested on himself. And therefore he has the right to share with you.
You may ask: what are the guarantees? None. Because there is no technology that will allow you not to use your head. That's why I put this resolution in the title.
Management rules from Maxim Batyrev (known by his nickname Combat) are specific, practical, effective and reasonable. They are based on the principles of effective management. Therefore, if you start using them, you will see: the work of your subordinates becomes more meaningful, responsible and effective.
Will these rules be easy to apply? Perhaps not. And everything will not work out right away. Because using any new skill requires changing your habits. But it is our current habits that do not allow us to be at the desired point in the world. So…
True, there is another way. For example, sit under the Christmas tree and wait for Santa Claus. Or buy “happy pills”, especially since there are a huge number of sellers.
Is learning these rules enough to become an effective leader? No. There is no such thing as enough knowledge in management. The leader is coming the warrior's way. And he knows that the pinnacle of mastery is unattainable, but every day is given to us to take one step closer to it. And the master is not the one who has reached the top, but the one who is always on the way. Therefore, Maxim Batyrev is a master. And its rules are worth paying attention to.
Perhaps some rules will frighten beautiful-hearted and tremulous managers who want to turn their structures into a flock of joyfully fluttering contented moths, joyfully and inspiredly working under the leadership of a wise and kind boss.
And they regularly bring him buckets of nectar. If you are anything like the type described, then you should not read this book. To avoid, as they say. Because there is not a word in it about any kind of “corporate values” with which many are trying to “feed” their companies in the hope of results. I have read a lot of such documents. They all resemble a bad translation of the Bible. And none of them work. Which is quite surprising to the authors.
So, Maxim's rules work. If you apply them, and do not limit yourself to reading the text.
Do I agree with Maxim Kombat Batyrev in everything? No. I propose to solve some issues differently. But Maxim is responsible for the result, so his methodology must be studied. And as the great Confucius taught us, “...there are different ways to achieve results.”
In 2013, I celebrated my 20th anniversary in the profession. I have trained many leaders. But when my technology is approved by managers - masters people like Maxim are a special pleasure and a special pride.
Alexander Fridman,
consultant and business trainer in the field of professional personnel management
From the author
– The boomerang was invented in Australia. What would have happened if it had been invented in Russia?
- Why do we need a boomerang? We have a rake!
Joke from KVN
They say that everyone wants to write a book. At the same time, there are a thousand reasons why this needs to be done “later”. The last time, a couple of years ago, I came up with this reason: I don’t have enough convincing arguments for managers (that’s what I call managers, not sales specialists at all) to buy this book.
Having won the all-Russian competitions “Commercial Director of the Year 2012” (held by Salecraft), “Manager of the Year 2012” (organized by the International Academy of Management and the Moscow Government) and entered the TOP 1000 best managers in the country according to the Kommersant Publishing House, I am I found the arguments. Here, for example: the company “What to do Consult,” in which I am one of the directors, has become the undisputed leader in its industry for the fifth year in a row.
We were not always leaders, and I was not always a director. Consultant on strategic management of organizations Tigran Harutyunyan says that my success is not a classic case for world practice: I managed to achieve it in just eleven years, without connections, kickbacks, European education, but with a thousand mistakes, a hundred falls and serious tests like a four-hour sleep per day for several years.
Why would a top manager write a book? Not to a consultant who will sell his name and services thanks to her, and not to a business owner who will promote his company in this way? Top manager - why?
For example, because we have practically no domestic books that hired managers write for hired managers. At the same time, we have orders of magnitude more hired managers than owners and consultants.
This is the first thing.
Secondly, this book is about learning to be grateful. Those people from whom you learn both good and bad. Teachers, managers, employees and loved ones.
Everything that is described here took place within one organization - in the company “What to do Consult”, which turns 20 years old in 2013. The book shows our organization from the inside - with all the difficulties, problems, and inner workings. Sometimes this happens: you read about a cool company, and a lump comes to your throat, you feel disgusted by the pretense and falseness. Everything here is true. This is about fate with its twists and turns and how we got to the straight line together.
I tried very hard to make it easy to read, because I hate instructive stories in the spirit of “how to become a successful/billionaire in 24 hours” or books of ready-made management recipes. After all, even if you absolutely accurately reproduce all the technologies and methods from such books, they will not work in the absence of a solid foundation on which your company and your division are built. And the foundation is, first of all, the principles by which you conduct business. In this book I call principles tattoos, since they were forever imprinted on me after various events that happened in life. From a blow to the jaw to waterfalls of women's tears. These are my rakes, these are my cones, these are mine tattoos. My manager Olga Firsovna Samokhina says that in this book I bare my managerial heart to the reader and that not everyone can decide to take such a step.
The title of each chapter is tattoo, left for a long memory by the lessons that the fate of a manager and other sharp turns of life taught me. They will never disappear from my memory, like real tattoos from my body, and they always accompany me.
My main goal is to explain Why you have to do things exactly the way described here if you want to succeed. Behind each new chapter lie meaningful actions, someone’s pain, torment, joy, successful and unsuccessful experiences, ups and downs, layoffs and leadership, and most importantly, the desired result.
And further. I know that this book will be read by people who have a dissenting opinion on any issue. There are enough of these everywhere. So, if you have a desire to criticize me, argue with me, then you don’t need to do this. This is my experience, this is my life, this is my path, and I think they are correct. I have no claims to be an expert or the ultimate truth, and I do not impose my opinion on you. But I know for sure: any person is always in one of only two states - protection or learning. By reading this book, you can learn, or you can swear.
I'm finishing. Before you start looking at my tattoos, I will remember one of my favorite sayings. Leonardo da Vinci said this.
All people are divided into three types:
Those who see
Those who see when they are shown
Those who don't see.
I wish you to see always and everywhere!
1. First learn to play by the rules, then come up with your own
Workers must come to dance parties in light clothing and shoes. Dancing in work and sports clothes is prohibited.
Dancing in a distorted form is prohibited.
The dancer must perform the dance correctly, clearly and equally well with both the right and left foot.
A woman has the right to politely express displeasure about a man’s failure to observe the required distance of three centimeters and demand an explanation in a polite manner.
Smoking and laughing should be in specially designated areas.
Rules of conduct at dance parties, USSR, 1974
In some not particularly memorable business book (I apologize in advance to the author), I read a particularly memorable example on the topic of how wonderful it is to break established rules. Since I don’t remember the author and the source, I will convey the meaning of what I read close to the text:
Breaking the rules is great! Only those who break the rules can achieve truly extraordinary results. Let's consider my statement using the example of Hollywood. It has long been known that Hollywood has a formula for success that brings in hundreds of millions of dollars in box office receipts. This formula consists of three components:
1) the film should not last more than two hours;
2) the film must have a happy ending;
3) the main character must remain alive in the end.
And then James Cameron appeared on the scene with Titanic - a film that changed the entire film industry! He broke every possible rule!
1) the film is almost 3.5 hours long;
2) at the end almost all the characters die, including...
3) ...the main character.
As you know, this film was the first in history to gross more than a billion dollars at the box office around the world and still continues to hold the first position in the ratings!
Learn from James Cameron! He didn't follow the rules and won!
When I read this I was angry.
Guys, what are you doing?! What about “Terminator”, “Aliens”, “True Lies”?
All these films that made Cameron famous, hits that broke box office records, were made according to Hollywood rules! Is not it so?
I’m not just annoyed, I’m infuriated by the trend that has been visible for the last few years and is clogging the minds of the younger generation: “There’s no need to study! Bill Gates and Steve Jobs had no education and became billionaires! Universities and schools give nothing!”
Is it okay that they worked like hell twenty hours a day? It’s okay that they were geniuses, that such people can be counted on one hand one hands - are there several billion of us on the planet?
The new-fashioned wave - the “Business Youth” community repeats: “Don’t work for your uncle! Open your own companies, guys! A sixteen-year-old girl Olya from Syktyvkar started washing windows - and now earns 40,000 rubles every month!”
What will happen to Olya in five years?! She won't learn anything! She'll be washing windows all her life!
But what about the development of the mind, spurring one’s own imagination, forming personal beliefs based on basic knowledge?..
Sometimes it reminds me of a strange kind of genocide - intellectual. Sometimes I’m even afraid of what will happen to those who are now fourteen or fifteen in ten years.
I am deeply convinced that in any society you must first learn to play by the rules, and I constantly repeat this to my employees who are looking for the “magic buttons” for success.
And the boxing section, which I joined at the age of fourteen, taught me this.
...Back in 1995, after another episode of “Rocky,” I decided that it was time to become a boxer.
When I was traveling for the first time on a bus to a neighboring city for my first boxing lesson, I imagined, as if in reality, the ring, the title of absolute world champion, thousands of fans, hands stretching the champion’s belt over my head, the unhappy face of my opponent and beautiful women lining up in queue for an autograph.
After much persuasion, my mom and dad found the money to go in for real men’s sports and even bought me new sneakers. I entered the gym, saw a group of older comrades boxing in the ring (in a real ring!), a dozen punching bags, stern male faces with flat noses and a hefty trainer. Everything was like in a movie.
“Hey, newbie! Let's get into formation!" - they shouted to me.
There were about twenty-five of us. I expected that they would now give us punching bags and start teaching us how to hit correctly, but we were forced to run around the ring. Sixty laps.
After which the coach said that we were free and could go home.
Of course, I was discouraged by this development of events, but I thought that this was a test of strength, and I came the next time. We were forced to run sixty laps and squat for another ten. And again we were not taught to beat scoundrels.
The third time was the same as the second, and the fourth the same as the third, plus 10 laps of running, but only backwards.
I was indignant and irritated. How so? Where is my championship belt?! Where are the blows to the jaw? Where are the instructions on how to correctly insert the mouth guard and spit into the bucket that the assistant coach holds next to you?!
After the fifth time I couldn’t stand it and went to the trainer.
– I don’t understand something, is there a section of runners around the ring or a real men’s club?
“You and I are developing a breathing apparatus.” Before they teach you anything, boys, you need to learn to breathe.
“I know how to breathe, let’s teach me how to box!”
- Wait, everything should be in order.
– I want gloves and a sparring partner. Teach me to fight, not to run!
The coach smiled, called the stocky guy, whispered something in his ear and said that at the next lesson he would spar with me.
Before the fight, I watched “Rocky” again, preparing myself for the main battle of my life, stretching my fists, cracking my knuckles, turning my head, jumping up and down like a real boxer, imagining how I would someday stand on the pedestal and shed a tear to the Russian anthem. .
And here it is, this moment! The coach, grinning slightly, put on my gloves, laced up the helmet and put a real mouth guard in my mouth. It was unusual for me, but I knew that every real boxer went through this. Ring, give me the ring!
Twenty-four pairs of eyes from the nursery group followed me with envious glances. My opponent looks calm, he’s not wearing a helmet, which means I have to hit him in the jaw right away!
I run up to him, swinging him like an ancient Russian hero in an open field. Hit. Oh, there is no opponent, he is already jumping from behind and smiling. Ah well! Are you going to run from me? On you!
...He's gone again.
In general, this went on for about five minutes, after which I felt slightly dizzy and wildly thirsty. I couldn’t breathe in this damn helmet, my gloves became heavy, and my legs generally became leaden. As you understand, not a single blow of mine reached its target.
And then my opponent, out of nowhere, appears in front of me and hits me with his right hand, which for some reason looks terribly like a reinforced concrete beam. Although the sympathetic comrades watching me told me that he only kicked me lightly, it did not seem so to me. The moment I fell into the ring, I thought a freight train had hit me.
This was my last fight and a good lesson for those guys who supported me at first and didn’t want to either just run around the ring. After that, they suddenly changed their minds and ran their marathon with great joy.
Since then, I have had a tattoo on my jaw: “First learn to play by the rules, then make up your own.”
I didn't become a boxer, but I remembered the lesson for the rest of my life. Wherever I have gone since then, I have learned to play by the rules of the system, trying to understand the nature of those rules and the reasons for which they were adopted.
It's the same in business. In life too. You can’t earn a million right away if you haven’t learned how to earn a ruble. You can't become a director if you haven't managed a department. You can't attract many clients if you haven't learned to understand what motivates them. And so on.
You should always learn to play by the rules and not look for magic buttons.
Even if James Cameron personally told you how to break the rules, you're unlikely to make Avatar.
And the odds of you being Steve Jobs are 1 in 7,021,836,029.
2. Read, comprehend. Train your core muscle
How to develop imagination if you are constantly fed ready-made images?
Doublethink means knowingly believing a lie, knowing that it is a lie!
Examples from everyday life: “you have to be beautiful to be happy”, “I need surgery to become beautiful”, “I have to be thin, famous, fashionable”...
Boys are told that girls are whores, females, things. They can be beaten, humiliated... This is a marketing holocaust!
Around the clock, throughout our lives, those in power are dumbing us down! Therefore, in order to protect ourselves from the penetration of this dullness into our thinking, we must learn to read!
We must spur our own imagination, develop our minds, defend our beliefs, believe in them! We must be able to do this in order to preserve and protect our own personality.
"Teacher for the change". Monologue of a teacher in front of students
They say that collecting anything is not normal. I am abnormal in many ways. You could even say that I am a fetishist. And one of my strongest addictions is books.
I have been reading all my adult life. Definitely thanks to my parents, for which I especially thank them.
I remember how, in the first grade, those comrades who tested us under the hourglass for speed reading were amazed: I finished the paragraphs that had to be read in a minute by the middle of the allotted time.
In fifth grade, the city library ran out of children's literature I had not read. I had to switch to “adult” books.
My parents subscribed me to four or five periodicals, which I devoured the same day they were dropped in the mailbox.
I remember when I was studying at a military school, the surprise of my classmates. I was the only cadet who subscribed to newspapers, and I devoured books one after another. In our senior years, we were given a stipend of as much as 1,200 rubles, and we had to go to Moscow, to publishing houses, because it was cheaper. Extremely pleased with myself, I brought back stacks of books and happily nailed another shelf to the wall of the small dorm room. My roommate, alas, was not happy.
But when I got a job, I had no desire to read professional literature. I honestly tried, and nothing worked: I perceived the advice of business literature authors as an attempt to teach me how to live. Me! A twenty-two-year-old, “mature” man with “colossal life experience”, some strangers are trying to teach him how to live! Fuck them!
My first supervisor, N.A., very actively insisted that I read a business book on negotiations. I remember very well that it was a book by Asya Barysheva, a famous business sales trainer. I had to force myself, because the pressure from the leader turned out to be stronger than the reluctance to learn from strangers.
Looking ahead, I’ll say: ten years later, by the time her third book, “Sales like an Adult,” was published, Asya was already a good friend of mine. She devoted an entire chapter to the work of the unit I headed.
Chips, tools And techniques they worked from that book, I got my first sales, and, of course, I began to devour professional literature without chewing. My library grew in some geometric progression, and business books turned into a drug.
By my own assessment, most of my personal achievements are related to what I read and subsequent reflection, which quickly turns into action.
Nevertheless, very, very many people did not understand why I spend 1000–3000–5000, and sometimes 10,000 rubles a month on books. They literally twisted their finger at my temple and said that I was crazy. Yes, I really was. But people who didn’t read always remained somewhere behind, in place, continuing to twirl their fingers. And those who read grew with me by leaps and bounds. And I was very glad that I managed to get hooked on this drug several dozen people.
Do you know what's most interesting? Many people, having started reading, say: “What a fool I was for not starting earlier!”
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