Peeling, Nic 1954-

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Peeling, Nic 1954-

PERSONAL:

Born 1954, in Leicester, England; son of a chemistry professor (father) and a chemist (mother); married; wife's name Sue. Education: Oxford University, Ph.D., 1979. Religion: Church of England. Hobbies and other interests: Music of the 1960s and 1970s, hi-fi equipment and electronics, cars, gardening, wine, swimming, photography, theater, collecting modern art, and cooking.

CAREER:

Writer, consultant, technical researcher, and management expert. Royal Signals and Radar Establishment (became QinetiQ), Malvern, England, software researcher, 1979-89, team manager, 1989-98, 2001—, consultant on technical, marketing, and management issues, 1998—. Developer of technical briefings for the Ministry of Defence and other clients in England.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Queen's Award for Technology.

WRITINGS:

Dr. Peeling's Principles of Management: Practical Advice for the Front-Line Manager, Dorset House (New York, NY), 2003.

Brilliant Manager: What the Best Managers Know, Do, and Say, Prentice Hall Pearson Education (New York, NY), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS:

Nic Peeling is an author, consultant, and management expert. His book Dr. Peeling's Principles of Management: Practical Advice for the Front-Line Manager came into being after the author, a longtime research scientist, was promoted to a management position within his organization. He was unable to find a book that would provide basic management advice for those with little experience in the field. Eventually, he wrote the book he wished he had been able to purchase during his own transition from scientist to practicing manager. Dr. Peeling's Principles of Management includes chapters on problem staff members, team culture, project management, and dealing with people as individuals. Informed by anecdotes from his own experience, the book is "a basic if personable management guide that offers commonsense advice," remarked Stacey Marien in Library Journal. Peeling bases his management philosophy on a simple but profound maxim covering professional and personal behavior: "You will be judged by your actions, not by your words, and your actions shall set the example for your team to follow," Peeling states. With this concept as a governing thread, Peeling encourages new managers to become active in their organizations, to take a humane approach to their employees, and to set an example that is not only worth following, but which inspires excellence in peers and subordinates and engenders respect from all coworkers.

Peeling offers specific guidelines for successful management, including setting high expectations of behavior and performance; establishing clear boundaries for acceptable and unacceptable behavior; applying discipline and punishment where necessary; working with underachievers to enhance performance; and providing immediate feedback, praise, and constructive criticism. Peeling applies his concepts and techniques to the management not only of subordinates, peers, and managers, but of projects, suppliers, and customers, as well. He includes twenty-three detailed scenarios that address difficult situations that new leaders might encounter, providing suggestions for satisfactory resolutions and steps that managers can take to reach such conclusions. Peeling helps both new and experienced managers learn how to manage teams and individuals; handle problem staff members; and create an organizational culture that is positive and encouraging. His "mix of theory (e.g., characteristics of effective leaders) and practical advice (e.g., how to handle a performance review) will prove appealing to many of the first-time managers toward whom the work is directed," commented Scott Walter in the Journal of Academic Librarianship.

"Dr. Peeling does indeed offer many useful and practical tips for managers," commented Michelle Collins on the CanadaOne Web site. A reviewer in Software Quality Professional, a journal published by the American Society for Quality, remarked that Peeling's book is a "welcome change from many management books and has achieved the purpose Peeling set for it."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Journal for Quality & Participation, fall, 2003, Christine Robinson, review of Dr. Peeling's Principles of Management: Practical Advice for the Front-Line Manager, p. 4.

Journal of Academic Librarianship, September, 2003, Scott Walter, review of Dr. Peeling's Principles of Management, p. 331.

Library Journal, May 1, 2003, Stacey Marien, review of Dr. Peeling's Principles of Management, p. 131.

Software Quality Professional, September, 2003, Scott Duncan, review of Dr. Peeling's Principles of Management.