Author Interview "Aryeh Brickner"
Aryeh Brickner is a seasoned manager of multiple large-scale international companies and has been responsible for the welfare and development of hundreds of employees. He is passionate about all topics related to management and leadership. He also loves Star Wars, ice-cream, and running!
Exclusive Interview
Please tell our readers a little about yourself.
My name is Aryeh Brickner and I grew up in NY and now reside in a small pastoral town in northern Israel, called Zichron Yaakov. I am a seasoned marketing manager of several multi-national companies who specializes in B2C marketing.
Could you tell us a bit about your book and why it is a must-read?
I think that most people in the world are decent people, yet not all managers are the same. Why is that? People often need to learn how to be a great manager, especially on the humanistic side. My book is full of simple, concrete tips that managers can use literally day to day to help them become better at taking care of the most important thing in their professional lives, their employees! Sometimes we aren’t even aware of the things we do and how it can impact someone else. This book helps shed some light on those issues. Manager’s often spend so much time dealing with strategy, tactics, production but what about people!? It’s not as intuitive as you may think.
What inspired you to write your book?
I had read dozens of management books which mostly left me with the same questions, “Now what?” How could I take what I had read and implemented in the office immediately? More importantly, how could I make it impact the lives of the people I was working with. Often there wasn’t a simple answer, so I decided to try and fill that gap.
Where is your favorite place to write? Do you have a special hangout or any writing rituals?
I am at my best writing wise when I have large chunks of time to fill. If I know I have a few hours in front of me I can hit the ground running. I am far less effective writing in shorter time frames.
Who are some of the writers who have influenced you?
Business wise, I love reading Jack Welch. His style is so nonchalant and down to earth which I really enjoy. So many other business books make you feel like you are some sort of dimwit and that everything they are stating should be glaringly obvious.
For leisure reading I absolutely adore Bill Bryson. I have read nearly all his books, some of which I literally couldn’t put down. My wife once bought me one of his books to read while we went on vacation, but I think she might have regretted that!
On a more personal note: Tell us a little about your “real” (non-writing) life — family, job, hobbies, etc.
I have a wonderful wife and three darling children. My favorite movie is Star Wars. Although “everyone” seems to think Empire was the best one in that series, I am partial to Return of the Jedi. I am fairly active and run at least 2-3 half marathons throughout the course of the year when I can.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors who may be reading this interview?
The best thing that happened to me in getting my book actualized was getting back in touch with an old friend of mine from college. He was working in publishing and helped me navigate through so much of the process. Without his help I might have gotten a book out, but it would have taken far longer and probably not as good as a result. My advice is to find someone who can help you with the process and who loves doing it. If you can’t find someone, try and hire a professional on a consulting basis. There’s a ton of online resources but there is nothing like asking specific questions to someone who has been there before.
What’s next for you? What are you working on now?
I am mostly focusing on marketing this book for now. Obviously, people have asked me, “So what’s your next book” but I will take a short break before I even begin to think about another book. I spend a lot of time giving management training classes and I try to always create fresh material, which takes time, and I am also an active blogger. My next major undertaking is to start doing video content (yes, I am years behind) as well in the management training arena.
What is your preferred method to have readers get in touch with or follow you (i.e., website, personal blog, Facebook page, etc.) and link(s)?
Readers can absolutely connect with me on LinkedIn, a platform I am very active on. My email address is contact@aryehbrickner.com and I am happy to receive correspondences there as well.
My blog is https://www.aryehbrickner.com/blog and I post some small snippet about management at least once or twice a week.
Finally, someone with actual experience managing people has written a management book! The Office is No Place for a Cattle Rancher provides a refreshing look into the human side of management and is an eye-opening journey for managers at any level in an organization.
Learn how to integrate compassion and empathy into your management style without surrendering your authority. Understand what separates a manager from a great manager and how you can leave an everlasting positive impression on your employees. Each chapter comes complete with step-by-step guidelines for improving your managerial skills. Among the topics covered: How to provide employees with meaningful and inspirational feedback that increases motivation. Insights into becoming a better listener both in and out of the office. How to run fun, efficient, and effective meetings and not ones where everyone is scrolling through his or her phones! How to fire someone with dignity and compassion. Avoiding a dud hire: How to choose the right employee from a sea of applicants. This book is a must-read for anybody who is fed up with generic management books peddled by people who have seemingly never managed a real human being!
Buy the book at: Amazon.com