“Bossypants” by Tina Fey

One benefit of pursuing an English degree (besides using big words and meeting other LOTR fans *not* involved in LARP) is applying your mind in interdisciplinary ways.  As a web strategist, I get to make all sorts of crazy correlations, but it all works out.  Like a Family Guy episode, or a correlation between Woody Allen‘s brother-who-thinks-he’s-a chicken joke and management style. If you’ve read “Bossypants,” you get it. If you haven’t, just go with it.

What’s awesome about “Bossypants” is that it’s so much more than a ridiculously funny, literally-LOLing read.  Much of it is about management and leadership, and Fey’s self-effacing methods have never made the difficult task of dealing with people seem more natural. What I like is that she admits that it’s not easy, unlike so many other buzzword-filled leadership books that read like vague how-tos. It’s obvious that she has a talent for managing difficult personalities–and for doing it well–but there’s no pretension or bang-head-here parts.

My favorite bit is dedicated to Lorne Michaels, long-standing producer of SNL, and what Fey learned him. In short…how to manage crazy, or how to get the eggs (re: joke in introduction. See? I told you to just go with it).