Rancher Oscar Thompson, who worked cattle near Hebbronville, Texas, was ready to trust his son, Webster, with the family business. By lantern light, he scribbled twenty-one simple rules for the boy to follow when he took over as boss to a team of ten cowboys the next morning, driving twenty-five hundred head of cattle to market. These salient pieces of management advice, written in the 1880s, are as useful for managers today as they were then.

Now, consulting team Tim and Dana Frazier build upon these bits of wisdom and bring them to modern business. Adding their own insights from successful careers in healthcare and medical staffing as well as planning and project management in the paper and plastics industry, the authors creatively partner the historical with the modern- day application of each instruction. The result is Boss: 21 Simple Rules to Make Your Business Grow and Keep Your People Happy. These uncomplicated, timeless rules, written more than a hundred years ago, remain as applicable today in a downtown high-rise as they once were on a lonely Texas prairie. For example:

* Obey orders from your boss—he is paying you for your service.

* Look after the comfort of your men and they will follow you.

* Keep your mind on your business.

* Make your head save your heels.

* Be ready to go at all times.

Managing people is perhaps the biggest challenge in business. In fact, manager-employee relations are often cited as the leading factor in determining success or failure in a project. It takes a wise boss to lead his or her people toward getting the job done, keeping them happy and productive while they are at it. So throw your hat back, put your boots up, and take a little practical advice from a team of veteran managers from past and present who know a thing or two about team building and taking products to market.