The Sophisticated Manager by Jack Litewka

“Jack Litewka is the Gold Standard for managers in my professional career. His intentional and thoughtful approach to the design and engineering of his teams has been a continual source of inspiration ever since I reported to him.”

—David Kaill, Business &

Technology Consultant

“Jack is that rare breed of manager who is valued equally – and highly – by his employees, his peers, and his leadership teams. Careers blossom under Jack. Jack is unafraid to ask the hard questions or take an unpopular stance if he believes it's right. The logic he brings to the conversation is calm and compelling. His input inevitably leads to better decisions.”

—Barbara Roll, Content Marketing /

Digital Strategy; formerly, Online Marketing Director and Group Program Manager at Microsoft

“Any advice that Jack gives is valuable and will have strong positive impact. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who cares to lead their team effectively while skipping over most mistakes that new (and experienced) managers tend to make if left to their own devices. (Note: I’ve already noted a few practices from his semi-complete draft to incorporate in my behaviors… and I’ve had a number of managerial roles over the past 20 years.)”

—Thierry Paquay, Sr. Director at a

Fortune 500 company

“Jack Litewka was truly my favorite manager at Microsoft. The team morale was among the highest I’ve experienced anywhere. ”

—Pam Kilborn-Miller; formerly,

Program Manager for MSN.com Home

“Jack Litewka is not your ordinary manager. During my 18+ years at Microsoft with 12 different managers, I learned that Jack sets himself apart by managing people, not projects. It's not that he forgets about the necessity of delivering well against commitments: it's just that project success flows naturally when an astute leader understands how to motivate and coach Direct Reports. My three years with Jack were terrific.”

—Steven Fox, Managing Director,

Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology, Marriott School of Management, Brigham Young University; formerly, Director at Microsoft

About the Author

Jack Litewka has over 40 years of management and consulting experience. He has worked in huge companies and small companies, in high tech and medium tech and low tech, and in for-profit and non-profit businesses.

During 14 years at Microsoft, he was a Sr. Director and Product Unit Manager – in the Windows Division (Microsoft.com, TechNet.com, MSDN.com, Home.microsoft.com), in the MSN.com Division, in the Windows Media Division, and in the Worldwide Services Division. As part of the leadership brain trust in the Worldwide Services Division, he contributed to the strategy that grew a $500M business into a $1.5B business in less than 3 years. He and his team transformed a worldwide IT Professional training business from a $20M to a $60M business in less than 3 years. He was also the instigator of a company-wide mentoring program that has benefited thousands of Microsoft employees.

Over the decades Jack has mentored dozens of managers – and in that capacity he observed the many ways in which managers get into deep trouble or do a less-than-optimal job. This book draws on his one-to-one mentoring experience… to create a one-to-many mentoring experience.

In The Sophisticated Manager: A Guide to Success, Jack makes use of his substantial experience in turning around dysfunctional organizations as well as his coaching experience in helping new managers and experienced managers to progress to – and excel at – the next level in their careers.

“Jack is the best manager I have worked with in my 30-year career, and his advice should be taken to heart.

—Jeff Johnson, Partner Consultant

“Jack was the voice of wisdom as a people leader. He helped us all grow in our careers. His strategic approach in building a worldwide services business from the ground up resulted in very high customer satisfaction around the globe – and a very healthy profit margin.“

—Yonca Yalcin Spinelli, Director, HP

Alliance Global Channel Business

“Jack Litewka is the consummate C-Suite consultant to C-Suite professionals-in-the-making. He articulates for the next CEO generation how to run a company transparently. A *must* read…”

—Alex Anderson, Managing Partner,

AG Venture Partner

“Jack is the best manager I have ever had in my 20 years of being employed. His team-building and individual-coaching methods bring out the best in a team.

—Rebecca Davis, Sr. Program

Manager

“When Jack took on the management of our large, multi-disciplinary Web team, he brought welcome measures of wholeness and humanity to a highly technical, high-pressure workplace. It was a great experience, with lots of lessons of real and lasting value. And for those of us with teams of our own, Jack’s leadership and insights made better managers of us all.”

—Larry Sisson, Director, User

Experience Planning & Architecture; formerly, Group Manager at Microsoft

Out-of-the-Box Press