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First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently
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Sales rank 407
Customers rating (based on 276 reviews)
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The greatest managers in the world seem to have little in common. They differ in sex, age, and race. They employ vastly different styles and focus on different goals. Yet despite their differences, great managers share one common trait: They do not hesitate to break virtually every rule held sacred by conventional wisdom. They do not believe that, with enough training, a person can achieve anything he sets his mind to. They do not try to help people overcome their weaknesses. They consistently disregard the golden rule. And, yes, they even play favorites. This amazing book explains why. Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman of the Gallup Organization present the remarkable findings of their massive in-depth study of great managers across a wide variety of situations. Some were in leadership positions. Others were front-line supervisors. Some were in Fortune 500 companies; others were key players in small, entrepreneurial companies. Whatever their situations, the managers who ultimately became the focus of Gallup's research were invariably those who excelled at turning each employee's talent into performance. In today's tight labor markets, companies compete to find and keep the best employees, using pay, benefits, promotions, and training. But these well-intentioned efforts often miss the mark. The front-line manager is the key to attracting and retaining talented employees. No matter how generous its pay or how renowned its training, the company that lacks great front-line managers will suffer. Buckingham and Coffman explain how the best managers select an employee for talent rather than for skills or experience; how they set expectations for him or her -- they define the right outcomes rather than the right steps; how they motivate people -- they build on each person's unique strengths rather than trying to fix his weaknesses; and, finally, how great managers develop people -- they find the right fit for each person, not the next rung on the ladder. And perhaps most important, this research -- which initially generated thousands of different survey questions on the subject of employee opinion -- finally produced the twelve simple questions that work to distinguish the strongest departments of a company from all the rest. This book is the first to present this essential measuring stick and to prove the link between employee opinions and productivity, profit, customer satisfaction, and the rate of turnover. There are vital performance and career lessons here for managers at every level, and, best of all, the book shows you how to apply them to your own situation.
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| Publisher | Simon & Schuster | | Release date | 05/1999 | | Availability | Usually ships in 24 hours | | Edition | Hardcover |
| | List price | $30 | | Our price | $17.55 (you save 41.50%) | | Used price | from $1.9 |
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 Good overall but has a bit too much melodrama
Here's what I took away from this book: If I don't do apply all the tactics in this book, my company will fail. I think that's a bit over the top. Of course, there's always something to get out of any publication. Treat employees fairly but not neccessarily equally. Manage for results.
Kevin Gaither is a highly motivated, seasoned, hands-on sales executive with a 15+ year track record of consistently exceeding sales goals, building highly motivated, energized and productive sales teams, and excelling at developing new business. Kevin Gaither is a highly independent, assertive, creative and confident self-starter who thrives in a fast-paced and entrepreneurial company. Kevin Gaither has the proven ability to recruit, hire, train, retain and develop top-ranked sales teams by clearly articulating objectives using analytical thinking, reference to facts and best practices. Kevin Gaither has excellent leadership, prioritization, communication and analytical skills. Kevin Gaither has the ability to develop and clearly articulate objectives using both analytical thinking, reference to facts and best practices.
 Eye-opening for both corporate and nonprofit leaders
Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman present some rather remarkable findings on how to hire, motivate, and promote the best people for any line of work, from housekeeping to software design. I certainly hope every leader of an organization, either corporate or nonprofit, will take a look inside and apply some of these practices. Although the authors make every case for why these somewhat revolutionary practices make perfect business sense, it won't be difficult to see why so few companies actually implement these 'non-rules'. In particular, the idea of a pay scale that allows a person lower in the hierarchy to actually earn *more* than his manager sounds just plain weird. But it is all founded on the idea that no one should have to migrate outside of their natural talents just to get paid more; Instead, pay people well for job they already do well. That's not so far-fetched, is it? This is an excellent book - have read it several times.
Great overall book with many good perspectives.
It is good to see a business text written that does not profess and/or propagate the standard business rhythms rather prescribes to look into the natural rhythms that are around us and mold managements processes to capitalize on these.
First Break All the Rules
If you are in the position to hire and/or manage employees, this book is a must read. It reaffirms, what most managers know but are scared to do because of corporate/company correctness. It gives a different perspective, on turning employee's talents into performance.
Embracing the Iconoclastic Manager
When I was a young management trainee with Enterprise Rent-a-Car (many years ago), I was underpaid and overworked; but I loved my job. I also respected the young, free-wheeling and fun-loving management style the company cultivated; everybody seemed to like everybody else. There were no hidden agendas; just a lot of laughs. We also did our jobs exceptionally well; from my early days in the '70s, Enterprise grew to become the largest and most profitable car rental company in the world by the early '90s.
Unfortunately, they grew too big for their own good. By the end of the '90s, a definite culture of fear permeated the organization. Micro-management and backstabbing proliferated. I made it through the first year of the current millennium, relieved to be out of that type of environment.
Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman's wonderful book, First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently, examines the issue of what the truly successful managers accomplish in the area of employee engagement and productivity. They understand the iconoclast brings forth positive change; the innovation necessary to keep moving forward. They also understand the importance of getting the most out of people's inherent skills, rather than trying to mold them into something they aren't. It's simple common sense, but it's rarely displayed in the vast wasteland of corporate America.
Since the publication of this gem, several other excellent books have come out which support the authors' findings, and they too, should be read in tandem: Primal Management: Unraveling the Secrets of Human Nature to Drive High Performance, The Talent Code: Greatness Isn't Born. It's Grown. Here's How., How to Measure Anything: Finding the Value of "Intangibles" in Business, and mine---Life Under the Corporate Microscope: A Maverick's Irreverent Perspective.
This is a great place to start. It certainly captures the essence of what the great managers accomplish; and it's a message that needs to be received, loud and clear, by the pompous CEOs of corporate America; the sooner the better.
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