Book Summary Preview :
First, Break All The Rules

The Big Idea

The best managers reject conventional wisdom. This book describes their perspective and how they keep talented employees.

Background

In 25 years, the Gallup Organization interviewed over 80,000 managers from different companies. This mammoth research project grew from two basic questions:

• What do the most talented, productive employees need from the workplace?
• How do you attract, find, focus, and keep talented employees?

Key Ideas

• Good managers recognize employees as they are — as individuals. They do not treat everyone the same. They also don’t try to “fix” people and their weaknesses. Our focus is on managers who excel at turning talent into performance.

Michael’s Words of Wisdom

From Michael, a restaurant manager, in an excerpt from an interview with Gallup:

• “Make very few promises to your people, and keep all of them.”
• “A manager has to remember he is on stage everyday. His people are watching him. Everything he does or says affects their performance.”

Chapter 1

The Measuring Stick

A Disaster Off the Scilly Isles

What do we know to be important but are unable to measure?

In 1707, British admiral Clowdisley Shovell made a miscalculation of his flagship’s position in the Atlantic, leading his whole fleet towards the rocks of Scilly Isles. Four warships and 2,000 lives were lost due to this mistake. Similarly, many companies have no accurate means of measuring their position when it comes to finding and keeping talented employees. . . . . . .