List Price: $27.00
Our Price: $18.36
First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently
- By Marcus Buckingham, Curt Coffman
Hardcover
05 May, 1999
Usually ships within 24 hours
Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman expose the fallacies of standard management thinking in First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently. In seven chapters, the two consultants for the Gallup Organization debunk some dearly held notions about management, such as "treat people as you like to be treated"; "people are capable of almost anything"; and "a manager's role is diminishing in today's economy." "Great managers are revolutionaries," the authors write. "This book will take you inside the minds of these managers to explain why they have toppled conventional wisdom and reveal the new truths they have forged in its place." The authors have culled their observations from more than 80,000 interviews conducted by Gallup during the past 25 years. Quoting leaders such as basketball coach Phil Jackson, Buckingham and Coffman outline "four keys" to becoming an excellent manager: Finding the right fit for employees, focusing on strengths of employees, defining the right results, and selecting staff for talent--not just knowledge and skills. First, Break All the Rules offers specific techniques for helping people perform better on the job. For instance, the authors show ways to structure a trial period for a new worker and how to create a pay plan that rewards people for their expertise instead of how fast they climb the company ladder. "The point is to focus people toward performance," they write. "The manager is, and should be, totally responsible for this." Written in plain English and well organized, this book tells you exactly how to improve as a supervisor. --Dan Ring
SalesRank: 99
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ASIN: 0684852861
ISBN: 0684852861
First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently - - By Marcus Buckingham, Curt Coffman
Rating: 4
Common sense leadership
First Break all the rules addresses leadership from a common sense perspective. The twelve questions that reflect on your ability to effect productivity at the most intimate level of any process (the individual team member), are the common thread for discussion throughout this book.
With level of productivity as the measuring stick, leaders are encouraged to ask themselves if among other things, they provide direction, praise, materials, support, guidance, and opportunity for growth.
Buckningham and Coffman assert that good leaders don't try to make a silk purse from a sows ear. They suggest that you hire a sows ear where you need one and find silk to make the purse that you need. They contend that you can't change human nature, so why try. Trying to fill a deficit is more work than working with the positive aspects of your organization.
The authors also assert that good managers focus outwardly for change, and ask "why not." They focus on the strengths and manage around weaknesses. Good leaders know what types of talents that are needed at various levels of an organization; recruit to fill these positions, and develop those that you recruit.
The most useful part of this book is based on the lessons that mom taught you. Be nice. Treat people as individuals. Be flexible. Assert authority when necessary but more often than not, take a personal interest in those who are in control of how well your organization will measure up.
Rating: 5
Not New but Infinitely Useful
It's extremely rare that I recommend a book, about once every decade, but I highly recommend this book.
I just read the comments of those who negatively rated this book because it's concepts are not new. That's true of every management/HR/sales/training/leadership/customer service.. book I've read. How many times have you read a business book and thought "yep, that's right, that's exactly what I've experienced" and then became frustrated because of the gap between what could/should be vs the daily reality of your work experiences? How many times have you wished there was some way you could prove that focusing on the individual employee resulted in creating a provable, positive impact on organizational performance, productivity and profits?
The value of this book is that it is the Gallup organization and they've got the numbers to back up what has previously been rejected as "touchy feely" management methods.
The next time you're told "that won't work, nobody does it that way" or "there's no proof organizational performance is increased by focusing on individual strengths, understanding different people are motivated by different methods, selecting people to fit the job, or that managers have no impact on employee retention", simply reference this book and give them 80,000 reasons why they're wrong.
Supposedly, businesses decisions are based on solid numbers. We all know that businesses decisions are really based on perceptions. This book is gives you the numbers to change the many incorrect perceptions about the process of managing people.
Rating: 5
Finding the right fit
This book has become priceless to my business. I highly recommend it to any manager who is having trouble motivating and keeping key employees in today's business environment. Happy employees are productive employees and this book gave me ideas that I had never considered when it came down to placing and hiring the right employees . I also recommend Rat Race Relaxer: Your Potential & The Maze of Life by JoAnna Carey as a corporate gift to keep employees motivated throughout the year.