Book Corner:
Editor's Pick
First,
Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently
by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman
Review by Sharron
Cook
This book is based on
the authors' observations from more than 80,000 interviews of managers, employees,
and stakeholders conducted by Gallup during the past 25 years. It starts with
the basics by analyzing how to measure a company's success via 12 specific
questions. I found these questions to be very insightful and have already
implemented new office procedures, as well as changing the way I interact
with the my direct reports in order to get a better outcome on these questions.
In addition, I've thought of many ways to utilize these questions outside
of my office to help improve or evaluate other organizations in which I am
a part of, such as, family, church, volunteer organizations, etc. Another
gold nugget I found in the book was how to hire people for talent instead
of skills and knowledge. Trust me when I say that I've hired people for skills
and knowledge only to find that it was a complete disaster because they didn't
have the talent to do the job. The authors stress that good managers spend
more time with their best performers than with their less productive counterparts,
that they fit people into the right roles, that they focus on strength rather
than weakness, and that they clearly define the right results as opposed to
the right steps. Buckingham and Coffman also illustrate ways to promote and
compensate people for honing their valuable talents instead of seeking new
tasks that will take them up the company ladder. This book is full of great
tools for either an experienced manager or a person preparing to be a manager.
While it isn't a suspense thriller, it is a page-turner because of all the
golden nuggets you pick up along the way.