First, Break All the Rules!

In a ground breaking book entitled “First Break All the Rules,” authors Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman reviewed extensive Gallop research to discover what makes a “great manager.” After an intensive review of the research, they found that great managers share one common trait: They do not hesitate to break virtually every rule held sacred by conventional wisdom. 

They assert that 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. Listed below are several of their findings. 

Great Managers:
1. Select an employee for talent rather than for skills or experience; 
2. Set expectations for employees by defining the right outcomes rather than the right steps;
3. Motivate people – they build on each person’s unique strengths rather than trying to fix weaknesses; and finally,
4. Great managers develop people – they find the right fit for each person, not the next rung on the ladder.

This week I would encourage you to reflect and rate yourself on a scale of 1 – 10 for each of the above benchmarks.  If you are not a manager, consider sharing this with someone who would be receptive to hearing it.

On a scale of 1 – 10 I would rate myself or my manager a _____________ in each of the four areas above.
One action I would like to take to increase these numbers: _____________________________________

Over the next few weeks we will take a close look atthe twelve workplace features that all top performs have in common according to Buckingham and Coffman – let’s see if yours are there!

Let your work be a source of joy.