Gallup Press > Quotes

“Persistence is useful if you are trying to learn a new skill or acquire particular knowledge...but persistence directed primarily toward your non-talents is self-destructive.”
― Gallup Press, First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently

“Great managers disagree. Acquiring varied experiences is important but peripheral to a healthy career. It is an accessory, not the driving force. The true source of energy for a healthy career, they say, is generated elsewhere.”
― Gallup Press, First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently

“And what of the notion that “trust must be earned”? Sensible though it may sound, great managers reject it. They know that if, fundamentally, you don’t trust people, then there is no line, no point in time beyond which people suddenly become trustworthy. Mistrust concerns the future. If you are innately skeptical of other people’s motives, then no amount of good behavior in the past will ever truly convince you that they are not just about to disappoint you. Suspicion is a permanent condition. Of course, occasionally a person will indeed let you down. But great managers, like Michael, the restaurant manager from the Introduction, are wired to view this as the exception rather than the rule. They believe that if you expect the best from people, then more often than not, the best is what you get. Innate mistrust is probably vital for some roles — lawyering or investigative reporting, for example. But for a manager, it is deadly.”
― Gallup Press, First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently

“People don’t change that much. Don’t waste time trying to put in what was left out. Try to draw out what was left in. That is hard enough.”
― Gallup Press, First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently

“If you estimate that the wage of the average store employee is $18,000 and that the cost of finding, hiring and training each new employee is 1.5 times his salary, then the total cost to the company for the different levels of retention between the two groups is $18,000 x 1.5 x 1,000 = $27,000,000. And that’s just the hard cost. The drain of experienced employees who have developed valuable relationships with their customers and their colleagues is harder to measure but is just as significant a loss.”
― Gallup Press, FIRST, BREAK ALL THE RULES: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently

“Similarly, some people have a four-lane highway for constant achievement, a striving talent we call achiever. They may not have to win, but they do feel a burning need to achieve something tangible every single day. And these people mean every single day. For them, every day — workday, weekend, vacation — starts at zero. They have to rack up some numbers by the end of the day to feel good about themselves. This burning flame may dwindle as evening comes, but the next morning, it rekindles itself, spurring its host to look for new items to cross off his list. These people are the fabled “self-starters.”
― Gallup Press, First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently

“By telling you that you can transform your non-talents into talents, these less effective managers are not only setting you up to fail, they are intrinsically blaming you for your inevitable failure. This is perverse.”
― Gallup Press, First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently

“Self-aware individuals — strong I’s — are the building blocks of great teams.”
― Gallup Press, First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently

“You have to be able to set consistent expectations for all your people, yet at the same time, treat each person differently. You have to be able to make each person feel as though he is in a role that uses his talents while simultaneously challenging him to grow. You have to care about each person, praise each person, and, if necessary, terminate a person you have cared about and praised.”
― Gallup Press, First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently

“Adrian P., the manager of two thriving car dealerships, describes it this way: “The hardest thing about being a manager is realizing that your people will not do things the way that you would. But get used to it. Because if you try to force them to, then two things happen. They become resentful — they don’t want to do it. And they become dependent — they can’t do it. Neither of these is terribly productive for the long haul.”
― Gallup Press, First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently

“if your relationship with your manager is fractured, then no amount of in-chair massaging or company-sponsored dog walking will persuade you to stay and perform. It”
― Gallup Press, First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently

“Great managers take aim at Base Camp and Camp 1. They know that the core of a strong and vibrant workplace can be found in the first six items: Q01. I know what is expected of me at work. Q02. I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right. Q03. At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day. Q04. In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work. Q05. My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person. Q06. There is someone at work who encourages my development.”
― Gallup Press, First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently

“According to a Harvard study, your odds of being happy increase by 15% if a direct connection in your social network is happy. And if a friend of your direct connection is happy, the odds of you being happy increase by 10% — even if you don’t know or interact with this secondhand connection. So your friends’ friends have an impact on you and vice versa.”
― Gallup Press, CliftonStrengths for Students: Your Strengths Journey Begins Here

“Come in; sit down. I love you; you’re fired. I still love you. Now, get a drink and let’s talk this through.”
― Gallup Press, First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently

“If this is how you see your role and if this is what you are doing when you spend time with your people —setting unique expectations, highlighting and perfecting individual styles, and running interference —you cannot help but be drawn toward your most talented employees. Talent is the multiplier. The more energy and attention you invest in it, the greater the yield. The time you spend with your best is, quite simply, your most productive time.”
― Gallup Press, First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently

“So this is their dilemma: The manager must retain control and focus people on performance. But she is bound by her belief that she cannot force everyone to perform in the same way. The solution is as elegant as it is efficient: Define the right outcomes and then let each person find his own route toward those outcomes.”
― Gallup Press, First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently

“A manager has got to remember that he is on stage every day. His people are watching him. Everything he does, everything he says, and the way he says it, sends off clues to his employees. These clues affect performance. So never forget you are on that stage.”
― Gallup Press, First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently

“Q01. I know what is expected of me at work. Q02. I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right. Q03. At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day. Q04. In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work. Q05. My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person. Q06. There is someone at work who encourages my development. Q07. At work, my opinions seem to count. Q08. The mission or purpose of my company makes me feel my job is important. Q09. My associates or fellow employees are committed to doing quality work. Q10. I have a best friend at work. Q11. In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress. Q12. This last year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow.”
― Gallup Press, First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently

“no matter what your business, the only way to generate enduring profits is to begin by building the kind of work environment that attracts, focuses and keeps talented employees.”
― Gallup Press, First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently