First, Break All The Rules

by M. Buckingham, Curt Coffman

Gallup presents the remarkable findings of its revolutionary study of more than 80,000 managers in First, Break All the Rules , revealing what the world’s greatest managers do differently. With vital performance and career lessons and ideas for how to apply them, it is a must-read for managers at every level.

The greatest managers in the world seem to have little in common. They differ in sex, age, and race. They employ vastly different styles and focus on different goals. Yet despite their differences, great managers share one common They do not hesitate to break virtually every rule held sacred by conventional wisdom. They do not believe that, with enough training, a person can achieve anything he sets his mind to. They do not try to help people overcome their weaknesses. They consistently disregard the golden rule. And, yes, they even play favorites. This amazing book explains why.

Gallup presents the remarkable findings of its massive in-depth study of great managers across a wide variety of situations. Some were in leadership positions. Others were front-line supervisors. Some were in Fortune 500 companies; others were key players in small entrepreneurial companies. Whatever their situations, the managers who ultimately became the focus of Gallup’s research were invariably those who excelled at turning each employee’s talent into performance.

In today’s tight labor markets, companies compete to find and keep the best employees, using pay, benefits, promotions, and training. But these well-intentioned efforts often miss the mark. 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. The authors explain how the best managers select an employee for talent rather than for skills or experience; how they set expectations for him or her — they define the right outcomes rather than the right steps; how they motivate people — they build on each person’s unique strengths rather than trying to fix his weaknesses; and, finally, how great managers develop people — they find the right fit for each person, not the next rung on the ladder. And perhaps most important, this research — which initially generated thousands of different survey questions on the subject of employee opinion — finally produced the twelve simple questions that work to distinguish the strongest departments of a company from all the rest. This book is the first to present this essential measuring stick and to prove the link between employee opinions and productivity, profit, customer satisfaction, and the rate of turnover.

There are vital performance and career lessons here for managers at every level, and, best of all, the book shows you how to apply them to your own situation.

Genres: Business

320 pages, Paperback

Published June 20, 2005

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am rating this a solid 3.0 for overall content but a 4.0 if you are reading this to better your efforts as a manager in the workplace. This definitely tapped into my inner HR heart and mind. I have worked with Q12 questions previously so this was not new, but good to review and see some great examples of putting it into practice and then building on that to help managers and companies in better supporting and promoting their employees. I read this on the recommendation of a friend who said this book transformed them, and I can see why. Even if it is not everyone's cup of tea.

Parents: Nothing objectionable.

[Magie Fotovatian-Calderon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think for most younger people in the workplace, you'll find that a lot of the advice and findings are pretty common sense. That makes sense as this was published over 20 years ago. Some of the employee incentives that are loosely recommended are pretty poor, but overall a pretty solid book on improving your managerial style.