Executive Summary First, Break All The Rules

by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman Gallup Organization

Measure the Strength of your Company and its Managers

The Big 12
1. Do I know what is expected of me at work? 2. Do I have the right materials and equipment I need to do my work right? 3. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day? 4. In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work? 5. Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person? 6. Is there someone at work who encourages my development? 7. At work, do my opinions seem to count? 8. Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel my job is important? 9. Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work? 10. Do I have a best friend at work? 11. In the last six months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress? 12. This last year, have I had opportunities at work to learn and grow?

Four Business Outcomes Correlate to The Big 12

Productivity Profitability Employee retention Customer satisfaction

A Case In Point
Employee survey: Do you have the materials and equipment needed to do your work right? Store A: 45% Strongly Agreed Store B: 11% Strongly Agreed Reality: Store A and Store B had the same materials and equipment

Stores scoring in the top 25%:

On average, were 4.56% over their sales budget. Almost 14% over their profit budget. Retained more employees.

The Order of the Questions

Base Camp: What do I get? (Q1,Q2) Camp 1: What do I give? (Q3,Q4,Q5,Q6) Camp 2: Do I belong here? (Q7,Q8,Q9,Q10) Camp 3: How can we all grow? (Q11, Q12)

The Focus of Great Managers

Great managers take aim at Base Camp and Camp 1 (Q1-Q6). Securing 5s is your most important responsibility.

How Do Great Managers Respond?

Scenario 1: Which would you rather have: an independent, aggressive person who produced $1.2 million in sales or a congenial team player who produced about half as much? Scenario 2: You have an extremely productive employee who consistently fouls up the paperwork. How would you work with this person to help him/her be more productive? Scenario 3: You have two managers. One has great talent for management. The other is mediocre. There are two openings available: the first is a high-performing territory, the second is a territory that is struggling. Neither territory has yet reached its potential. Where would you recommend the excellent manager to be placed? Why?

What Great Managers Know

People dont change that much. Dont waste time trying to put in what was left out. Try to draw out what was left in - that is hard enough.

What Great Managers Do

The Manager is a catalyst A great manager must be able to: Select a person Set expectations Motivate the person Develop the person

Managers and Leaders are Different

Leaders look OUTWARD Managers look INWARD

Great Managers Four Core Activities (The Four Keys)

Conventional Wisdom says:
1. Select a personbased on his experience, intelligence, and determination
2. Set expectationsby defining the right steps 3. Motivate the personby helping him identify and overcome his weaknesses 4. Develop the personby helping him learn and get promoted

Great Managers:
1. 2. 3. 4. Select for talent Define the right outcomes Focus on strengths Find the right fit

The First Key: Select for Talent

You cannot teach talent You can teach skills and knowledge Talent drives an employees performance People dont change

Three Kinds of Talent

Striving talents - why Thinking talents - how Relating talents - who

Common Myths Dispelled

Talents are rare and special Some roles are so easy, they dont require talent

How to Find Talent

Know what talents you are looking for Study your best employees

The Second Key: Define the Right Outcomes

Define the right outcomes Let the person find their own route You must trust your people

Managers Do Need to Follow Some Rules

All roles demand some level of accuracy and safety Follow company and industry standards Rules do not guarantee customer satisfaction

Four Expectations of All Customers

Level 1: Accuracy Level 2: Availability Level 3: Partnership Level 4: Advice

The Third Key: Focus on Strengths

Spend most of your time with your best people Dont try to fix weaknesses (non-talents) You can fix skills and knowledge Casting is everything

Investing in Your Best - The Fairest Thing To Do

Fair does NOT mean treating everyone the same Fair means treating everyone the way they deserve Time away from your best is destructive You cant learn excellence from studying failure Dont use the average to estimate excellence

Managing Around a Weakness

Try some new triggers Is it a skills/knowledge or a talent issue? Three ways to succeed Devise a support system Find a complementary partner Find an alternative role

Build A Culture that Manages Weaknesses

A healthy culture understands no one is perfect Each person brings unique talents Find an alternative role for those not working out

The Fourth Key: Find the Right Fit

Careers should NOT follow a prescribed path The Peter Principle Create heroes in every role Broadband salaries your employee can earn more than you!

The New Career

The employee is the star The employee is responsible for career development Self-discovery is key: use the Sunday night blues test The manager plays a significant role Level the playing field Hold up the mirror Create a safety net

Terminating an Employee: Use Tough Love

Confront poor performance early and directly Poor performance is average with no trend upward Focus on the employees talents and the lack of a fit

Interviewing for Talent

Ask open-ended questions Listen for specifics Believe their answers

Performance Management Routine

Keep it simple Frequent interactions Focus on the future Require self-tracking

The Strength Interview

1. What did you enjoy most about your previous work experience? What brought you here? (If an existing employee) What keeps you here? 2. What do you think your strengths are? (skills, knowledge, talent) 3. What about your weaknesses? 4. What are your goals for your current role? (Ask for scores and timelines) 5. How often do you like to meet with me to discuss your progress? Are you the kind of person who will tell me how you are feeling, or will I have to ask? 6. Do you have any personal goals or commitment you would like to tell me about? 7. What is the best praise you have ever received? What made is so good? 8. Have you had any really productive partnerships or mentors? Why do you think these relationships worked so well for you? 9. What are your future growth goals, your career goals? Are there any particular skills you want to learn? Are there some specific challenges you want to experience? How can I help? 10. Is there anything else you want to talk about that might help us work well together?

Performance Reviews
1. What actions have you taken? 2. What discoveries have you made? 3. What partnerships have you built?
After about ten minutes

4. What is your main focus? 5. What new discoveries are you planning? 6. What new partnerships are you hoping to build?

Career Discovery
1. How would you describe success in your current role? Can you measure it? Here is what I think. (add your own comments) 2. What do you actually do that makes you as good as you are? What does this tell you about your skills, knowledge, and talents? Here is what I think. (Add your own comments.) 3. Which part of your current role do you enjoy the most? Why? 4. Which part of your current role are you struggling with? What does this tell you about your skills, knowledge and talent? What can we do to manage around this? Training? Positioning? Support system? Partnering? 5. What would be the perfect role for you? Imagine you are in that role. Its three P.M. on a Thursday. What are you doing? Why would you like it so much? Here is what I think. (Add your own comments.)

A Great Company Culture

Break the grip of conventional wisdom Keep the focus on outcomes Value world class performance in every role Study your best Teach the language of great managers