First, Break All the Rules

Marcus Buckingham shares the surprising conclusions of the studies led by the Gallup Institute among thousands of managers in dozens of different countries. The commitment of the staff finally depends little on the work environment, and much more on the direct line manager. He thus constantly noticed that staff leave a great enterprise and an ideal environment because of a manager who doesn’t know how to show his recognition or give meaning to their work.

The studies have identified 12 critical questions, which function as a pyramid, and to which staff need to respond positively to feel committed and performant. These questions range from “Do I know what’s expected of me?” to “Do I have learning and development opportunities in my job?” They can be used for self-diagnostic purposes.

Managers that can sustain the commitment of their staff members have one common trait: rather than trying to improve on the weaknesses of their staff, they try to identify and develop their strengths. Our natural gifts can become true talent if we work on them. They then largely compensate for our weaknesses. This requires from the manager that he invests in both casting and coaching roles: it’s up to him to identify talent and to develop it in the best possible way.

A convincing and optimistic book.