|
First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently (精装)
by Marcus Buckingham, Curt Coffman
| Category:
Management, Leadership, Strategy |
| Market price: ¥ 318.00
MSL price:
¥ 258.00
[ Shop incentives ]
|
| Stock:
Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
|
|
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
Based on Gallup Group's in-depth interviews of over 80,000 successful managers, this book reveals the core characteristics of great managers and great workplaces. |
| If you want us to help you with the right titles you're looking for, or to make reading recommendations based on your needs, please contact our consultants. |
|
| |
AllReviews |
1 2   | Total 2 pages 14 items |
|
|
Jeffrey Pfeffer (Prof., Stanford Business School) (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-15 00:00>
Out of hundreds of books about improving organizational performance, here is one that is based on extensive empirical evidence and a book that focuses on specific actions managers can take to make their organizations better today! In a world in which managing people provides the differentiating advantage, First, Break All the Rules is a must-read.
|
|
|
Bradbury H. Anderson (President and COO, Best Buy) (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-15 00:00>
This book challenges basic beliefs of great management with powerful evidence and a compelling argument. First, Break All the Rules is essential reading.
|
|
|
Michael W. Morrison (Dean, University of Toyota) (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-15 00:00>
This is it! With compelling insight backed by powerful Gallup data, Buckingham and Coffman have built the unshakable foundation of effective management. For the first time, a clear pathway has been identified for creating engaged employees and high-performance work units. It has changed the way I approach developing managers. First, Break All the Rules is a critical resource for every front-line supervisor, middle manager, and institutional leader |
|
|
Kevin Cuthbert (Vice President, Human Resources, Swissôtel) (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-15 00:00>
First, Break All the Rules is nothing short of revolutionary in its concepts and ideas. It explains why so many traditional notions and practices are counter-productive in business today. Equally important, the book presents a simpler, truer model complete with specific actions that have allowed our organization to achieve significant improvements in productivity, employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and profit.
|
|
|
J. Moreau (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-15 00:00>
I would recommend reading this book because it is thought provoking. Even if you do not agree with all or any of the author's points, it will at least open up your eyes to understand traditional management theories better as well as expose you to new techniques that could possibly help broaden your arsenal of tools to help employees excel when conventional methods are not working.
Additionally, the book is great for those that are not managers. I am not yet a manager, but the book did open up my eyes to my own talents. It made me aware of how I could use my talents to become better at work. After reading the book I have learned to use the talents that I became aware of to become a more effective communicator as well as using my talents to become more productive. For this I agree with the authors on the importance of focusing on talent. However, I do disagree with their notion that talents can not be learned. I find this very disheartening. I do believe that some talents are hidden, and with proper training or experience, those talents can come out. In addition, not taking the time to at least strengthen some of your weaknesses might really hurt you in the end if your weaknesses are dragging you down. Say you are the best computer programmer in your field, but are super weak in communicating what the program you just created does. If you do not try to improve in your communication enough to get by, your weakness will eventually affect your success as a talented programmer. Therefore I think it's important to at least try to improve weaknesses with training or experience. I was also disappointed that the authors didn't go into detail on how to separate born talent from learnable skills. Their overall message sounded good, but didn't really help us learn how to separate the two. I'm sure many managers would do this if there was a clear and easy approach in doing so.
I did like the fact that the book is based on a lot of Gallup research. This made the book more credible as well as interesting. The many examples helped me understand their concepts better. A lot of other books out there are just theory-based, so they don't give us any explanation on how to apply these concepts. I felt that the many examples they provided got me thinking about how I could possibly apply those concepts in my own work situation. But I must admit that at times the author's use of examples became overwhelming, making the book drag on longer than needed.
Overall I did find the book very useful in my quest to become a manager. If nothing else, it got me to really focus on and become aware of people's individuality. This has helped me to become a more effective leader/manager at work because I am more aware of how I present myself to their individual needs. |
|
|
A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-15 00:00>
I'm an employee in a small business. I don't dig my boss. I've got some bright ideas, and I might want to advocate for a management role within this company. It's a very sensitive situation, and I came to this book looking for a philosophical approach that would help me to define my personal goals and lead to some positive self-reflection.
This book has been tremendously helpful for me as an employee. The 12 questions that have been mentioned by other reviewers do address fundamental sources of employee satisfaction. This book helped me identify the "Mountain Sickness" that I feel as an employee whose vision and performance are underminded by basic problems within a business. Many workers know they're talented and know they do good work, but wonder why something is missing. First, Break All the Rules provides a good starting point for addressing employee dissatisfaction.
Readers will have to decide whether they like the tone of this book. Reading one of the middle sections will provide a good sample of whether you'll find it helpful. Gallup clearly does consulting. They want to sell you on their ideas and the value of embracing their methods and leaning on their expertise long term. I wasn't always happy with that kind of tone, but the merits of the book far outweighed this small concern.
I do like the balance that the authors strike between a few prescriptive pieces of advice and a desire to allow managers to work out the questions for themselves. In that sense, the book helps good managers become great rather than give a fully worked out system for poor managers to become competent.
I dig how this book is about excellence and catalyzing excellence with specific, focused questions. Any organization, manager, or employee will gain from wrestling with the questions the authors raise so check this out if you want to survive, grow, or manage a business. |
|
|
Graham Lawes (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-15 00:00>
I've observed misguided efforts and dysfunctions of momentous proportions in many organizations. Mismanagement is everywhere. The managers I've known were smart and worked incredibly hard, but many were ultimately unsuccessful - at least, based on the trail of de-motivated people they left behind them. Management is hard. And the proliferation of MBA courses and books on management haven't stopped new generations of managers from making the same mistakes. Worse, most people seem to be unable to tell the difference between good management and bad management.
At last, there's a book that definitively states what good management is, and which provides a usable explanation of the difference between leadership and management. Not only that, but it comes down solidly in support of those unsung heroes of organizations, the great managers that motivate people and produce great results in spite of the frequent absurdities of conventional management thinking and the incompetence of some business leaders.
There are two central reasons why this is a great book. First, it is based on the solid research work done by the Gallup Corporation, which surveyed one million employees and interviewed 80,000 managers (each interview lasting an hour and a half and consisting of open-ended questions). Second, it is written by a world-class thinker who has a genius for getting to the essentials of the data, a passion for the subject, and a clear voice for communicating his message.
Coffman presumably contributed a great deal to the book, but the dominant voice is Buckingham's, as is clear from reading his two follow-up books, Now, Discover Your Strengths (with Don Clifton) and The One Thing You Need To Know. Both these later books are in the top tier of business books and provide further insights. The first provides details of the strengths (talents) managers need to build upon, and the second distills the essentials of good management down to just one principle as well as looking at leadership and individual achievement (see marcusbuckingham.com to learn more).
The core value of First, Break All The Rules derives from the Gallup data - which contains the combined wisdom of 80,000 managers and the analysis that distills that wisdom into 12 simple questions that Buckingham and Coffman call the "Measuring Stick." These 12 questions are highly significant. They directly measure management performance and have been used with dramatic results at some companies (such as Best Buy). What's more, they are so fundamental that they can be used by absolutely anyone in any business to measure and improve their own management performance.
Buckingham and Coffman use a climbing metaphor to split the 12 questions into 4 stages.
At Base Camp you want to know what is expected of you:
1) Do I know what is expected of me at work?
2) Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?
At Camp 1 you want to know if you're any good at the job:
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 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?
At Camp 2 you want to know if you are a good fit:
7) At work, do my opinions seem to count?
8) Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel like my work is important?
9) Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?
10) Do I have a best friend at work?
At Camp 3 you want to make things better, to learn, to grow, to innovate.
11) In the last six months, have I talked with someone about my progress?
12) At work, have I had the opportunities to learn and grow?"
If you can get your employees to answer "Strongly Agree" to all 12 questions, then they have arrived at the summit and your team is working at peak productivity.
You could consider these 4 stages to represent a hierarchy of needs . For employees to be fully motivated they must start by understanding what's expected of them and finish by realizing their potential: Expectations > Confidence >Belonging >Actualization.
Buckingham and Coffman point out what happens if you lose sight of your talents or get promoted into a position where you can't answer "Yes" to the first 6 questions. "You are in an extremely precarious position. On the surface everything seems fine - you like your team members, you are learning and growing--but deep down you are disengaged. Not only are you less productive than you could be, but you would jump ship at the first good offer."
Another interesting finding of the research is that managers are the critical players in companies and that productivity is not dependent on company vision, benefits, or pay but is, in fact, correlated with the performance of managers. Managers are the catalysts. Great managers focus on the talents of their people, building on their strengths, and produce superior results
Buckingham and Coffman identify four activities that great managers do consistently: hire for talent rather than experience; define outcomes rather than define steps; focus on building strengths rather than fixing weaknesses; and find the right role to fit for a person's talents rather than moving or promoting the person to a role that doesn't fit his or her talents. This is consistent with what Drucker advises in "The Effective Executive," and is indeed a useful prescription to follow.
There are some minor shortcomings of the book. For example, the central thesis of the book is that talents can't be learned. But some talents like Empathy, Communication, and Connectedness are necessary for people's personal happiness and success at work, and a person absolutely can develop them to a considerable extent given sufficient time and effort. Also, the advice in the last half is not as revolutionary as the book makes out, and may not even be actionable, as it may not be in your power to hire for talent or create different job titles or pay scales. However the principles are correct, and the book provides a welcome reminder that it makes no sense to promote people out of their area of competence.
In conclusion, this is a great book. If you regularly ask the 12 questions and work every day selecting for talent, defining outcomes, focusing on strengths, and finding the right fit, you too - maybe - could become a great manager. That is, of course, if you have the right talents. |
|
|
Aviva Shiff (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-15 00:00>
This book is revolutionary in it's simple wisdom. You basically can't change people. It's far more productive to spend time with your stars and build on strengths rather than spin your wheels on "performance management". Having been in management for many years, I recognize the truths in this book. It may be counter to the politically correct policies in many corporations, but to be a strong effective leader, one needs the confidence and the vision to do what is right rather than merely what looks right. I highly recommend this book to those who have the courage and conviction needed to establish a culture of excellence in their work environment. |
|
|
Andrew Leppert (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-15 00:00>
As a young, newly promoted manager within a "legacy" business unit of a Fortune 50 company, I read Buckingham's book with enthusiasm. I had never hired an employee before and am managing a team where the the median age is nearly 15 years my senior. Needless to say, upon accepting the position, I needed help. I had read Discover Your Sales Strengths a few years prior and that gave me a good foundation upon which to I could proceed with First, Break All The Rules. I found the book well-laid out, simple, and to the point. The behaviors of great managers were summed up in a few key terms that were easy to adapt to my own individual style. I kept the book at my side during the first 30 days of my management tenure and referenced it often during the hiring process of four new sales representatives. As a result, I can proudly say that I hired the right people for the right roles within the right firm. In addition, I have been able to clearly articulate expectations, effectively access individual motivation, and implement a professional development initiative that is customized to each of my reps. I may still be too new and too ignorant to know any different, but I feel that I've found my place in management. I have always enjoyed coaching individuals (personal life and in a past life as a junior officer with the Marines) and Buckingham's book taught me how to do it better than I ever thought possible. |
|
|
Joseph Dewey (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-15 00:00>
This is the best statistics book that I've ever read. And, I know statistics books, because I got my undergraduate degree in Statistics. Still that isn't saying much, because most statistics books are dead boring. But, this was a really good book.
The really unique thing about this book is that it is written to regular people - managers of groups of 4 to 10 people. Most business books are written to CEO's and so regular folks can't relate to them, but this book is written to everyone.
This book is all about discovering the strengths of your employees and using those strengths. I really like that concept. My philosophy is that your strengths are indelibly tied into your weaknesses, so you can't really get rid of any weaknesses without really dumbing down your strengths. The book goes along those same lines.
The book does a good job at giving a model for "the ideal manager," and gives a lot of good, practical advice. I think you should take their "statistically relevant 12 questions" with a grain of salt, however, because unless you use the same methodology as they did in administering those 12 questions, you're not going to get results with the same integrity as they did.
Or, in laymen's terms - DON'T use this book as a tool for your HR department to come up with a survey so that you can figure out which of your managers are crappy managers. DO use this book as a tool for managers to read on their own, and you'll find it helps them to become better managers. |
|
|
|
1 2 | Total 2 pages 14 items |
|
|
|
|
|
|
