First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently: From Gallup

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I’m not sure where the authors have been for the last 30 years and I’d also question whether they have ever been managers themselves. Maybe one day I'll feel comfortable enough managing people to no longer need it, but I expect to keep this book close to my desk as a reference for a while. What a belly laugh I had when I discovered that Buckingham had written a how-to manual for being a good manager! Their description of “conventional wisdom” (which they do quite correctly proceed to debunk) could not be further from reality. Maybe I'm already a "great manager" or maybe they were just trying to make me think so, but it seems to me that all of the recommendations in this book are pretty obvious.

The results break conventional wisdom and the book has been aptly titled "First Break All the Rules" as it shakes the very foundation of man management. If the key to a successful business is the satisfaction of its employees, then what’s the key to that satisfaction?There’s a lot of pressure to lead from the front and set a good example while at the same time making your superiors happy. They have a unique way of thinking and relating to the world, and are motivated in ways specific to them. My friend was slightly shocked, I think, because we have been conditioned to believe, as employees, that investment in YOU means that someone cares or thinks you're pretty hot stuff. By rethinking how raises and other forms of reward are structured, readers will learn that it is possible to keep an employee in a role where they are most talented. I learnt that top managers should spend most of their time with their best employees and quit wasting their time trying to help everyone get up to par.

As we have seen, the snug fit of an employee’s talents with company demands contributes greatly to good performance. It's worth a read, but I feel like I have to have a degree in psychology (or psychiatry for that matter) to be a great manager. These blinks explain on a practical level how managers can find the right employees for the right roles and keep them satisfied with their jobs.When you purchase a physical book that includes an access code(s), you can find your access code(s) in a sealed packet in the back of the book.

I feel you don't need to be in management or interested in being a manger to get value from this book. Speaking of the data, I also really enjoyed that seemingly subjective, qualitative data was somehow quantified and measured just like quantitative data. This is much more efficient because it keeps you from having to create a training plan that you must enforce. I've also been thinking about my next steps at my current company, and this provided some guidance on really taking time to figure out what I'm good, what I enjoy, and not just blindly taking the next step 'up'.a manager's job is to match up employees with work they're talented at and enjoy, remove roadblocks, and "catalyze" them to become even better.