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

by Gallup Press

Five years ago, the Baldrige Award for Quality was the most coveted business award in America; today, only a few companies bother to enter. Diversity experts now bicker over the proper definition of “diversity.” Process reengineering gurus try to squeeze people back into process. And many of us snort at mission statements. When you think about it, it is rather sad. An important kernel of truth lay at the heart of all of these initiatives, but none of them lasted. Why? An epidemic of mountain sickness. They aimed too high, too fast. Managers were encouraged to focus on complex initiatives like reengineering or learning organizations without spending time on the basics. The stages on the mountain reveal that if the employee doesn’t know what is expected of him as an individual (Base Camp), then you shouldn’t ask him to get excited about playing on a team (Camp 2). If he feels as though he is in the wrong role (Camp 1), don’t pander to him by telling him how important his innovative ideas are to the company’s reengineering efforts (Camp 3). If he doesn’t know what his manager thinks of him as an individual (Camp 1), don’t confuse him by challenging him to become part of the new “learning organization” (Camp 3).