Based on a massive Gallup research survey of managers across the world, this book sets out to find out "what the world's greatest managers do differently". In so doing the authors also explore the challenges faced by organisations in achieving, maintaining and measuring employee satisfaction.
Great managers are key to attracting, developing and keeping the most talented and productive employees. When people leave an organisation, they are often leaving because of their immediate manager.
Can anyone become a great manager?
According to Buckingham and Coffman's research, the answer is probably not. Describing great managers as those who are effective at turning employee potential into production, a central tenet of the book is that "people don't change that much. Don't waste time trying to put in what was left out. Try to draw out what was left in. That is hard enough."
So while knowledge and skills can be taught, talent cannot. The authors regard talent as the natural and innate recurring patterns of thought that are unique to the individual. These patterns, the authors argue, are determined in the precise way each person's brain is wired. And everybody is different, with different proclivities and areas of aptitude. The key to great management is to ensure that the individual is well suited to be productive in their specific role - which will also tend to bring the person a sense of satisfaction and competence.
Key skills of great managers
The authors identify several critical attributes of managers who have the ability consistently to elicit and develop the productivity of those around them:
- They typically question and reject conventional wisdom
- They treat each person as a unique individual
- They focus on strengths and talent rather than trying to 'fix' weaknesses
- They behave consistently, aware that they are on stage every day, their every move being observed
- They know that the measurement of employee satisfaction is vital information for investors
- They recognise talent and greatness in even the most apparently simple roles; knowing that some people have the talent to do these jobs brilliantly while others don't
- They create an environment where people know what is expected of them, have the resources to do their work well and are acknowledged and recognised for the positive difference they make
Spend time with your best people
A crucial imperative from this book is that great managers spend quality time with their best and most talented people and give them constant feedback and opportunities for their development. If you can't find time to spend with employees, they argue, then you shouldn't be a manager!
"No business in the world has ever made more money with poorer management"Bill Terry