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

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The harder a guy works, the better he performs, and the more he meets my guidelines, the more leeway he is going to have with me. By the same token, if a guy doesn't work very hard or if he's not a good player, he's not going to be around for very long." Humans crave attention. Who are you giving attention to? Don't assume your people know how much you appreciate them. Don't assume they know that you think they're doing well or poorly. You have to tell them.

Just because someone is great in their current role does not mean they'll succeed in their next one. Engaged employees even treat customers better because they actually care about the company’s image.

“First Break All the Rules Summary”

Insider’s take – You’ll have the privilege of learning from someone who knows her or his topic inside-out. One of the reasons the Peter Principle hurts so many companies is that people are not set up for success when they're promoted. If you don't help someone understand what a new role requires, they're unlikely to succeed. A key part of that is to look at how a person's strengths align with the new role. You don’t know what’s expected of you and you don’t have the tools to succeed. Because you can’t perform the basic function of your job, you can’t focus on the quality of your work. The second study used various measurements of corporate success to identify the best managers. The study examined how great managers discover, hire, direct and retain talented employees. The metrics of achievement for this study included sales volume, profit, customer satisfaction scores, employee turnover levels and productivity. For beginners – You’ll find this to be a good primer if you’re a learner with little or no prior experience/knowledge.

Camp 1 is all about job satisfaction and encouragement. It should be directed towards the employees who have met the initial expectations. Their question is what they will get if they exceed them. Explain this to them. But don’t make the mistake of giving titles as rewards. Be more creative. I'm not a manager, but this book felt especially relevant to me since my company just did an employee survey based on the 12 questions Gallup formulated through this study. It was interesting to compare my thoughts on the survey without knowing anything about it, to learning all the mechanics and data of 'why' behind it all. The book then went on to explain the four keys in more detail concluding with a final chapter on how to apply the four keys in business situations. I also found the author's definition of strength to be refreshing, and am planning to take the online strength-finder test to prepare for the next book in the series Now Discover Your Strength. You know what’s expected of you and you have the tools to succeed. Because you can perform the basic function of your job, you can focus on the quality of your work.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. You’ll also find out how to walk the tightrope of allowing employees independence while ensuring the quality of their work through guidance and control. Finally, you’ll also find out how to deal with situations where an employee is not performing in line with expectations.