Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman wrote 'First Break all the rules'.

Highlights from the book:

What Great Managers Know 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.

What Great Managers Do
The Manager is a catalyst A great manager must be able to:
- Select a person
- Set expectations
- Motivate the person
- Develop the person

Managers and Leaders are Different Leaders look OUTWARD Managers look INWARD.

Great Managers' Four Core Activities (The Four Keys)
Conventional Wisdom says:
1. Select a person…based on his experience, intelligence, and determination
2. Set expectations…by defining the right steps
3. Motivate the person…by helping him identify and overcome his weaknesses
4. Develop the person…by helping him learn and get promoted

Great Managers:
1. Select for talent
2. Define the right outcomes
3. Focus on strengths
4. Find the right fit

The First Key: Select for Talent
- You cannot teach talent
- You can teach skills and knowledge
- Talent drives an employee’s performance
- People don’t change

Three Kinds of Talent Striving talents
- why Thinking talents
- how Relating talents
- who thinking talents

Common Myths Dispelled
Talents are rare and special. Some roles are so easy, they don’t require talent.

How to Find Talent Know what talents you are looking for
- Study your best employees

The Second Key: Define the Right Outcomes. Let the person find their own route. You must trust your people.

Four Expectations of All Customers
Level 1: Accuracy
Level 2: Availability
Level 3: Partnership
Level 4: Advice

The Third Key: Focus on Strengths Spend most of your time with your best people. Don’t try to fix weaknesses (non-talents). You can fix skills and knowledge. Casting is everything.

The Fourth Key: Find the Right Fit. Careers should NOT follow a prescribed path. The Peter Principle. Create heroes in every role. Broadband salaries – your employee can earn more than you.

The New Career
The employee is the star.
The employee is responsible for career development.
Self-discovery is key: use the Sunday night blues test

Terminating an Employee:
Use Tough Love Confront poor performance early and directly.
Poor performance is average with no trend upward.
Focus on the employee’s talents and the lack of a fit

Interviewing for Talent
Ask open-ended questions.
Listen for specifics.
Believe their answers

Performance Management Routine
Keep it simple.
Frequent interactions.
Focus on the future.
Require self-tracking.

The Strength Interview
1. What did you enjoy most about your previous work experience? What brought you here? (If an existing employee) What keeps you here?
2. What do you think your strengths are? (skills, knowledge, talent)
3. What about your weaknesses?
4. What are your goals for your current role? (Ask for scores and timelines)
5. How often do you like to meet with me to discuss your progress? Are you the kind of person who will tell me how you are feeling, or will I have to ask?
6. Do you have any personal goals or commitment you would like to tell me about?
7. What is the best praise you have ever received? What made is so good?
8. Have you had any really productive partnerships or mentors? Why do you think these relationships worked so well for you?
9. What are your future growth goals, your career goals? Are there any particular skills you want to learn? Are there some specific challenges you want to experience? How can I help?
10. Is there anything else you want to talk about that might help us work well together?

Performance Reviews
1. What actions have you taken?
2. What discoveries have you made?
3. What partnerships have you built? After about ten minutes
4. What is your main focus?
5. What new discoveries are you planning?
6. What new partnerships are you hoping to build?

Career Discovery
1. How would you describe success in your current role? Can you measure it? Here is what I think. (add your own comments)
2. What do you actually do that makes you as good as you are? What does this tell you about your skills, knowledge, and talents? Here is what I think. (Add your own comments.)
3. Which part of your current role do you enjoy the most? Why?
4. Which part of your current role are you struggling with? What does this tell you about your skills, knowledge and talent? What can we do to manage around this? Training? Positioning? Support system? Partnering?
5. What would be the perfect role for you? Imagine you are in that role. It’s three P.M. on a Thursday. What are you doing? Why would you like it so much? Here is what I think. (Add your own comments.)

A Great Company Culture
Break the grip of conventional wisdom.
Keep the focus on outcomes.
Value world class performance in every role.
Study your best.
Teach the language of great managers

Measure the Strength of your Company and its Managers: The Big 12
1. Do I know what is expected of me at work?
2. Do I have the right materials and equipment I need to do my work right?
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 recogniti nor praise for doing 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?
7. At work, do my opinions seem to count?
8. Does the mission/ purpose of my company make me feel my job is important?
9. Are my co - workers committed to doing quality work?
10. Do I have a best friend at work?
11. In the last six months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress?
12. This last year, have I had opportunities at work to learn and grow?

Four Business Outcomes Correlate to
- Productivity
- Proitability
- Emploee retention
- Customer satisfaction

[From the Great Books  Series. Also see The Success Manual  - Encyclopedia of Advice, which contains summaries of 100+ Most useful books.]