First, Break All The Rules Summary & Review

Author: Marcus Buckingham, Curt Coffman

Synopsis
First, Break All The Rules (1999) explains that as a manager, no matter what are the issues at work or how your employees are feeling,  you need to ensure that the work has been done by the end of the day. No matter the type or amount of setbacks you face. The company must keep moving forward even if you have hit a minor or major setback. You have to present work and not excuses.
First, Break All The Rules summary revolves around the steps that can be taken by good managers in order to increase work efficiency, create a good work environment and increase employee satisfaction.
first break all the rules summary
Source: amazon.com

Detailed Summary of First, Break All The Rules

Buckingham and Coffman debunk the old myths that have been popular in corporations for years. They created a guideline on revolutionizing management based on the interviews conducted with more than eight lac managers.

It disregards the century-old practices of managers, like focusing on strengths and acting as a leader. Coffman and Buckingham argue that each individual is unique, therefore, has a unique set of behavior and talents. Each employee should be treated differently from the others.

They should be trusted with the tasks at hand, and a good manager should not dictate each and every step of his employees. He can put them at ease by providing them with opportunities to grow their unique talents while increasing the company’s revenue.

Great managers become the reason for the employees to talk well about their company outside the office. They influence the employees to stay longer by proving their satisfaction at work. In addition to providing a guide on how a manager can maintain a good relationship with his existing employees, the book also explains how a good manager discovers, hires, and directs new ones.

First, Break All the Rules Summary Key Points

Being a leader means you have plenty of responsibilities. You have to check and balance your employees and notice their daily input into their work. In this way, you might get tired of this hectic and tiresome routine.

This book, First, Break All the Rules, provides us with some great insights on how you (a leader) can manage employees to achieve their full potential.

Focus Mainly on Weaknesses and not Strengths

If you are a manager at a firm and I ask you your main strategies for increasing efficiency at work, you will probably mention that you focus on your employees’ strengths. This approach is, however, not deemed correct by our authors.

They believe the more you focus on those tiny weaknesses you usually let slip away or do not pay attention to, the more chances the company’s revenue will increase.

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Employee Satisfaction is of core Importance

Instead of focusing on materialistic factors like opening up new branches and increasing prices to generate revenue, focus on how your employees feel. If you try to keep your team satisfied, address their issues, and help them out when they are stuck, they feel more relaxed and productive.

Remember that whatever comes out of the mouth of your employee plays a major role in creating and shaping your organization’s identity outside work. Long term success of your company depends on long-term successful relationships with your employees.

Act as A Mediator

Instead of trying to lead, meditate. Between your company and employees. Between one employee and the other. If your employee is being asked any of these questions: Does anyone at work seem to care about me as a person? Is there someone at work who encourages my development?

Your name should come into his mind. That is only possible if you try to cultivate healthy relationships at work. By being the middle person who mediates, you will create a place where people know how to sophisticatedly reach a mutually agreed point instead of arguing. Creating such an environment will lead to the company’s benefit as well.

Trust them to Implement a new Idea

When the company introduces a new idea or strategy, instead of constantly nagging, trust your team.  Getting work done according to new policies is your job, but your support can make it easier for your teammates.  Show them that you trust them with the tasks on hand.

A good manager defines the outcome but does not necessarily dictate each and every step that needs to be taken. Let the employees have the freedom of self-expression. Make them understand the customers’ basic demands that must meet at any cost. In this way, they will work towards the end goal you want to achieve without jeopardizing the company.

Know the Unique Talents of Your employees

Every individual at your workplace has a particular set of behaviors, talents, and strengths. If, as a manager, you try to find out what your particular employee’s unique talent is, you can harness it to your benefit.

Provide opportunities where they can polish this particular skill you find unique. As you apply this strategy to every employee, each one of them will become excellent at a distinctive skill that will benefit you. Instead of trying to mold them differently, work on their unique and natural talents.

Finding the right Individual for a particular job

Instead of sticking to the decade-old question like Did you work before? Ask questions that bring out the personality of the person and get them to talk. One trick is to ask open-ended questions instead of simple yes or no questions. This will help the person on the other side to open up and explain their perspective.

First, Break All the Rules Quotes

The talented employee may join a company because of its charismatic leaders, its generous benefits, and its world-class training programs, but how long that employee stays and how productive he is while he is there is determined by his relationship with his immediate supervisor. –Marcus Buckingham

The hardest thing about being a manager is realizing that your people will not do things the way that you would. But get used to it. Because if you try to force them to, then two things happen. They become resentful — they don’t want to do it. And they become dependent — they can’t do it. Neither of these is productive for the long haul. –Marcus Buckingham

First, Break All the Rules Review

The book delivers both perspectives based on the research from over eight lac employees. Of the employees and the management. It is a very good book with simple language to understand how strengths, weaknesses, talents, and individual expressions can use to benefit workers and increase the company’s revenue.

To Whom I would Recommend First, Break All the Rules Summary?

  • First, Break All the Rules summary recommends to the new manager trying to get better at his job in a company.
  • A boss who is about to start a new business needs to understand the employee-manager relationship.
  • To any business geek trying to understand how companies capitalize on their employees while keeping them satisfied.

Link: https://amzn.to/3JgBF4r