We help organizations reach their objectives through effective skill development (like SST), strategic planning and leadership. All three need to be in place and integrated with one another for an organization to enjoy success. As a consultant I feel obligated to stay abreast of the literature on all three planes: personality type as it informs the SST model; strategy and leadership (including Executive Coaching). This article reviews what I consider to be an absolute stand - out contribution to leadership development which I highly commend to every manager serious about improving the performance of those you lead. It is First Break All the Rules.

Most of the management literature I read is gimmicky, based on one guy's opinion, or written by a winning coach appealing to a prominent male fantasy that winning at work is just like winning on the field. First Break All the Rules is not about gimmicks, is anchored in tons of data and is written by two researchers from the Gallup Organization, Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman. Buckingham was the leader of a twenty-five year Gallup Organization study that sought to identify the common practices of effective managers. The "Four Keys"  to effective management that summarize their work are derived from surveys of millions of workers. They complemented their research on the workplace with a follow-up study with eighty thousand managers representing a cross-section of industries and sizes.

The title is not only catchy, it also speaks to the central message of the book: the conventional rules of management don't work. For example, Buckingham and Coffman found that great managers don't focus on helping staff overcome weaknesses. Instead, they focus on strengths. Even more heretical, they don't follow the Golden Rule. Instead, they lead people the way they like to be led.

Those of you familiar with SST will recognize why First Break All the Rules resonates. We too moved against the conventional sales wisdom of close early and often with our emphasis on questions, listening and customized communication. We also advocate going beyond the "Golden Rule" of communication and sending messages the way "they", not necessarily "we", would like to receive them.


Buckingham and Coffman summarize the "Best Practices" of effective management in Four Keys:

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