First, Break All the Rules - by Gallup (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Included with this re-release of First, Break All the Rules: updated meta-analytic research and access to the CliftonStrengths assessment, which reveals people's top themes of talent.

What separates the greatest managers from all the rest?

They actually have vastly different styles and backgrounds. Yet despite their differences, great managers share one common trait: They don't hesitate to break virtually every rule held sacred by conventional wisdom. They don't believe that, with enough training, a person can achieve anything they set their mind to. They don't try to help people overcome their weaknesses. And, yes, they even play favorites.

In this longtime management bestseller, Gallup presents the remarkable findings of its massive in-depth study of great managers. Some were in leadership positions. Others were front-line supervisors. Some were in Fortune 500 companies; others were key players in small, entrepreneurial firms. Whatever their circumstances, the managers who ultimately became the focus of Gallup's research were those who excelled at turning each individual employee's talent into high performance.

Gallup has found that the front-line manager is the key to attracting and retaining talented employees. This book explains how the best managers select an employee for talent rather than for skills or experience, set expectations, build on each person's unique strengths rather than trying to fix their weaknesses, and get the best performance out of their teams.

And perhaps most important, Gallup's research produced the 12 simple statements that distinguish the strongest departments of a company from all the rest. First, Break All the Rules is the first book to present this essential measuring stick and to prove the link between employee opinions and productivity, profit, customer satisfaction and the rate of turnover.

First, Break All the Rules presents vital performance and career lessons for managers at every level -- and best of all, shows you how to apply them to your own situation.

About the Author

For more than 80 years, Gallup has studied human nature and measured what drives performance, achievement and wellbeing. That research has helped leaders, organizations and communities understand how people thrive and how societies prosper.

Every Gallup Press book is grounded in Gallup's standards of integrity, trust and independence and informed by Gallup's unmatched global research. Written by Gallup experts, these books turn insight into action, helping people develop their strengths, build thriving organizations and communities, and create a better future for themselves and those they serve.