Summer Development, First Break All the Rules

I picked up First Break All the Rules when I was a new manager, eager and anxious to know how to lead the team. I had forty direct reports and had real opportunities for growth but I didn’t know where to begin. The insights in this book helped me set a course of engagement that helped build not only my confidence as a leader but also a healthy and productive team that really enjoyed their work.

Are you a new manager and don't know how to start? This book is a great first step. Click To Tweet

In this longtime management bestseller, Gallup presents the remarkable findings of its massive-in depth study of great managers. Gallup’s research focused on managers who excelled at turning each individual’s talent into high performance.

Their research included running 100 million questions through their prism to land on the top 12 statements that made the difference in having a high performance work team. They also concluded that front line managers were the key to recruiting and maintaining the best talent in the workplace.

These 12 simple statements distinguished the strongest departments of a company from all the rest. If you are looking for the right set of statements to engage with your employee team, these are the ones. These statements can also become questions for your own assessment as a leader. Ask your team to give you feedback on each and then begin to address the gaps.

12 Statements to Ask Your Employees:

1. I know what is expected of me at work.
2. I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right.
3. At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.
4. In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work.
5. My supervisor or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person.
6. There is someone at work who encourages my development.
7. At work, my opinions seem to count.
8. The mission and purpose of my company makes me feel my job is important.
9. My associates or fellow employees are committed to doing quality work.
10. I have a best friend at work.
11. In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress.
12. This last year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow.

“If you can create the kind of environment where employees answer positively to all 12 items, then you have a great place to work.” P. 25

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The book also gives you an access code to complete Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment – this assessment will identify your top five themes of talent so you can spend more time doing what you do best each day. People who focus on their strengths every day are six times as likely to be engaged in their jobs, more productive and more likely to say they have an excellent quality of life.

The book also provides an access code to set up and administer an employee engagement survey using the 12 questions.

First Break All the Rules is a great resource with researched based insights and tools for immediate application for your team.

“Anyone with a wise heart is called discerning, and pleasant speech increases learning.” Proverbs 16:21

Which statement do you think you need to add to your own leadership engagement with your team? 

Blessings,