Book Analysis Essay on First Break All the Rules

Introduction

Managers have come to realize that competitiveness depends on their ability to find and keep talent. The book 'First Break All the Rules' explores the challenge of many organizations which is based on three aspects including keeping, attaining, and measuring employee satisfaction. The authors, Curt Coffman, and Marcus Buckingham discover how great managers attract, hire, focus, and keep talented workers. The authors assert that the status quo is counter-productive and encourages the management to adopt innovative approaches to worker engagement. To unlock potential in employees, the management should focus on talent selection, employee strengths, and the right fit for workers (Buckingham & Curt 21). Employees must understand what the management expects from them. Similarly, they should be made to believe that their opinions count and that the management encourages their development in all aspects.

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There is a need for the manager to first satisfy the basic needs of employees. This entails giving them the equipment and support to do their work right and focusing on their self-worth and self-esteem by giving praise for excellent work and caring about their growth and development (Buckingham & Curt 25). According to the authors, managers must hire for talent and hone that talent into outstanding performance. Also, the management should set the right outcomes and let employees use their style to deliver the required outcome. Best administrators know that employees watch every move they make. They never try to fix weaknesses but instead focus on talent and strengths. Talent drives an employees' performance (Buckingham & Curt 26). In their minds, great leaders understand that talent is a recurring pattern of thought, behavior, or feeling that can be productively applied. To succeed, there is the need to nurture talent. At selection time, managers need to look beyond the job title and description and identify which talent is more aligned with the needs of employees. According to Buckingham and Coffman, the human resource should structure its interview technique around seeking out those who hold the right blend. Successful managers and more experienced, determined, intelligent, and set expectations which are in line with the goals of the organization.

Following certain rules in an organization demands some level of accuracy and commitment. Managers always find it necessary to follow industry rules which guarantee customer satisfaction (Buckingham & Curt 30). In most entities, administrators tend to advocate for a healthy culture. A healthy culture allows the management to set expectations by first defining the right steps. Subordinates can decide what they will do and how they will perform without being compelled by the management. In this regard, they can as well maintain direction and performance (Buckingham & Curt 39). Workers are obliged to follow certain steps for all aspects of their role that involves safety. Great administrators treat employees well. They sit down with them and look for ways to further exploit their talents (Buckingham & Curt 40). Such managers are good at feedback and are always on the lookout for better strategies to exploit strength.

The Relevance of Core Concepts

Some of the core concepts from the book relate to certain ideas learned in the class. In talent management, the key focus is to maintain exceptional employees. Here, every aspect of recruitment, hiring, and employee development is affected positively. Talent management flows from the entity's mission, values, and vision. According to the authors, good workers don't make good supervisors, and such employees should be encouraged to seek further training on how to become the best supervisors in an organization. Managers always select appropriate workers who fit the entity's culture. Also, they negotiate accomplishment-based performance standards and measures within a performance development planning (Buckingham & Curt 30). By providing promotional and career development opportunities for workers, it will be easier to set strategies that will make it possible to better retain talented employees.

The ability to train employees according to business needs creates opportunities for real-time collaboration and support the workforce. According to the situational leadership theory, the effectiveness of a leader is based on the leader's traits and behaviors in relation to differing situational factors. A manager should demonstrate maturity at all times (Buckingham & Curt 49). Maturity is the ability to perform a certain task. In this regard, a manager should adjust his/her behavior in a way that makes it easier to manage employees effectively.

Three Most Important Ideas From the Reading

Some of the most important ideas from the reading include:

For the success of a business, there is a need to develop a strong personal relationship. Great managers spend most of their time with struggling employees than with top achievers.

Best managers treat employees the way they would like themselves treated. They do not have the time to determine the individual needs of workers because they tend to focus on a bigger picture thinking. Their main objective is to ensure that employees work towards a common goal.

When selecting a candidate for a job position, the focus should be on talent instead of experience, determination, and intelligence.

Why the Ideas Were So Important

The ideas give a clear picture of what organizational success entails. When managers spend time with struggling employees, they will figure out better ways to unleash their distinct talents. Some employees underperform because they have not discovered their talents. They do not know the right strategy to employ to achieve certain goals. In such cases, the management is obliged to change recruitment practices to hire for talent and revise employee job descriptions and qualifications. Employees should identify the part of their current role they are struggling with. This calls for positioning, training, and support system. The support system entails a great organizational culture. Both the management and workers should focus on outcomes and value world-class performance in every role. To create a friendly climate for great managers, organizations should use break through conventional wisdom.

By focusing on interactive training opportunities that expand the knowledge and skill set of employees, it is highly possible that they will complete their daily assignments with minimal errors. Management which optimizes its talent acquisition and development process should be informed that the shift in the market can affect the way they recruit new talents. There is also the need to provide employees with the necessary support to perform their duties.

Overall Assessment and Rating of the Book

The book offers a solution to most challenges facing managers. It provides a unique perspective on talent acquisition, retention, and engagement. The management should recognize what employees are capable of doing and advise them to take time to understand their long-term goals. According to the authors, best managers focus on employee's talent. However, emphasis should be on the experience of workers and how to build on their unique strengths to get out the best performance. It is true that the success of an enterprise depends on the strategies put in place by the management to ensure that employees work towards a common goal. On a scale of 1 to 10, I can rate the book 8.

Works Cited

Buckingham, Marcus, and Curt Coffman. First, break all the rules: What the world's greatest managers do differently. Simon and Schuster, 2014.