First, Break All The Rules
by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman

Reviewed by: Linda Gravett, Ph.D., SPHR

If you're a manager, or aspire to be one, this book is a must to read! Buckingham and Coffman have compiled results from interviews with 80,000 managers in over 400 companies, which is the largest study of its kind.

Interviews with successful, effective managers revealed that the best results come from breaking the rules! Buckingham and Coffman found that great managers know how to attract, focus, and keep the most talented employees. That's not a revelation, of course. However, the Gallup survey was able to discover the twelve definitive questions to ask your employees that measure the strength of your workplace. You'll have to read the book to learn the twelve questions!

Buckingham and Coffman assert that great managers can discern between competencies and talents. A competency, or skill, such as computer programming can be learned. Talents are innate and fall into three categories: striving, thinking, and relating. The authors suggest that the best managers understand the talents required to handle jobs in their organizations, and they hire for talent as well as competency.

Be prepared to have your current thinking about management techniques challenged if you read First, Break All The Rules. The authors discovered, for example, that great managers spend most of their time with their excellent employees rather than the poor performers. Their energy is focused on enhancing the talents of the best and guiding those in the wrong position for their talents to acknowledge that fact sooner than later.

This Simon & Schuster book is definitely recommended for a good read by year-end!