as frustrated as you might be with your people, the fact is, they are your number one competitive advantage. (Location 124)
Think about that for a minute. You may hold patents, own proprietary technology, and have tremendous brand (Location 125)
awareness, but in the end, it all boils down to people. So, for better or worse, the people you employ or who report directly to you are your only real differentiator. (Location 125)
The advantage of being a boss like Lombardi is that you have the opportunity to surround yourself with people who you want to work with and who want to succeed. (Location 132)
the single most important decision that business owners make is deciding whom to hire or promote to management positions. (Location 155)
Your choices are to lead, follow, or get out of the way. You must decide. And remember, choosing not to be a great boss is okay. Just get out of the way and be willing to follow. (Location 168)
By contrast, great bosses see beyond the intended humor and realize that the problem isn’t with the people, it’s with the not-so-good bosses who lead those people. They don’t accept this sad state of affairs. (Location 181)
He believes that, as a boss, one of his responsibilities is to develop his people and improve their skills. (Location 185)
Great bosses earn the respect of those they lead; they don’t take it for granted. (Location 188)
The third asset—“capacity to do it”—can be acquired if you are willing to invest the time and effort to excel in the role. (Location 201)
So, do you have the “fire in your belly” for the trials and tribulations of being a great boss? Do your actions show others that you truly want it? (Location 236)
Time is the most precious resource great bosses have. You should be spending yours on the most important matters in your department. (Location 365)
By delegating and elevating, you will build extensions of yourself that will enable you and your organization to continue to grow and develop. (Location 408)
“Applying the concept of delegating and elevating took me to a whole new level as a leader. It was an eye-opener that showed me how I could use my time better and grow as a leader. I was getting bogged down in everything and did not allow myself or my team to grow.” (Location 416)
Great bosses appreciate that the return on investing time in their people is exponential to the results that it reaps. Leading and managing people is the number one role for a boss. (Location 418)
As a boss, you have the opportunity and responsibility to choose the people that you want on your team. Even if you’ve been recently promoted or hired and have inherited several direct reports, remember that you must choose whether or not you want them on your team. (Location 436)
Great bosses take time to evaluate their teams. (Location 439)
Do they get it, want it, and have the capacity to do it? (Location 440)
Many bosses miss the mark when hiring people. They copy what they read or hear about other company cultures and Great People in other companies without applying the criteria to their specific situation. (Location 457)
You must also be willing to do the work that’s necessary to define your culture, and then select people who fit your culture—who get it, want it, and have the capacity for the job. (Location 459)
In Built to Last, Jim Collins discovered that enduring companies have a culture that defines who they are, what they value, and what attracts like-minded individuals to them. (Location 462)
learned long ago that to focus on the non-performing employees takes valuable time away from your great employees, and creates animosity. (Location 599)
In hindsight, I should have acted much faster! My hesitancy and discomfort around addressing a ‘right person/wrong seat’ issue created a six-month delay in performance that could have been avoided.” (Location 607)
As you go forward and build a strong team, we urge you to be relentless and inflexible when it comes to The Bar. Let it be the absolute minimum standard when it comes to defining Great People. Never accept mediocrity. Remember, Great People are your only competitive advantage! (Location 618)
definition, great bosses lead, manage, and hold their people accountable. In the next chapter, we will show you the most effective way to do all three. (Location 627)
A great boss creates a work environment where people are fully engaged and highly accountable. (Location 638)
As a boss, you must fully provide your direct reports with effective leadership and management. (Location 663)
you don’t have the time to lead and manage your people. (Location 665)
Leadership involves working “on” the business. (Location 670)
Here is another way to describe the difference between leadership and management: Vision and Traction. Leadership consists of creating a Vision, and Management consists of gaining Traction to achieve it. You cannot succeed without both. (Location 677)
“The essence of leadership is to get others to do something because they think you want it done and because they think it is worthwhile doing.” (Location 698)
Great leaders are masterful at providing a clear direction and creating an opening for their people. When you create an opening, it produces a vacuum that is always filled. (Location 704)
The best way for you to create an opening and provide clear direction for your people is by sharing a compelling vision. (Location 713)
If you are in a midlevel management position and your company’s Leadership Team has already done this work, then simply share this vision with your people. (Location 736)
After you’ve shared the vision with your people the first time, we urge you to continue to share it with your team every ninety days. (Location 738)
Knowing that giving clear direction means conveying a compelling vision often and creating an opening, you should ask yourself, “Do I provide clear direction for every one of my direct reports?” Please honestly answer yes or no. (Location 748)
However, weeks later I observed that he was losing his enthusiasm and just not having fun. After having a one-on-one-conversation, I realized that I had failed him. (Location 758)
It didn’t take long to get him refocused and reenergized. We still do check-ins and I occasionally accompany him on calls. I make the time to spend with him on a regular basis, and it has made a world of difference.” (Location 761)
In Gallup’s Q12 Survey™, employees were asked the question, “Do you have the material and equipment you need to do your work right?” Many answered “no.” The experts at Gallup noted that this lack was highly emotional for many employees; often the needs may be very basic. (Location 771)
Now that you’ve provided clear direction and given your team the necessary tools to succeed, it’s time to let them run with it and get the heck out of their way. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. Many leaders either can’t or won’t let go. There’s (Location 776)
Now, before you just let go, we must share an important disclaimer: you cannot let go until you are certain that you have the Right People in the Right Seats. (Location 785)
Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, points to three major factors that directly influence a person’s level of motivation: Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose. (Location 793)
Your people want the freedom to do what you’ve hired them to do, and they can get frustrated when you meddle with them while they’re trying to do it. (Location 795)
My team would offer up information and I would make all the decisions. It wasn’t until I missed one of our critical meetings that I realized my error. (Location 802)
I realized that I was the one who was actually doing their work. I was the one holding on to the vine, holding them back and not trusting the people in the company to make decisions. (Location 805)
He was taking pride in having all the answers for his people. He was hanging on and controlling everything. (Location 813)
us: “Don’t take on the problem if the problem isn’t yours. That monkey doesn’t belong to you.” A “monkey” could be a problem, obstacle, barrier, or anything that your direct reports bring for you to address and solve. (Location 816)
You need to create autonomy, but instead you’re enabling people to give you their problems to solve. (Location 823)
This means that whatever vision you’ve conveyed to your people, your actions and decisions are aligned with that message. (Location 830)
The compelling vision that you conveyed to your people in Leadership Practice 1 is the greater good that we are describing here. (Location 837)
He explains that the first 10 represents the first ten minutes after making a decision. (Location 843)
Emotion usually drives your initial reaction. How do you feel about the idea? Are you happy, sad? (Location 843)
second 10 represents the first ten months regarding a decision, which he considers short term. (Location 844)
The third 10 represents the first ten years after a decision. Now you’re asking yourself, how will it affect my reputation, relationships, community, and family? (Location 846)
Upon this realization, Todd concluded that blaming, finger pointing, and lawsuits would just exacerbate an already bad situation. (Location 854)
As the company grew, she reached her capacity and needed to delegate and elevate, but she resisted because her sense of worth came from having control over multiple functions. (Location 865)
Ask yourself, “Do my actions, decisions, and personal example align with the company’s greater good?” Yes or no? (Location 869)
One discipline that all great leaders have in common is that they take time on a regular basis to rise above the everyday demands of their jobs to reflect and think from the thirty-thousand-foot level. (Location 873)
Therefore, at intervals, you must elevate yourself above the day-to-day activities “in” the business so you can work “on” the business. (Location 884)
said: “The essence of leadership is to get others to do something because they think you want it done and because they think it is worthwhile doing.” (Location 946)