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First Break All The Rules Summary

The document summarizes a book called First, Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman. The book is based on research with managers and employees and argues that good managers focus on identifying and developing individual talents rather than skills or experience. It also suggests creating specialized roles for employees based on their strengths instead of typical career ladders.

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39 views

First Break All The Rules Summary

The document summarizes a book called First, Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman. The book is based on research with managers and employees and argues that good managers focus on identifying and developing individual talents rather than skills or experience. It also suggests creating specialized roles for employees based on their strengths instead of typical career ladders.

Uploaded by

rvwassup
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Article from:

The Stepping Stone


May 2013 Issue 50

Book Review:

First, Break All the Rules:


What the Worlds Greatest Managers
Do Differently, by Marcus Buckingham
and Curt Coffman1

Review by Raj Johri

he idea that no two


successful managers are alike isnt
a new one, but nowhere
has it been so vividly illustrated and forcefully propagated as in First, Break
All the Rules: What the
Worlds Greatest Managers
Do Differently, by Marcus
Buckingham and Curt
Coffman. Every manager dreams of the utopian
workplace, the metaphorical finely tuned watch
with all its different cogs
linking effortlessly with
one another. This book will
show you how to turn that
vision into a reality.

Managers are often (wrongly) considered inferior to


leaders. This book strongly refutes that hypothesis,
describing the two profiles as being poles apart. You
may be the visionary of your workplace, but unless
you know how to get the most out of your subordinates, you are unlikely to ever succeed as a manager.
Buckingham and Coffman highlight the role that
management can play, not only in hiring employees,
but in retaining them as well.
Raj Johri, FSA, is an actuary focusing on innovative
FIA designs at Genesis
Financial Development in
Toronto, Canada. He has
a passion for productivity
hacks and can be reached
at [email protected].

18 |

MAY 2013

| the stepping stone

According to the writers, the central idea that most


successful managers seem to agree upon is that
good management always chooses talent over skill
or experience. That talent is then encouraged in the
employee, by giving strength-specific tasks. A good
manager focuses on the expectation, rather than the
course of action. Buckingham and Coffman also put
forth a new idea for promoting deserving employees. Instead of the usual ladder-climb, they suggest creating a niche for the employee, specific to

his/her talent. By encouraging your subordinates to


do what they do best, youve managed to lift their
morale, and also increase the overall productivity
of your team.
The book is a product of 25 years of research by
the Gallup Organization, of which Buckingham and
Coffman are a part. Eighty thousand managers and
1 million employees from 400 companies have been
interviewed, and all their insights and perspectives
have received due consideration, making the book a
truly unbiased read.
What really floored me was the books presentation.
Its language is simple, and written from the point
of view of a manager, rather than a management
guru. There is a sincere and real-world feel to it,
and whether youre a team leader in a big corporation, or the owner of a small establishment, you will
be able to relate directly to some of the situations
and concepts expressed by the many interviewees.
However, its not meant as a textbook. What it contains is insight. If you find an idea that you like, the
authors want you to try fitting it into your managerial style instead of copying it outright. Like the book
says, good management demands a willingness to
individualize. l
END NOTES
S
 imon & Schuster, 1st edition (May 5, 1999),
255 pages.

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