Why Managing Sucks and How to Fix It E-Book

Jody Thompson

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 331

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013

Beschreibung

Change the way you think about work (and life) by focusing on results--and only results Why Managing Sucks and How to Fix It shows how the Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE) mindset can make you or your organization more entrepreneurial, more connected with the broader trends in your industry, and more willing to take smart risks. It explains how to set clear expectations and focus on the endpoint as opposed to managing the process that gets you there. With eyes set on getting rid of distractions, long meetings, and unnecessary updates, this book offers quick, everyday strategies to experience huge increases in productivity (without adding resources) and dramatic drops in turnover. * Authors Ressler and Thompson began their work together at Best Buy where they are credited with revolutionizing the workplace * Reframes thinking away from counting on general availability (Where's Bob?) to creating clear expectations (Does Bob know exactly what's expected of him?) * Explains how to reduce the number of meetings while increasing their quality * Shows how to eliminate scheduled events in order to increase critical thinking and improve communication ROWE is a bold, cultural transformation that permeates the attitudes and operating style of an entire workplace, leveling the playing field and giving people complete autonomy--to manage their measurable results using adult common sense.

Leseprobe

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1: Wake Up!

Typical Questions

Chapter 2: Motivate Me

Typical Questions

Chapter 3: S.M.A.R.T. Goals = Senseless Minutia Against Random Tasks

Typical Questions

Chapter 4: 24/7 Kicks 9–5’s Ass

Typical Questions

Chapter 5: No More Bullshit Meetings. Period.

Typical Questions

Chapter 6: Results. Not for Every Job?

Epilogue

About the Authors

Index

Cover design: Paul McCarthy

Copyright © Thompson and Ressler, LLC, 2013. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Published simultaneously in Canada.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Ressler, Cali.

Why Managing Sucks and How to Fix It: A Results-Only Guide to Taking Control of Work, Not People/Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson.

ISBN: 978-1-118-42636-4 (cloth); ISBN: 978-1-118-55934-5 (ebk); ISBN: 978-1-118-55928-4 (ebk); ISBN: 978-1-118-55924-6 (ebk)

1. Personnel management. 2. Quality of work life. I. Thompson, Jody. II. Title.

HF5549

658.3–dc23

2012044789

To adults in the workplace who want to be treated as such

Acknowledgments

A lot has happened since we set out to change the broken system called “work” back in 2003. Each day, more and more organizations are joining the revolution, reinventing their work cultures—really going beyond telework—to create an environment where people can truly thrive. A place where work is no longer a four-letter word. A place where managed flexibility around 9–5 office hours is so last century. A place where everyone is accountable to the work and is intrinsically motivated to succeed. A place that we were told time and time again couldn’t really exist—utopia?—and we’ve proved does exist.

So to the people in organizations (some mentioned in this book) who have courageously worked with us to ignite their workplaces, you are the leaders of the future of work; it’s not easy to be the first to buck the system, but it does put you in a unique position to change the lives of many people to come and sets you on a trajectory that puts you ahead of the productivity and innovation curve.

To Adrianna Johnson, Christine Moore, and the rest of the team at John Wiley & Sons, Inc.—thank you. Your encouragement and gentle nudging along the way helped us shape the second phase of our journey into an actionable tool for managers. We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished together.

And to our team at CultureRx: every day we are thankful for you. You continue to be energized by making it part of your own personal mission to make sure that work doesn’t suck for people. You get up every day and dedicate yourselves to making global change happen one person at a time.

Cali’s Special Thanks

To Trystan, Jackson, Keaton, and McKenna—my kids who keep me going on this journey because I want them to love not only what they do when they grow up but be in control of how they do it. Every day, I am more and more proud of you. Yes, Mom is a real author—and someday you’ll read this book and think, “Oh, this is what she was writing!”

To my husband, Marty, my perfect match. You and me—always and forever.

To my parents, Jose and Heidi Gaibor, who support me in everything I do. Time to enjoy life even more now that you’re nearing retirement, Pops, and time will really be your own. Crazy that the father of the cocreator of ROWE had to endure decades at an organization that focused on time, hours, and everything that didn’t matter—definitely provided me with even more sense of purpose to carry on. Congratulations on the traction you’re making in opening some minds little by little, day by day. Sit back, relax, and grab a Corona. You deserve it!

To my grandfather, Bob Hoeppner, who knew that teaching me to never give up as a young girl would be an important lesson that would carry me far in life.

To my brother, Jesse Gaibor. As far as siblings go, you really are the best, and I appreciate your advice as I continue on this journey. Wouldn’t trade you or Tara for anything.

To my in-laws—Adam, Joyce, Mandy, Emeric, Monty, and Natalie—thank you for your support in everything I take on. Enjoy this second book!

To friends who are there to listen, laugh, and enjoy life as it unfolds. I appreciate every one of you and your encouragement of my adventures. I look forward to many, many more years of good times.

Jody’s Special Thanks

To my sons, Colin and Elliot. Every day I wake up and am simply amazed that I get to claim to be your mom! I am so proud of what you’re accomplishing in your lives. There will always be roadblocks and frustrations along the way, but what you do does make a difference. And who you are is more than I could have ever hoped for.

To my parents, George and Beverly Hartzell. You may not always understand why I do the things I do, or where I get some of my crazy ideas, but you’re always there to cheer me on. Thank you for your love and support—and most importantly, for believing in me.

And to my fiancé, Mike Huba. I’ve been swept off my feet by your enthusiasm for life! Thank you for showing me through actions, not just words, that a truly loving relationship is possible, that being myself is exactly what I should be.

To Alex Huba. Your dedication to serving our country and defending freedom is remarkable. You are truly a blessing in my life.

And to my dear friend Pia-Kim Genung. Without your support over the past couple of years, I would have taken up residence in the loony bin. Thank you for always being there to listen, give me new perspectives, and share a great bottle of wine.

Introduction

Back in 2003, my business partner, Cali Ressler, and I were employees in the human resources (HR) department at Best Buy, Co., Inc., where we got the crazy idea that organizations could trust their people to do their work and live their lives without having to intervene or “manage” them. We believed that giving people what they really wanted—complete autonomy to manage all of the demands in their lives—could actually be successful. Businesses would prosper. People would be happier. And, we had faith—faith that people would not only want to but would do the right thing. ROWE—Results-Only Work Environment—was born out of this faith.

Since then, we’ve validated the fact that this simple notion was, indeed, correct. When you treat people like adults, they act like adults. When people are treated like children, they act out. And we’ve proved that organizations can trust their employees to own their work without outdated HR policies regarding office hours, time off, dress code, inclement weather, and the like. The notion that “Some people just need more structure” was exposed for what it really is: another way of saying, “I don’t know how to effectively manage the work, so now I’m going to manage you.”

One of our clients, Kyle Pederson, owner of Learner’s Edge, whose organization offers leading-edge, thought-provoking, versatile graduate credit for teachers, said,

As a manager, I need to manage the work, not the people. [Doing so allows me to] enable my employees to have control—they get to manage their lives. The majority of their waking hours are no longer dictated by a boss—they are no longer scheduled for 40 specific hours every week, and then made to somehow fit the rest of their busy lives around it. A healthy work/life balance is absolutely critical—but can only be accomplished when employees manage their time. And [they can’t do this] when I, as their boss, require them to be in a specific location at a specific time for 8+ hours per day, 50+ weeks per year. In the end, a ROWE results in much more balanced, happy employees who feel more empowered and in control of their own lives. What manager wouldn’t want that?