I'd like to say I have a love-hate relationship with books about management, but it's really more a dislike-hate relationship. I dislike reading them, and I hate getting them, because usually it means your manager is telling you, "I'm about to make your work life miserable, and if you read this book, you'll understand why, since I can't deal with explaining it to you in language you'll understand."
Enter : Achieve a Competitive Edge by Creating a Culture of Accountability by Roger Connors and Tom Smith. You'll want to watch before you read the book; you'll understand the point a little better.
In L. Frank Baum's story, Dorothy and her companions seek out the wonderful Wizard of Oz in hopes that he can give them things they've been looking for (a heart, a brain, courage, a way home), when really they had it all along. By sending them to defeat the witch, the Wizard has shown them they can conquer anything, and all they had to do was step up to the plate and get it done using the tools they had.
Connors and Smith take this and tell managers to set concrete goals for their employees, and then have some sort of accountability system in place for everyone from the top to the bottom. They create several models, but a lot of it has to do with making your employees feel comfortable voicing their opinions, and with getting managers to do some self-reflection when they hear criticism of the way things have been going.
I'd recommend reading this book at a management level or higher first. If your company plans to give this book to front-line employees, they need some background as to why they're getting this book – otherwise it feels very much like their employers are saying, "We're struggling and it's your fault. Turn us around."
Next up for me is Shama Hyder Kabani's . The review will be up after I finish.
What are you reading? Do you have recommendations of business, social media or online marketing books for me?