First Break All the Rules

Gallup presents the remarkable findings of its revolutionary study of more than 80,000 managers in First, Break All the Rules, revealing what the world&;s greatest managers do differently. With vital performance and career lessons and ideas for how to apply them, it is a must-read for managers at every level.

Included with this re-release of First, Break All the Rules: updated meta-analytic research and access to the Clifton Strengths assessment, which reveals people&;s top themes of talent.

What separates the greatest managers from all the rest?

They actually have vastly different styles and backgrounds. Yet despite their differences, great managers share one common trait: They don&;t hesitate to break virtually every rule held sacred by conventional wisdom. They don&;t believe that, with enough training, a person can achieve anything they set their mind to. They don&;t try to help people overcome their weaknesses. And, yes, they even play favorites.

In this longtime management bestseller, Gallup presents the remarkable findings of its massive in-depth study of great managers. Some were in leadership positions. Others were front-line supervisors. Some were in Fortune 500 companies; others were key players in small, entrepreneurial firms. Whatever their circumstances, the managers who ultimately became the focus of Gallup&;s research were those who excelled at turning each individual employee&;s talent into high performance.

Gallup has found that the front-line manager is the key to attracting and retaining talented employees. This book explains how the best managers select an employee for talent rather than for skills or experience, set expectations, build on each person&;s unique strengths rather than trying to fix their weaknesses, and get the best performance out of their teams.

And perhaps most important, Gallup&;s research produced the 12 simple statements that distinguish the strongest departments of a company from all the rest. First, Break All the Rules is the first book to present this essential measuring stick and to prove the link between employee opinions and productivity, profit, customer satisfaction and the rate of turnover.

First, Break All the Rules presents vital performance and career lessons for managers at every level &; and best of all, shows you how to apply them to your own situation.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: The Measuring Stick

Chapter 2: The Wisdom of Great Managers

Chapter 3: The First Key: Select for Talent

Chapter 4: The Second Key: Define the Right Outcomes

Chapter 5: The Third Key: Focus on Strengths

Chapter 6: The Fourth Key: Find the Right Fit

Chapter 7: Turning the Keys: A Practical Guide

About the Author

Marcus Buckingham is a global researcher and the world’s authority on what the most effective leaders and highest-performing people do differently. He is the New York Times best-selling author of two of the most popular business books of all time, First, Break All the Rules, and Now, Discover Your Strengths. Marcus’ 2019 Harvard Business Review cover article, “The Feedback Fallacy,” was recently selected by HBR as one of the most influential articles of the last 100 years.