Responsible Managers Get Results: How the Best Fins Solutions--Not Excuses

by Gerald W. Faust, Will Phillips, Richard I Lyles

Book Overview

The authors of this text present a seven-step method for problem solving that readers can use to enhance their own ability to develop optimal solutions to problems, get people to work together, and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0814403891
• ISBN13: 9780814403891
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Amacom
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.3" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

A Different Perspective on "Entitlement"

In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker reluctantly agrees to "try" to salvage his spaceship. The Yoda replies, "Do or do not. There is no try." The authors of this book agree with the Yoda. They suggest that responsible managers insist on achieving results. While chairman and CEO of Pier 1 Imports, Clark Johnson observed that he always encouraged effort but only rewarded performance. Johnson may not have read this book but he certainly agrees with the key points its authors make. In Chapter 1, they revisit and redefine the concept of responsibility. In subsequent chapters, they discuss a leader's responsibility to the customer, to the organization, and to everyone within the organization. They view the responsible manager as a problem solver and, in Chapter 5, provide a problem-solving approach "that works." They then shift their attention to "Getting the Right Answer" and "Getting the Right Result." For the authors, judgment is the foundation of responsibility. They also assert, in Chapter 9, that there is "a rationale for teams that work" and then explain what that rationale is...also, what it requires of everyone involved. In Chapters 10 and 11, they answer two key questions: How to design an effective team? and How to maximize productivity among the members of a team? In the final chapter, the authors explain what is needed to keep responsible change alive.According to the authors, "most change efforts fail because of an inadequate understanding of what produces value in the business or of how human beings change." They then offer eight specific reasons why change efforts fail:1. We like to feel good. [change threatens comfort levels]2. No top leadership support [if "they" don't care, why should anyone else?]3. Change efforts do not address the whole system [a fragmented approach tends to focus on symptoms rather than on causes] 4. We hide failure [success is reassuring...failure could involve blame and guilt]5. Misunderstanding of what has changed [See #3]6. Too few understand the rationale for change efforts [ie those who are expected to support change initiatives are not told how and why their support is so essential]7. Neglect of transition [failure to understand that change is an incremental process, not a quantum leap from "here" to "there"]8. There is no structure for change [within the organization, there are no policies and procedures to resolve the conflict between "what is done now" and "doing better"] Hence the importance of having a sense of responsibility to help solve problems shared by everyone, of having patience during the inevitably slow process of organizational change, and of having self-discipline throughout that challenging process. The authors correctly point out that (1) "everyone must be willing to carry his or her share of the load", (2) "Sustainable efforts take two to three years but result in dramatically more healthy and more exciting organizations", and (3) "The discipline of change refers to the regulari

Great Ideas for Achieving Success

This is one of the most entertaining and useful books about leadership and management I've ever read. I highly recommend it to anyone in any position of responsibility. Both the concepts and the techniques are invaluable.

A positive way to integrate work and life

The authors focus a bright light on the vital role and enduring quality of personal responsiblity in the work place. Imagine if each of us really did take responsibility for customer satisfaction, getting the right results, and problem solving! We could really make our workplaces stages for personal satisfaction, even joy. This is the future the authors believe in and they've provided a strong tool set in the book to help us get there.

A clear and concise approach for improved results.

The focus here is on the end results, the outcomes of management action. The authors present a systematic, thoughtful, practical and step by step method of achieving better results by becoming more effective as problem solvers and its told in story format with interesting and captivating vignettes. Includes several chapters on team building, the elements of team effectivness, and teams that work.

It makes you take responsibility for results not activities

Most of my executive staff has read the book. We are now making our top line managers read it. We can now all talk in terms of the final outcomes not just the activity. We have all agreed to be responsible for the end result. This book will make us a better company.