The Managerial Moment of Truth: The Essential Step in Helping People Improve Performance

by Robert Fritz and Bruce Bodaken

The authors have implemented their ideas in-house, growing their company from $3 billion five years ago to $7 billion today. Peter Senge has written the foreword. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743288521
• ISBN13: 9780743288521
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: Free Press
• Length: 182 Pages
• Weight: 0.73 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

What every manager should practice, religiously.

This book is a must-read for any aspiring manager who also wants to be a coach. This technique isn't for every one and a certain amount of personal mastery is required to implement it. It is, however, applicable in all facet of life, at home as well as in the office. Practice it with your kids, yourself, and your direct report. The book is filled with practical examples including complete dialogues of how the conversations would take place, so you have no excuse for not practicing them. Every one will wish they had a boss like you if you approach the managerial moment of truth with an honest desire to seek the truth, understand the gaps, and develop a plan with your direct reports. If you can turn the manegerial moment of truth into a coaching opportunity, you will have built a learning organization.

Apply the MMOT and Raise Your Level of Performance

Robert Fritz and Bruce Bodaken provide a practical guide for handling difficult but necessary interactions in the workplace. The Managerial Moment of Truth, or MMOT, is a four-step process of objectively identifying reality (a missed due date; a drop in sales); objectively determining how the manager in charge came to that point, without blame or criticism; identification of new and improved procedures to do better the next time; and establishment of a feedback system so that the leader and manager can monitor the new process. The goal of this four step process is ultimately to improve the performance of the manager and to thereby improve the performance of the overall organization. The foundation of the MMOT is Fritz' concept of the creative process, which is built around acknowledging current reality, determining where you want to be, and making what he calls a fundamental choice to arrive there, and thereby taking the necessary steps to create this new reality. This process takes place within the framework of what Fritz calls structural tension, the tension that naturally exists when there is a difference between where we are and where we want to be. By addressing the tension in this way, the participant arrives at his new reality - and creates something new. It avoids the approach of problem solving, because that is an attempt to make something go away, while the creative process is the effort of bringing something new into being. Fritz provides more detail on this in his other works, particularly The Path of Least Resistance, also a great read. In this work, Fritz and Bodekan address applying this fundamental creative approach to workplace issues. The cornerstone of the MMOT is telling the truth - i.e. acknowledging reality as it is - not sugar-coating it or pretending it does not exist, hoping that things will get better or go away on their own, or resigning oneself to poor performance from your direct reports. The authors acknowledge the challenge in approaching issues this way because, in most organizations, people are not used to dealing head on with reality. They provide excellent case studies, including the transcripts of conversations which show you exactly how to apply the MMOT technique. As I read the book I became convinced that MMOT also has a place in family relationships, not only between spouses but also between parents and children. Perhaps there is some nuance in how MMOT should be applied in these circumstances, but I believe the general concept applies as well. I highly recommend this book for anyone managing even one person. If applied correctly and consistently, not only will your direct report's performance improve, but so will yours and that of your entire organization.

The "gestalt" of mutual exploration and learning

Here's the core concept: the "managerial moment of truth" (MMOT) occurs when a supervisor and someone for whom she or he is directly responsible share a face-to-face interaction during which both are completely honest with each other about a given situation or issue. These interactions can involve praise and recognition for performance "above and beyond the call of duty," constructive criticism offered in response to unacceptable performance or inappropriate behavior, or collaboration on the solution of a problem or obtaining an answer to an especially important question. These and other interactive situations offer unique, potentially invaluable learning opportunities to create a shared experience during which important truth is revealed. In this volume, Bruce Bodaken and Robert Fritz explain how the "managerial moment of truth approach" - one of mutual exploration and learning - can achieve and then sustain a decisive competitive advantage for any organization, regardless of its size or nature. They assert - and I wholly agree - that all managers must decide whether or not to ignore or explore especially important performance issues, especially in today's world where change is the only constant, especially in the workplace. They focus on how to prepare for and then create moments of "unvarnished" truth of substantial benefit to an individual, work teams, cross-discipline teams, senior management, subcontractor relationships, and strategic alliances. "Today, organizations are faced with sudden shifts in marketplace realities, migrating economics, and the lightning speed of globalization. The organizations that can deal with these changing realities have the best prospect for survival... Those organizations that cannot `handle the truth' will be left in the dust." Of special interest to me is what Bodaken and Fritz provide in Chapter 7, "The Art of the Question: Exploring Reality." They correctly insist that to obtain the most important answers, it is necessary to ask the right questions. They identify four types of questions that can help to penetrate and reveal reality: information ("to expand the picture when we conduct a MMOT"), clarification ("to help define imprecise or unknown terms"), implication ("to recognize what is implied, and ask the person if it is true") and discrepancy ("to sort out contradictions"). There are two separate but related challenges: to ask the right type of question, and, to persist until a truthful and sufficient answer to it has been obtained. "Questions are a powerful tool for true dialogue and exploration. They enable us to see far beyond our usual vantage point. They guide us through new territories. They open new worlds of possibilities. They are the keys to the MMOT." In the Foreword, Peter Senge describes the MMOT as "an elegant method that could have a significant impact in terms of "acknowledging present reality, examining people's thinking about hot it got that way, creating a plan for what needs to

A Book Which Resonates

Managerial Moment of Truth has made a great contribution to the literature and practice of performance management. I have worked in this field for 20 years and the process suggested by the authors is brilliant in it's simplicity and focus. I have already bought dozens of copies for my clients and in evey instance my clients have loved it! It resonates with them as it deals with the "real" world, the everyday world faced by all managers. It also offers managers clear guidelines for having the conversations that are necessary to achieve what's most important for the organization and for the people within it.

The competitive advantage of truth telling

This is an excellent book that would benefit any manager or leader to read. It tackles the current hot topic of integrity and honesty in corporate life in a very practical and user-friendly way. The simple 'form' provided by Bodaken and Fritz not only provides a very accessible way for managers and leaders to dramatically improve the performance of their people, but also illustrates how to create a high performance organizational culture and leverage competitive advantage through people. The success of the Managerial Moment of Truth in the Blue Shield organization adds credibility and weight to the approach. I recommend this book to all leaders, managers and coaches.