NEW BOOK
“Results Rule! Build a Culture That Blows the Competition Away,” by Randy Pennington, John Wiley & Sons, $24.95
“Getting it right” inside the firm translates into marketplace success. Organizational DNA is the core set of beliefs, assumptions and values that drive every business. Unlike human DNA, the organizational version is shared by everyone who works for the firm. That sharing occurs through immersion in the firm’s culture: its approach to doing business, the ways it treats employees, its relationships with customers and suppliers, etc.
To propel results, employees must believe that the company provides more than a job. They want to be led, not managed.
Employees need to be part of a work environment where “team” is not a four-letter word, but “silo” is.
The customer must be the priority in the eyes of every employee.
–Jim Pawlak, BizBooks
NEW BOOK
“Warriors, Workers, Whiners & Weasels,” by Tim O’Leary, Xephor Press, $22.95
By dividing the workforce into four, easy-to-identify categories, O’Leary makes a straightforward case for those who build the business and those who should be shown the exit–fast.
Unfortunately in large firms, whiners and weasels are hard to dispose of because of the long paper trail required by human resources procedures.
The solution: do the paperwork while putting them where they can be the least disruptive.
Keepers:
Warriors–Internal salespeople who value relationships and see and sell the big picture. They are willing to tackle the tough assignments.
Workers–Employees who get things done. They are the backbone of any firm. They are masters of their particular crafts.
Get rid of:
Whiners–Their daily mantra is “Let’s get ready to grumble.” They dislike change and fear accountability. They excel at the blame game.
Weasels–Insecure people who play “silo” and office politics daily while surrounding themselves with yes men.
–Jim Pawlak, BizBooks
