Synopses & Reviews
The authors of the bestsellers andlt;Iandgt;The Carrot Principleandlt;/Iandgt; and andlt;Iandgt;The Orange Revolutionandlt;/Iandgt; present groundbreaking new findings: In the highest-performing teams and companies, managers create a and#8220;culture of belief,and#8221; following seven essential steps of leadership.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;To have any hope of succeeding as a manager, you need to get your people andlt;Iandgt;all inandlt;/Iandgt;.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; Whether you manage the smallest of teams or a multi-continent organization, you are the owner of a work cultureand#8212;congratulationsand#8212;and few things will have a bigger impact on your performance than getting your people to buy into your ideas and your cause and to believe what they do matters.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; Bestselling authors of andlt;Iandgt;The Carrot Principle andlt;/Iandgt;and andlt;Iandgt;The Orange Revolution, andlt;/Iandgt;Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton return to answer the most overlooked leadership questions of our day: Why are some managers able to get their employees to commit wholeheartedly to their culture and give that extra push that leads to outstanding results? And how can managers at any level build and sustain a profitable, vibrant work-group culture of their own?andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; These leading workplace experts teamed up with research giant Towers Watson to analyze an unprecedented 300,000-person study, and they made a groundbreaking finding: managers of the highest-performing work groups create a and#8220;culture of belief.and#8221; In these distinctive workplaces, people andlt;Iandgt;believe andlt;/Iandgt;in their leaders and in the companyand#8217;s vision, values, and goals. Employees are not only engaged but also enabled and energized (termed the three Es), which leads to astonishing resultsand#8212;average annual revenues three times higher than for organizations lacking such a positive culture. And this was true during a period that included this most recent recession.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; Based on their extensive consulting experience and in-depth interviews with leaders and employees at exceptional companies such as American Express, Cigna, Avis Budget, Pepsi Bottling, and Hard Rock, the authors present a simple seven-step road map for creating a culture of belief: define a burning platform; create a customer focus; develop agility; share everything; partner with your talent; root for each other; and establish clear accountability. Delving into specific how-tos for each step, they share eye-opening stories of exceptional leaders in action, vividly depicting just how these powerful methods can be implemented by any manager.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; andlt;Iandgt;All In andlt;/Iandgt;draws on cutting-edge psychology and all of the creative genius that have made Gostick and Elton a must-read for leaders worldwide. This vital resource will empower managers everywhere to inspire a new level of commitment and performance.
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"At Cigna ... our success is dependent on our employees being passionate about
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"I loved this book! The stories will resonate and be repeated on a daily basis by leaders who understand that their greatest responsibility is to create and sustain a high performing culture. This book is a prescription for doing just what all new and experienced leaders dream of doing.
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"What could you learn from 300,000 people who thrived in the toughest economy in seventy years? Read this book and find out. Want to thrive yourself? Follow Gostick and Elton's fascinating, fun, and potent principles and you will."andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;and#8212;Joseph Grenny, andlt;Iandgt;New York Times andlt;/Iandgt;bestselling co-author of andlt;Iandgt;Change Anything andlt;/Iandgt;and andlt;Iandgt;Crucial Conversationsandlt;/Iandgt;
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"Gostick and Elton have done it again! All In
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"Gostick and Eltonand#8217;s andlt;Iandgt;All Inandlt;/Iandgt; is a treasure map to a companyand#8217;s exponential success. This call-to-action will ignite a culture that inspires passionate interest and meaning in peopleand#8217;s lives, yielding their best performance by inspiring more than perspiring."andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;and#8212;Peter Guber, Chairman andamp; CEO, Mandalay Entertainment Group andamp; #1 andlt;Iandgt;New York Timesandlt;/Iandgt; Bestselling Author of andlt;Iandgt;Tell To Winandlt;/Iandgt;
Review
andlt;divandgt;"At Cigna ... our success is dependent on our employees being passionate about
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andlt;divandgt;"I loved this book! The stories will resonate and be repeated on a daily basis by leaders who understand that their greatest responsibility is to create and sustain a high performing culture. This book is a prescription for doing just what all new and experienced leaders dream of doing.
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andlt;divandgt;"Gostick and Elton have done it again! andlt;Iandgt;All In
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and#8220;At Cigna and#8230; our success is dependent on our employees being passionate about the opportunity and responsibility to make a difference. In andlt;Iandgt;All Inandlt;/Iandgt;, Gostick and Elton provide a roadmap for every manager to help build a culture of possibility that drives bottom-line results for customers and companies.and#8221;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;and#8212;David Cordani, President and CEO, Cigna Corporation
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"I loved this book! The stories will resonate and be repeated on a daily basis by leaders who understand that their greatest responsibility is to create and sustain a high performing culture. This book is a prescription for doing just what all new and experienced leaders dream of doing. It is a fabulous and fun read and one I recommend for all levels of any and every organization.and#8221;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;and#8212;Ann Rhoades, Founding Executive Vice President of People, JetBlue Airways; President, People Ink; and bestselling author, andlt;Iandgt;Built on Valuesandlt;/Iandgt;
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and#8220;Gostick and Elton have done it again! andlt;Iandgt;All In andlt;/Iandgt;captures more than 20 years of experience about motivation, belief, change management, and, very importantly, what I consider essential to leadership and the ability to change for the better: Agility. This book will help the reader assess whether a culture of high performance exists in his/her organization and find the ways to create one if it is absent.and#8221;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;and#8212;Jean-Luc Butel, Group President, International, Medtronic Inc.
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"If you want to be a leader in any type of organization, read
Talk Is (Not!) Cheap. It is full of helpful suggestions by someone who has learned when to listen and when to talk. His conversational leadership shows us how we can reach people with our spoken words, whether in the boardroom or before a large audience. McCann proves that nice guys can finish first."
—Former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley
“Conversation drives business. Having spent the past fifteen years working with entrepreneurs, I know that new companies either succeed or fail based on their ability to connect--with their investors, their customers, their employees, and their communities. In Talk Is (Not!) Cheap, Jim McCann shows why emails and PowerPoint decks are a poor substitute for the natural connections that arise when people pause to talk—and listen—to one another. Entrepreneurs of all stripes would be well advised to pick up this book.” —Linda Rottenberg, Co-Founder and CEO of Endeavor
“Jim McCann is a great teacher in the art, science, and heart of leadership. At a time when so many people are just talking at one another, Talk Is (Not!) Cheap is an important reminder for all of us to get back to basics, listen, and rediscover what it means to have true dialogue. Honest, refreshing, and immediately actionable.” —Clara Shih, author of The Facebook Era
“Jim McCann sends us a wakeup call that face-to-face communication remains the essential tool for work, relationships, leadership, entrepreneurship, sales and so many other dimensions of social life. Talk Is (Not!) Cheap is full of down-to-earth, experienced, pithy advice from someone who clearly practices what he, well, converses.” —Daniel Isenberg, author of Worthless, Impossible, and Stupid: How Contrarian Entrepreneurs Create and Capture Extraordinary Value
Synopsis
The authors of the bestsellers The Carrot Principle and The Orange Revolution present groundbreaking new findings: In the highest-performing teams and companies, managers create a “culture of belief,” following seven essential steps of leadership.Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton teamed up with research giants Towers Watson to analyze an unprecedented 300,000-person study conducted during this recession. The data reveals that today’s high-performance organizations have a distinctive kind of culture in which employees believe in their leaders and the company’s mission, values, and goals. These employees are not only engaged, but also enabled and energized, which leads to astonishing results—average annual operating revenues of 27.4 percent, three times higher than companies lacking such a positive culture.
Based on this breakthrough research and their extensive consulting experience with a who’s-who of successful companies, Gostick and Elton present a simple seven-step roadmap that all managers can follow to create a high-achieving culture: defining a burning platform, creating rigorous customer focus, making sure team members root for one another, and establishing clear accountability. They offer specific how-tos for each step and tell fascinating stories of leaders in action. All In is a vital resource for every manager.
Synopsis
How to lead through conversation from the founder and CEO of 1-800-Flowers.com, the world's largest florist.
Synopsis
Jim McCann has spent his career talking. For McCann, the founder and CEO of the worlds leading florist, 1-800-Flowers.com, being open and ready to speak to a variety of audiences is his most powerful leadership tool.
In Talk Is (Not!) Cheap, McCann illustrates how the art of conversation leadership—the process he developed to engage others and create forward momentum in the workplace—can be used to inspire, innovate, and win. Using a blend of how-to and insightful personal stories, this book argues that the gift of gab may just be the most critical (and undervalued) skill set in todays workplace.
Lessons include how to overcome hesitation when diving into conversation with strangers and knowing when to just “shut up and listen!” McCanns practical advice comes from twenty years of experience as the voice of small business, and from meeting and exchanging ideas with other influential business leaders around the world.
Whether youre interacting with customers, pitching new business to a client, or seeking to be heard within your own company, Talk Is (Not!) Cheap will strategically transform the way you communicate and listen. With McCann as your guide, this important book will teach you how the art of conversation leadership can improve and joyously change your life.
About the Author
andlt;Bandgt;Adrian Gostickandlt;/Bandgt; is the andlt;Iandgt;New York Timesandlt;/Iandgt; bestselling coauthor of andlt;iandgt;The Carrot Principleandlt;/iandgt; and andlt;iandgt;The Orange Revolutionandlt;/iandgt;, which are sold in more than 50 countries around the world. He is a founder of the global training and consulting firm The Culture Works, with a focus in Recognition, Teamwork, and Culture. Learn more at TheCultureWorks.com or AdrianGostick.com andlt;Bandgt;Chester Eltonandlt;/Bandgt; is coauthor of andlt;iandgt;The Carrot Principleandlt;/iandgt; and andlt;iandgt;The Orange Revolutionandlt;/iandgt;, a popular lecturer, and an influential voice in global workplace trends. He is a founder of The Culture Works and advises the leadership teams of numerous Fortune 500 firms on cultural issues. Learn more at TheCultureWorks.com or ChesterElton.com.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements viiIntroduction ix
1. Entrepreneurial Conversations 1
2. Conversation Management 23
3. Conversations with Customers 43
4. Conversations with Family 67
5. Conversations about Technology 85
6. Learning from Conversation Leaders 103
7. Global Conversations 119
8. Conversations with Community 127
9. Conversation as Currency 143
10. Talking Your Way Out of Trouble 159
Epilogue 173
Appendix 175
Index 181