Synopses & Reviews
Praise for Contented Cows STILL Give Better Milk"Very few business authors take time to do the research on who's getting it right, and then distill the learning into executable, high protein advice. Catlette and Hadden do that, and then kick it up a notch by making it as fun as it is informative—in a business book!"
—ANN RHOADES, PRES (Person Responsible for Extraordinary Service), People Ink, and author of Built on Values
"Catlette and Hadden have nailed what Southwest knew from the beginning—that if you treat your people right and focus on your customers, they'll both help you build a business that blows right past the competition."
—HOWARD PUTNAM, former CEO, Southwest Airlines, and author of The Winds of Turbulence
"Bill and Richard build the business case for doing right by your employees. Faster growth, better stock returns, higher market caps—all the result of caring for employees and regularly communicating their valuable role in achieving organization success."
—DEREK IRVINE, VP, Strategy and Consulting, Globoforce, and coauthor of Winning with a Culture of Recognition
"In the Post-Derivative Crash era, when companies' 'economic tradeoffs' and 'latest HR idea' consultants are fracturing the employee relationship and trust, Bill and Richard deliver a timely second dose of their enduring road map of what actually works to keep employees engaged and your organization moving forward."
—SCOTT D. WILSON, Director, Sales Operations, Medtronic, Spinal and Biologics Division
"Bravo! Catlette and Hadden have once again brilliantly articulated why having a workforce hitting on all cylinders creates the best business engine for today's competitive landscape."
—STEVE GILMORE, CEO, Reach Human Capital, A Career Partners International firm
Synopsis
How to foster happier employees for a healthier bottom lineManagers could learn a lot from a message echoed by generations of dairy farmers: "Contented cows give better milk." This book is not, repeat, not a management tome. In this fully revised and expanded edition to a book which absolutely, positively makes the case that treating people right is one of the best things any business can do for its bottom line, Contented Cows Still Give Better Milk offers sound, practical advice for those who know that their reputation as an employer is as important as bandwidth.
- Offers updated case studies and new examples from on-site research in a number of real organizations, as well as inspiring examples of companies that know how to do it right . . . and few that didn't
- Fad-free prescriptive advice informed by the authors' combined four-plus decades of training and consulting with thousands of managers and employees, conducting employee engagement surveys, and translating the attendant learning to management audiences in a form they can appreciate and use
- Coauthor Bill Catlette's Bottom Line Leadership Seminar has helped thousands of managers become more effective leaders
Direct from the horse's . . . actually cow's mouth, this fully revised and expanded second edition will teach readers that having a focused, engaged, and capably led workforce is one of the best things any organization can do for its bottom line.
Synopsis
It's no coincidence that the same companies show up every year at the top of esteemed publications' rankings for "Most Admired," "Most Innovative," "Fastest Growing," and "Highest Shareholder Return." One thing that many of the persistent winners share in common is a host of leadership habits that make these organizations great places to work, proving that managers can learn a lot from the dairy farmer's rule of thumb: "Contented cows give better milk."
In this revised and expanded edition of a book that absolutely, positively makes the case that treating people right is one of the best things any business can do for its bottom line, Contented Cows STILL Give Better Milk offers sound, practical advice for improving business outcomes through a focused, engaged, capably led workforce. It offers updated case studies and inspiring examples from real organizations that make employee engagement a vital part of their business strategy. Takeaways include:
- How (and why) to communicate, through word and deed, exactly what your company is all about
- How to hire and retain people with the capacity to be happy, productive, and successful at your organization
- Ways to keep those employees committed to the mission and prevent distractions that sap their energy and enthusiasm
- Why perks, benefits, and amenities don't tell the whole story of what makes a great workplace
- Why high expectations beget high performance, and much more
Direct from the horse's, er, cow's mouth, Contented Cows will give you the tools and wisdom you need to foster a fully engaged workforce that helps your company outgrow, outearn, and outperform the competition.
About the Author
BILL CATLETTE is a thought leader in the arena of leadership and employee engagement who has spent his entire career helping build highly successful organizations. Coauthor of
Rebooting Leadership and the
Contented Cows leadership book series, he coaches and advises managers worldwide on leadership and employment matters.
RICHARD HADDEN is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) with a focus on leadership and employee engagement. He is coauthor of Rebooting Leadership and the Contented Cows leadership book series. Since 1990, Richard has addressed more than 800 audiences on five continents, making the business case for having a focused, engaged, and capably led workforce.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xi
PART I The Premise 1
CHAPTER 1 Just the Facts 3
CHAPTER 2 Cows with Attitude 21
PART II Contented Cows Are Committed 41
CHAPTER 3 The “Vision Thing”: Passengers or Crew 43
CHAPTER 4 The Path to Commitment 53
PART III Contented Cows Are Cared About 63
CHAPTER 5 First You Feed the Troops 65
CHAPTER 6 Tell ’Em the Truth 85
CHAPTER 7 When Times Get Tough 95
CHAPTER 8 Contented Cows Are Connected 115
CHAPTER 9 A Case for Some Useful Benefi ts 129
PART IV Contented Cows Are Enabled 147
CHAPTER 10 Empower This! 149
CHAPTER 11 Enabled Employees Are Incredibly Well Trained 157
CHAPTER 12 Enabled Employees Are Tooled 169
CHAPTER 13 Enabled Employees Are Trusted 181
CHAPTER 14 When the Contented Cows Come Home (Speculations on the Near Future) 189
Notes 195
Index 199