The Truth About Getting the Best From People

The Truth about Getting the Best from People by Martha I. Finney is an outstanding book for all leaders who want to excel in managing a diverse workforce in a dynamic world. The book is full of insights, knowledge, and wisdom that are perfect for all managers and companies who are having challenges engaging and retaining their most valuable asset--their people. In an effort to help, the book contains 49 truths to help us lead successfully. Here are four of my favorites “truths” found in the book.

Truth #2 in the book is “You get the best by giving the best.” This truth addresses the fact that managers have to give their best each day to their employees and model the high level of effort and professionalism they expect. Thus, whether we are having an excellent day or a horrific day, as a manager, there is never an excuse to be disrespectful or rude to our employees. Likewise, managers and companies need to ask employees how they are doing in terms of serving them so that they can improve. Showing a true desire to motivate, inspire, serve, and help employees will produce a tremendous amount of commitment, dedication, and engagement among the team. And the good news is companies with the highest level of engaged employees have proved to have consistent growth and profitability. Thus if we give our best by serving our employees, they will give their best in return.

Truth #8 is “Think you’re a great leader? Think again.” This truth speaks to the fact many managers assume they are good leaders without asking their people. Studies have proven there is a large disconnect between managers who feel they are doing a good job and employees who feel their managers are doing a good job. Thus, good leaders must frequently assess their leadership abilities to determine what changes they need to make to be a better leader. Additionally, managers should not be afraid to ask their employees how they are performing and how they can improve. This level of trust and communication builds confidence in a leader. This is critical for managers; as statics show most employees leave a job due to dissatisfaction with their supervisor. Successful leaders do everything they can to give their employees a reason to stay.

Truth #35 is “Extreme pressure kills inspired performance.” Faster, better, cheaper is the demand of our world, but to get there we must provide an environment that is conducive to success. Indeed studies have found that too much pressure kills creativity, and it results in a lack of mental clarity, exhaustion, and disengagement. Thus leaders must take careful steps in creating the best atmosphere for employees to achieve their best results.

Truth #43 is “Engaged employees need to know more.” Communication, communication, and more communication is the key. Engaged employees want and deserve to know what is going on in the company. Leaders must not only be willing but should also be actively trying to give employees all the company information that is fit to share. Engaged employees feel they are an important part of the company, and they are! Thus sharing information allows employees to work better, smarter, and faster and helps them to feel important and part of the team.

These are only a few examples of the excellent 49 proven leadership truths that are found in this book. I believe every business professional will benefit from reading this book.

See how I ranked this book