How to Keep Employees in Buckingham and Coffman’s First Break All the Rules

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First Break All the Rules

What does it take to keep talented employees in your company? This valid question is not one that begs a fast, ready, and consistent answer. As a supervisor myself, it is one I have pondered often as I strive to keep and develop the best staff. Effective leadership involves not only the active and reflective supervision of your staff, but also modeling, openness, and a genuine appreciation for the work that your employees put in and the potential they have to grow within and contribute to the organization as a whole.

Buckingham and Coffman’s First Break All the Rules (1999) chronicles the research conducted by the Gallop Company to determine what the best managers do and how this impacts employee retention. The questions and scenarios presented in the novel are a basis for implementing strengths based leadership practices in an organization. They show that being effective is not a simple equation, but rather, involves a way of being and a reciprocal supervisor—employee relationship.

Buckingham and Coffman (1999) suggest that the successful work environment is judged on a measuring stick composed of 12 questions: (1) Do I know what is expected of me at work? (2) Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right? (3) At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day? (4) In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work? (5) Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person? (6) Is there someone at work who encourages my development? (7) At work, do my opinions count? (8) Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel my job is important? (9) Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work? (10) Do I have a be...

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...he company which suggests that if you examine managerial styles and work to improve employee satisfaction there will be a correlational increase in productivity and retention. It suggests that perhaps people leave companies not because they are unsatisfied with their work or pay, but rather, because they are unsatisfied with their manager. While this idea might seem brash, it is a significant point being made that suggests that in order to see improvement you need to revamp a program or company from the top. Having worked as both an entry level worker and a managerial supervisor, I can testify to the importance of manager support, appreciation, and feedback and how this impacts your role in the company. Seeking out the strengths in employees, though it seems so obvious in theory, is a revolutionary way to transform the work environment and employee morale.

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