First Break All The Rules Co-authored by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman

First, Break All the Rules – Book Review

Introduction

First, Break all the Rules, a true in-depth study, utilized an enormous amount of data to uncover the 12 needs of the most talented employees. In this book co-authored by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, the first research study conducted asked the question, ‘What do the most talented employees need from their workplace?’ The key breakthrough to answer this question was that talented employees need great managers. Using interviews of one million employees, Gallup Inc., an American research-based consulting company, came up with a dozen questions to determine if these needs are being met (Buckingham and Coffman 11).

The second research study inquired, ‘How do the greatest managers find, focus, and keep talented employees?’ In order to answer this question, Gallup went to over 80,000 managers and conducted one-and-a-half-hour interviews, as well as pouring over various company performance measures (Buckingham and Coffman 12). Through this daunting process, the general conclusion as to why certain managers have been more successful than others is that they work differently than the ways that most people would treat their employees. In this book, there are four keys presented that offer insight into the manager’s effort to turn the talent of an employee into long-term performance.

The Measuring Stick

Buckingham and Coffman begin the first chapter with the story of a British admiral who lost nearly a whole fleet in 1707 (21). The admiral misjudged his location in the Atlantic Ocean and his flagship smashed into the rocks of the Scilly Isles. Due to the dense fog, the rest of the fleet followed right behind and went aground, piling onto the rocks (Buckingham and Coffman 2...

... middle of paper ...

...h

After reading First, Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, I was very impressed and thought that it was an excellent read due not only to its readability but also its comprehensiveness. Looking at the list of books regarding management/leadership that the class could choose from, this one jumped out to me mainly due to the title. After researching the ratings given for everyone of the books, I decided to place this one at the top of my list due to the overwhelming positive feedback that I had read.

Works Cited

Buckingham, Marcus, and Curt Coffman. First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently. New York, NY.: Simon & Schuster, 1999. Print.

Ring, Dan. "Amazon.com." First, Break All the Rules: Book Review. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. .