The Leadership Solution

Book description

Everyone communicates, problem is, most don't have the necessary skills to communicate effectively. The Leadership Solution offers six steps for developing better leadership communication skills to improve performance. Using lively anecdotes and real-world examples, Jim Shaffer provides firsthand accounts of how Towers Perrin has helped dozens of Fortune 500 companies to fully engage their employees, and consistently keep the company's strategies and goals in mind.

Far from a gimmick or method du jour, The Leadership Solution is a complete program designed to focus employees on achieving valuable, measurable business results. It features:

  • Twenty ways to connect people to strategy now.
  • Three communication sources that most influence action.
  • Nine guidelines for negotiating through a merger or acquisition.

Table of contents

  1. Praise for the leadership solution
  2. Copyright
  3. dedication
  4. Preface
    1. Who Is This Book For?
    2. Why Read It?
    3. What Will I Get Out of It?
    4. How Should I Read It?
    5. Where Did the Ideas Come From?
    6. Why Did I Write It?
  5. Introduction
  6. Acknowledgments
  7. The Payoff
    1. When the Dots Connect
      1. Part One: Lessons Learned
  8. Ground School: The Six Steps to Connecting People to Strategy
    1. Managing Decision Moments
      1. Involvement
      2. Information Sharing
      3. Rewards and Recognition
    2. Guiding by Best Principles
      1. They Value People
      2. The CEO Is the Communication Champion
      3. Communication Is Managed as a Business Process
    3. Leadership: Making the Weather
      1. Taking the Lead
      2. Using Your Time
      3. Communicating by Listening
      4. Signaling What's Important Through Rewards and Recognition
      5. Using the Power of Symbolism
    4. Systems Speak
      1. Structure
      2. Measurement and Rewards
      3. Policies and Procedures
      4. Resource Allocation
      5. Working Environment
    5. The Power of Huddles and Channels
      1. Monday: Department Huddle
      2. Tuesday: Business Unit Huddle
      3. Wednesday: Corporate, or Main Huddle
      4. Thursday: Posthuddles
    6. Linking People to Strategy
      1. Vision and Strategy
      2. Linkage
      3. Support
      4. Part Two: Lessons Learned
  9. The Communication System
    1. Say and Do – A Sailing Metaphor
    2. Tell Me the Story
    3. Stories Start with Leaders
      1. Leadership Selection, Development, and Accountability
      2. Goal Clarity
      3. Communication Policy or Guidelines
      4. Create a Focused Message or Story
      5. Do It
    4. Find the Flaw
      1. The Engagement Index
      2. Say-Do Assessment
      3. Performance Barrier Assessment
      4. Content Assessment
      5. Normative data
    5. Benchmarking and Best Practices
      1. The Correct Way to Benchmark
      2. Part Three: Lessons Learned
  10. Connecting the Dots
    1. The Furniture Company
    2. The Oil Company
    3. Earthshaking Events
      1. Part Four: Lessons Learned
  11. Starting Over
    1. Starting Over
    2. Are You Willing?
    3. Twenty Things You Can Do Now
      1. Part Five: Lessons Learned
  12. The Communication Function
    1. Organizational Communication: A Vision
      1. Assume Strategic and Operational Relevance
      2. Manage Communication for Value
      3. Counseling and Business Partnering
      4. Foster Integration and Create Alliances
    2. Reinventing the Communication
      1. Step 1
      2. Step 2
      3. Step 3: Planning and Implementing the Reinvented Function
      4. Part Six: Lessons Learned
    3. Epilogue
  13. About the Author

Product information

  • Title: The Leadership Solution
  • Author(s): Jim Shaffer
  • Release date: May 2000
  • Publisher(s): McGraw-Hill
  • ISBN: 9780071376693