Biz Books reviews: Hit the Ground Running and How to Wow:
“Hit The Ground Running – A Manual for New Leaders”
by Jason Jennings, Portfolio, $25.95.
Whether you’ve reached the top or are climbing the rungs, the search for “What now?” and “What’s next?” answers remains constant. Through interviews with 10 top-performing CEOs, Jennings distilled 10 rules for finding answers and delivering results for shareholders, employees, customers, suppliers and the community. He immediately sets the tone with 20 multiple-choice questions that make you think about how you work and how you do business. While you might initially debate his choice of the right answers, you won’t after you’ve read the book.
Each chapter focuses on a rule and uses a CEO’s input to drive the point home. Here are two of the 10: Rule 1 – Don’t deceive yourself; you will reap what you sow. Tim and Richard Smucker, co-CEOs of The J.M. Smucker Company provide the advice. Since its start in 1897, it hasn’t changed its “Golden Rule” principles. “Doing unto others as you would have them do unto you” led the company’s brands (which include Smuckers, Knott’s Berry Farm, Pillsbury, Jif, Crisco and Folgers) to leading positions in eight food categories.
Richard Smucker states: “We take the long-term perspective in everything. We might change tactics. But we won’t change our ethics.” Tim Smucker weighs in: “It begins with the people we hire. We look for attitude before aptitude and character before credentials.” So what do you do when find out the highly-touted superstar you just interviewed has different values than yours? Keep looking.
Rule 7 – Simplify everything. Mohawk Industries CEO, Jeff Lorberbaum, believes that keeping things simple keeps costs in line and employees and customers happy. You won’t find him using buzzwords or speaking MBA. Lorberbaum observes: “Most people get confused with complexities. They are weighed down by things that won’t let them move forward. What I try to do is start out with a clean sheet of paper. It forces you to think things through and lets you be more adaptive.” His advice to new leaders and those who want to lead: “Keep an open mind.”
My takeaway from the 10 rules: When you hit the ground running, prepare for a marathon, not a sprint.
“How to Wow”
by Frances Cole Jones, Ballentine Books, $15.
Giving presentations, negotiating deals, selling an idea and doing lunch with a customer have a common denominator: Communicating. When it comes to choosing what to say, more isn’t better; better is better. Better is easily understood. Forget the buzzwords, acronyms and adjectives. Direct, uncluttered conversation keeps people engaged. Direct doesn’t mean tactless. Jones advocates “I Before You” when you are delivering negative comments and feedback. Why? As soon as you say: “You didn’t…”, the receiver’s shield goes up and the ability to continue the conversation goes down.
Better also places limits on how many point you can make and still get them across. Three is the max. It takes time for others to digest what you’re saying because they’re thinking about what they’re being asked to do. When you provide too much information, even when concisely presented, it muddies your message.
Jones also knows the value of listening. It requires effort. Think about a time when you were trying to make your point. You made a statement and the receiver responded. Did you listen to what he/she said, or were you simply counting the seconds until it was your turn? Or did you interrupt because you just couldn’t wait your turn? Either way, you weren’t paying attention and the receiver knows it. Once that happens, you’ll be tuned out, too.
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