Bury My Heart at Conference Room B
The Unbeatable Impact of Truly Committed Managers
By: Stan Slap
Published: August 12, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 272 pages
ISBN-10: 1591843243
ISBN-13: 978-1591843245
Publisher: Portfolio/Penguin
"A manager's emotional commitment is the ultimate trigger for their discretionary effort, worth more than financial, intellectual and physical commitment combined", writes consultant and performance specialist Stan Slap in his brilliant and landmark book Bury My Heart at Conference Room B: The Unbeatable Impact of Truly Committed Managers. The author demonstrates how much of management theory is of little value, in achieving the full commitment of managers to a company, unless the company works for the manager as well.
Stan Slap moves beyond the usual idea that having a rewarding job is sufficient for managerial success. The author takes personal and career fulfillment to another level. He achieves this transcendence by speaking to the manager directly. Instead of writing the usual how to management book, Stan Slap recognizes that there is untapped potential within every manager, and that without full reciprocal commitment from the organization, that complete managerial commitment will also be missing. Of course, engaging the massive power of emotional commitment on the part of managers is usually overlooked by companies, despite its value to building a more productive and profitable organization. Peak performing managers are the backbone of any organization, and any company that increases the number and output of their top performers has an unmatched competitive advantage in the marketplace.
Stan Slap (photo left) understands that managers who are engaged and fully committed to the organization are not the average executive. At the same time, the author points out that companies who redefine managerial success will be the winners in the market place. The examples of businesses and leaders profiled in the book are those who are tough competitors, and who share a desire to change the world. Most companies and managers share a mutual misunderstanding of their respective roles and desires. Companies who want high achieving managers all too often create roadblocks that prevent managers from becoming fully committed and reaching their full potential. Managers who want the most out of their jobs also stop themselves from achieving that overall job satisfaction as well. This cross purposes behavior robs both the manager and the organization of the very best performance and results possible, leaving the company and the managers frustrated and unfulfilled. To that end, this book is a manifesto to reinvent life work balance, by helping managers achieve greatness at work, as well as a value filled life at home.
For me, the power of the book is how Stan Slap takes the leap into mainly uncharted management territory that most business people are afraid to make with their managers. The author provides examples of managers and companies who have made the step into aligning the values and goals of the managers with those of the company itself. Instead of the goals being in direct opposition, the synchronization of aspirations benefits the employees and the business. The problem for non-aligning companies is managers are expected to dispense with what makes them human, and become a different person at work. That forced duality is draining and eventually soul destroying for the manager. It is also counterproductive for the organization, and is not sustainable as the best people will simply leave their jobs and go elsewhere. The book contains important interviews with managers expressing their deep desire to feel connected with their jobs and with the company. Instead, the organization places obstacles in the way of engagement, forcing near alienation on the part of managers. This is not healthy for the employees, and destructive for the company itself.
I highly recommend the seminal and must read book Bury My Heart at Conference Room B: The Unbeatable Impact of Truly Committed Managers by Stan Slap, to any organizational leader who is serious about re-engaging the company managers and reaffirming their commitment to the company. When the business goals and the human aspirations are working in the same direction, this harmonious relationship helps everyone to succeed as never before.
Read the important and insightful book Bury My Heart at Conference Room B: The Unbeatable Impact of Truly Committed Managers by Stan Slap, and begin the transformation from a traditional organizational model, to one of two way commitment between leaders and managers. The managers and the company will benefit in ways never before imagined, while achieving personal fulfillment and enhanced company profitability.
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