Ressler Cali - Why Managing Sucks and How to Fix It : a Results-Only Guide to Taking Control of Work, Not People

Contents

Cover design: Paul McCarthy

Copyright Thompson and Ressler, LLC, 2013. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Published simultaneously in Canada.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data :

Ressler, Cali.

Why Managing Sucks and How to Fix It: A Results-Only Guide to Taking Control of Work, Not People/Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson.

ISBN: 978-1-118-42636-4 (cloth); ISBN: 978-1-118-55934-5 (ebk); ISBN: 978-1-118-55928-4 (ebk); ISBN: 978-1-118-55924-6 (ebk)

1. Personnel management. 2. Quality of work life. I. Thompson, Jody. II. Title.

HF5549

658.3dc23

2012044789

To adults in the workplace who want to be treated as such

Acknowledgments

A lot has happened since we set out to change the broken system called work back in 2003. Each day, more and more organizations are joining the revolution, reinventing their work culturesreally going beyond telework to create an environment where people can truly thrive. A place where work is no longer a four-letter word. A place where managed flexibility around 95 office hours is so last century. A place where everyone is accountable to the work and is intrinsically motivated to succeed. A place that we were told time and time again couldnt really existutopia?and weve proved does exist.

So to the people in organizations (some mentioned in this book) who have courageously worked with us to ignite their workplaces, you are the leaders of the future of work; its not easy to be the first to buck the system, but it does put you in a unique position to change the lives of many people to come and sets you on a trajectory that puts you ahead of the productivity and innovation curve.

To Adrianna Johnson, Christine Moore, and the rest of the team at John Wiley & Sons, Inc.thank you. Your encouragement and gentle nudging along the way helped us shape the second phase of our journey into an actionable tool for managers. Were proud of what weve accomplished together.

And to our team at CultureRx: every day we are thankful for you. You continue to be energized by making it part of your own personal mission to make sure that work doesnt suck for people. You get up every day and dedicate yourselves to making global change happen one person at a time.

To Trystan, Jackson, Keaton, and McKennamy kids who keep me going on this journey because I want them to love not only what they do when they grow up but be in control of how they do it. Every day, I am more and more proud of you. Yes, Mom is a real authorand someday youll read this book and think, Oh, this is what she was writing!

To my husband, Marty, my perfect match. You and mealways and forever.

To my parents, Jose and Heidi Gaibor, who support me in everything I do. Time to enjoy life even more now that youre nearing retirement, Pops, and time will really be your own. Crazy that the father of the cocreator of ROWE had to endure decades at an organization that focused on time, hours, and everything that didnt matterdefinitely provided me with even more sense of purpose to carry on. Congratulations on the traction youre making in opening some minds little by little, day by day. Sit back, relax, and grab a Corona. You deserve it!

To my grandfather, Bob Hoeppner, who knew that teaching me to never give up as a young girl would be an important lesson that would carry me far in life.

To my brother, Jesse Gaibor. As far as siblings go, you really are the best, and I appreciate your advice as I continue on this journey. Wouldnt trade you or Tara for anything.

To my in-lawsAdam, Joyce, Mandy, Emeric, Monty, and Nataliethank you for your support in everything I take on. Enjoy this second book!

To friends who are there to listen, laugh, and enjoy life as it unfolds. I appreciate every one of you and your encouragement of my adventures. I look forward to many, many more years of good times.

To my sons, Colin and Elliot. Every day I wake up and am simply amazed that I get to claim to be your mom! I am so proud of what youre accomplishing in your lives. There will always be roadblocks and frustrations along the way, but what you do does make a difference. And who you are is more than I could have ever hoped for.

To my parents, George and Beverly Hartzell. You may not always understand why I do the things I do, or where I get some of my crazy ideas, but youre always there to cheer me on. Thank you for your love and supportand most importantly, for believing in me.

And to my fianc, Mike Huba. Ive been swept off my feet by your enthusiasm for life! Thank you for showing me through actions, not just words, that a truly loving relationship is possible, that being myself is exactly what I should be.

To Alex Huba. Your dedication to serving our country and defending freedom is remarkable. You are truly a blessing in my life.

And to my dear friend Pia-Kim Genung. Without your support over the past couple of years, I would have taken up residence in the loony bin. Thank you for always being there to listen, give me new perspectives, and share a great bottle of wine.

Introduction

Back in 2003, my business partner, Cali Ressler, and I were employees in the human resources (HR) department at Best Buy, Co., Inc., where we got the crazy idea that organizations could trust their people to do their work and live their lives without having to intervene or manage them. We believed that giving people what they really wanted complete autonomy to manage all of the demands in their livescould actually be successful. Businesses would prosper. People would be happier. And, we had faithfaith that people would not only want to but would do the right thing. ROWEResults-Only Work Environmentwas born out of this faith.