Table of Contents
In these uncertain times, its important to have clear, specific strategies on how to manage your business. John and Ken have created a no-nonsense guide that will help you achieve results immediately. I especially liked their guidance on goal setting, coaching and empowerment.
Kathy Parks, corporate sales manager, FedEx
John and Ken cut through all the noise and confusion that exist in the business world. The process outlined in this book is clear and concise and will drive measurable results. The hardest thing for a manager to do is to get a team of individuals moving in the same direction, and this is the playbook to make that happen.
Scott Dahlquist, VP, Major International Forest Products Company
If you want to develop a high-performance team, this would be the first book I would recommend.
Tim Riley, founder, Door to Door Storage
John Cioffi and Ken Willig gave us valuable direction on running our business. I am glad to see they have a book that condenses their precious lore into a form that one can open up and dig into.
Royal Robbins, founder, Royal Robbins, Inc.
The management principles and techniques described in this book, and taught to us by Ken Willig, were the main reasons that the new owners felt empowered and knowledgeable to lead the company forward, and the company continues to prosper and be of value to its clients and its new owners to this day.
Johan H. Jansen, founder, Jansen Combustion and Boiler Technologies, Inc.
If I had to choose the one thing that made the difference between what made our company become a national leader in our industry or a just statistic, it would be Willig and Cioffis coaching on how to manage for success.6 Habits of Highly Effective Managersdescribes a way of life for any business. John and Ken have hit a home run with this book. For those striving to be the best of the best, personally and professionally, this is your bible.
John Hennessy, CEO and president, Nuprecon, Inc.
This is a very practical guide for leaders of all organizations who want to be better at executing. The authors have a unique ability to convey coaching ideas using anecdotes and real business stories.
Tim Leybold, CFO, ICO Global Ltd
In todays turbulent economy, managers need a concise vision and strategy in order to be successful. Ken and John have detailed valuable directions to obtain that vision and strategy. Their book is a must read for anyone who is serious about managing people.
W.R. Nath, president and CEO, HOC Industries, Inc.
John and Ken have set forth the managerial tenets that will powerfully enable any company to compete. Setting the right vision, connecting to the right customers, empowering the right employees under constant and consistent management will yield the right results.
Jonathan C. Crane, former chief strategy officer and executive VP, MCI, Inc.
By putting strategic planning in the context of process management driven by constant feedback, they help us free up hundreds of hours of writing plans that sit on the shelf. This is a must read for CEOs and managers who want to become CEOs.
Merrill J. Oster, founder, Oster Communications and Pinnacle Forum America
We have used the important information presented in6 Habitsin our non-profit organization, and its a major reason why we have been so successful in growing and increasing our impact.
Dann Mead Smith, president, Washington Policy Center
John and Ken have organized what all business execs need to know. I get weary with theory. So this hands-on, practical, to-the-point style of writing by those who have been successful in managing for results will get lots of attention.
Robert C. Andringa, PhD, managing partner, The Andringa Group
If your goal is to do the right things in your company to be successful then start now by reading6 Habits of Highly Successful Managers. Today, more than ever before, managers must be focused on setting the right goals for their companies and employees, and you simply cannot run a successful business without the information in this book.
Bill Williams Jr., founder/chairman, Telect, Inc.
6 Habits of Highly Successful Managers is a breath of fresh air giving us a new way of structuring for success. This is a must-read for the president of every company and for everyone who calls themselves a manager.
Roger Roberson, former chairman and CEO, Roberson Transportation, Inc.
6 Habits of Highly Successful Managersis critical reading for business leaders in todays economic environment. It will help you develop quality leadership techniques, provides insights that many other business books dont....
Steven D Whiteman, Chairman of the Board, Unify Corporation
Dedication
To our clients: We are forever grateful to all of our clients for your trust and confidence. You allow us to speak candidly, encouragingly, and, at times, critically. We love our role as coaches, and we treasure the opportunities you have given us to participate in your successes.
Our association with you has always resulted in measurable changes to your company as well as to us, and in some cases we have forged fabulous friendships which we treasure greatly. Youve taught us much of what we know about how to create successful businesses, and we learned something valuable from each of you. Thank you!
Acknowledgments
First, we are forever grateful to all our clients for teaching us much of what we know about how to create successful businesses. We love our role as coaches, and we treasure the opportunities you have given us to participate in your successes. Weve learned something valuable from each of you.
Many of our friends, colleagues, and family members provided us with advice and critique early in the development of this book as well as during its production. We are enormously grateful to all of you.
Helping us to put this book in your hands were Ellen Neuborne, who assisted us in navigating the publishing industry, and Cynthia Zigmund, our wonderful literary agent, who provided us with startlingly good advice and critique and found the right publisher for us at Career Press.
Finally, though certainly not least, we are thankful to our wives for their patience and understanding. They believed in us and in our goal of bringing our ideas to the printed page and thus to a broader audience.
Introduction
In todays business world, information is generated in massive volumes and transmitted at lightning speed. Owners and managers are inundated with a mighty river of opinions, data, and ideas on achieving success and avoiding failures. What are owners and managers to do? What advice should they take, or ignore?
Because of the sheer volume of information and the many variations of similar-sounding advice, owners and managers may conclude that its just easier to ignore it all. Or perhaps they listen to a friend who recommends this notion or that one.
Weve looked at many successful companies and read countless stories of successful and unsuccessful companies across decades of varying economic conditions. Weve concluded that there are some key and basic activities that managers can undertake to improve greatly their chances of success. These activities are basic building blocks. They are neither faddish nor outdated, but enduring in their effectiveness.
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