Steven D. Goldstein - Why Are There Snowblowers in Miami?: Transform Your Business Using the Five Principles of Engagement

PRAISE FOR WHY ARE THERE SNOWBLOWERS IN MIAMI?

Straight-forward and transformative at the same time, Goldsteins book offers brilliant new strategies to resolve even the most entrenched and complex problems. Following his wise advice will enable your workforce to be able to focus more closely on the business at handresulting in a nimble, forward-thinking, and successful organization!

Marshall Goldsmith, winner of Thinkers50 Leadership Award 2015 and New York Times best-selling author of What Got You Here Wont Get You There and Triggers

We live in an increasingly complex and changing world; yesterdays formulas for attaining success simply no longer apply. Steve Goldsteins Five Principles take us out of our comfortable routines providing us with the courage to act anew and a straight-forward wisdom that will lead to meaningful rewards.

Peter Georgescu, Chairman Emeritus, Young & Rubicam

Steve is one of those leaders who can operate equally well in large and small companies, from American Express to Silicon Valley startups. Not only is he equally adept at operating up and down the scale of businesses, hes also great at both strategy AND implementation, a very rare combination. This book is the distillation of a long, successful business career and is a must-read for any leader who understands that engagement is essential for successful results. Every leader will find that Steves Five Principles of Engagement break it down in a way that they can easily see what they need to do.

Allen Morgan, director of Idealab; former partner, Mayfield Fund; former partner, Wilson Sonsini; start-up Sherpa

Why Are There Snowblowers in Miami? offers a treasure trove of leadership insight. Discover why you should question everything, break the meeting habit, and recognize that the best suggestions often dont come from inside the C-Suite but from the window washers on the other side of the glass. Steve Goldstein is a natural storyteller with a lifetime of experience and wisdom to boot.

Ron Friedman, PhD, author of The Best Place to Work: The Art and Science of Creating an Extraordinary Workplace

I loved Why Are There Snowblowers in Miami? from the first time I heard about it, especially since I often encounter dysfunctional companies. Steves vast corporate and entrepreneurial experience serves the reader well by avoiding consultant jargon, buzzwords, and complex theories and instead offers a straightforward, accessible, and hands-on approach to managing people, customers, and business operations that everyone in business can relate to and learn from. His often amusing and always instructive stories are a bonus! Enjoy!

David Nour, growth strategist and best-selling author of Relationship Economics

Having known and worked with Steve for more than twenty-five years, I have seen first-hand the powerful effects from applying the principles laid out in this book. Steve is a wonderful storyteller with a gift for engagement with others and the challenges at hand. And, his stories are the best possible kind: funny and wise.

Douglas K. Smith, author of The Wisdom of Teams

Steves book pulls you in right from the very beginning with a hilarious (but unfortunately not uncommon) story of corporate dysfunction. He then goes on to describe and illustrate Five Principles of Engagement that will guide executives, middle managers, and leaders of all stripes in successfully running their organization. Through engagement with their employees, customers, and even themselves, leaders will find a goldmine of insightful and practical advice in this book.

James M. Kerr, management consultant, INC columnist, and author of The Executive Checklist: A Guide to Setting Direction and Managing Change

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher and author are not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Published by Greenleaf Book Group Press

Austin, Texas

www.gbgpress.com

Copyright 2016 Steven Goldstein

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the copyright holder.

Distributed by Greenleaf Book Group

For ordering information or special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Greenleaf Book Group at PO Box 91869, Austin, TX 78709, 512.891.6100.

Design and composition by Greenleaf Book Group and Sheila Parr
Cover design by Greenleaf Book Group and Sheila Parr

Cataloging-in-Publication data is available.

Print ISBN: 978-1-62634-323-8

eBook ISBN: 978-1-62634-324-5

Part of the Tree Neutral program, which offsets the number of trees consumed in the production and printing of this book by taking proactive steps, such as planting trees in direct proportion to the number of trees used: www.treeneutral.com

Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper

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First Edition

To my wife Varda, who has been my partner and wingman every step of the way on this journey, and to Lauren and Billy who make me so proud. Thank you.

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

For a number of years, I felt there was a book inside me, perhaps way deep down. As with many things, the hardest part is getting started. To those of you who encouraged, cajoled, and pushed me to go forward with this project, I am truly grateful and appreciative of your confidence in me.

I will also be eternally grateful to the first boss I had after I received my MBA degree, Hank Walsh at Burroughs Corp., who showed me that you should behave exactly the same way whether you are with the chairman of the board or the janitor. It was an invaluable lesson.

I would like to thank all the leaders I interviewed for this book: Craig Dinsell, Andy Florance, Don Gogel, Tom Hale, Claes Landberg, Rick McVey, Denis Picard, John Wilton, and Eli Zabar; their stories and experiences truly demonstrate the range and scope of engagement in action.

Finally, I would like to thank Jeanne Martinet, who helped me write this book. I could not have done it without her.

INTRODUCTION

They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. But what if you dont even notice the result?

From 1996 to 1998, I was president of the credit card business for Sears, which at the time was the largest retail credit card in the United States. The company was headquartered in Chicago, but I spent much of my time traveling around the country visiting our many operating centers. Occasionally I would give speeches at industry gatherings. One very cold January, I was lucky enough to be speaking at a conference in Miamiwhich at 85 degrees was definitely more comfortable than the 10-degree temperature back in Chicago. In fact, a major blizzard was starting to blast the Midwest.

Because Sears Credit was used for more than half the purchases made in the stores, I always made a point to visit the local Sears store wherever I happened to be. I used these visits to speak with salespeople on the floorto understand what was going on in the business and with our customers and to find out what my group could be doing better to support them and build sales.