Tom Salonek - The 100: Building Blocks for Business Leadership

Praise for The 100

Practical nuggets of advicefrom hiring slow to motivating high performerswith quick takeaways in downloadable form. You can also quickly access meaningful templates and guides to help implement these ideas.

Tom Goodmanson, president and CEO, Calabrio, Inc.

Well-researched and insightful, The 100 is a practical guide for personal and professional success. It is a must-read for anyone looking to build and grow their business.

Stephen Yoch, attorney, speaker, and author of Becoming George Washington

Quickly brings together the most important points of running a successful business. I will keep The 100 close by for reference, inspiration, and affirmation on a daily basis.

Steve De Vries, president and CEO, Showcore

Artfully captures Saloneks decades of leadership achievements and details repeatable steps that we all can take to improve our business results. Read the book, learn the secrets, and enjoy the fruits of winning in the marketplace.

Steve Schmidt, president, AbeTech Bar Code & RFID Solutions

Clear, digestible, readily implementable action items with practical tips, specific recommendations, and supporting tools. Its a must-read for both seasoned and aspiring executives.

Paula S. Weber, PhD, professor of management, St. Cloud State University

Copyright 2016 by Tom Salonek

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without express written permission from the publisher.

The 100

ISBN 13: 978-1-57284-774-3

First printing: March, 2016

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

16 17 18 19 20

B2 is an imprint of Agate Publishing. Agate books are available in bulk at discount prices.

agatepublishing.com

To my dad Theodore, who taught me more about working with people than all the books Ive ever read.

To my mom Jean, who encouraged me to go to college, which changed my lifes course forever.

To my wife Linda, who has supported me for more than two decades. Im lucky to have you at my side.

To my kids Theodore and Elizabeth, who are my joy... except when youre naughty and are on timeout... then, youre sort of a pain.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1: LIVING YOUR BEST LIFE

Knowing What Happy People Know

Understanding How Values Propel Us Forward

Creating a Road Map to Reality

Envisioning Your Future

Doing Less Equals Living More

Finding Balance Between Giving and Taking

Using Tools to Make Life Easier

Making Email Manageable

Being a Productivity Role Model

Framing Decisions

Harnessing the Power of Executive Dashboards

CHAPTER 2: USING EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT TO OUTPERFORM COMPETITORS

Understanding What Engagement Is

Understanding What Engagement Is Not

Leveraging Teamwork

Using Goal Alignment

Building Coworker Trust

Recognizing Individual Contribution

Knowing Manager Effectiveness

Trusting In Senior Leaders

Feeling Valued

Having Job Satisfaction

Knowing Benefits and Pay

CHAPTER 3: HIRING: THE FIRST STEP TO BUILDING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE TEAM

Hiring Slowly

Having a Process

Verifying the Story

Watching Out for Bias

Hiring Top Performers Only

Getting Inside Their Heads

Making a Clear, Time-Sensitive Offer

Setting the Tone Quickly

Checking In Regularly

Being Patient

CHAPTER 4: LEADING AND GROWING TEAM MEMBERS

Keeping Them Motivated

Providing Work That Matters

Helping to Avoid Burnout

Assessing Results Clearly

Identifying the Saints, Dogs, and Stars

Firing Quickly

Knowing What Matters

CHAPTER 5: OUTSMARTING AND OUTPLANNING THE COMPETITION WITH STRATEGY

Involving the Team in Defining Values

Making Values Differentiators

Articulating Your Values Early and Often

Making Your Values Come Alive

Beginning with the End Goal in Mind

Defining Principles for Decision Making

Defining Your Brand

Knowing That Three Is the Magic Number

Making Time to Set Your Strategy

Measuring the Goals That Must Be Reached

Letting Everyone Weigh In

Completing a SWOT Analysis

Ensuring You Have Alignment

CHAPTER 6: BRINGING OUT THE BEST IN PEOPLE

Recognizing People Are the Essential Component

Defining Promotion

Setting Compensation

Recruiting

Planning for Succession

Creating Partner Relations

Doing It!

Executing Makes All the Difference

CHAPTER 7: GETTING THE MOST OUT OF OUTSIDE VENDORS AND CONSULTANTS

Supplementing Your Team with Carefully Chosen Vendors

Working the Vendor Interview Process

Communicating at the Beginning to Avoid Problems at the End

Taking the Time to Get It Right

Being a Good Customer

Handling a Bad Fit

CHAPTER 8: MAKING PROJECTS SUCCEED

Using Agile and Scrum Principles

Communicating Early and Often (Yes, Ive Said This Before!)

Thinking First Means Working Smart

Improving the Process

Finishing with a Bang (Not a Whimper)

CHAPTER 9: LEADING OTHERS EFFECTIVELY

Thinking, and Therefore Being

Matching Words with Corresponding Actions

Understanding What Leaders Do

Insisting on Results

Solving Problems

Delegating

Shining the Light on Others

Correcting Team MembersCorrectly!

Caring

Knowing the Importance of Communication

Giving Meaningful Feedback

Telling the Truth

Listening

Communicating Strategically

CHAPTER 10: MAKING MEETINGS WORK

Making Meetings Matter

Scheduling Standing Meetings

Having Daily Huddles: The Best Meetings of All

Holding Weekly Key Result Area Meetings

Holding Monthly Management Workout Meetings

Understanding with All-Company Meetings

Planning with an Annual, Offsite Meeting

Accountability through Quarterly Board Meetings

CHAPTER 11: DEALING EFFECTIVELY WITH PROBLEMS

Slaying Monsters Early

Owning Mistakes

Staying Cool in the Heat of Crisis

CHAPTER 12: GIVING BACK

Embracing Corporate Responsibility

CHAPTER 13: PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER AND IMPLEMENTING THE IDEAS IN THIS BOOK

Relaxing in the Process