Les McKeown - The Synergist: How to Lead Your Team to Predictable Success

PRAISE FOR THE SYNERGIST

Finallya book that can serve as a blueprint for anyone trying to get the most from everyone in their organization. Les McKeowns fresh perspective on the persistent problem of bringing together people with different work styles is a must-read for anyone who works with groups or teams.

JJ Ramberg, host of MSNBCsYour Businessand CEO of Goodsearch.com

The Synergist is a brilliant look at people and styles and how to synthesize them for huge personal and company success. Les McKeowns books and teachings show businesses how to get past those natural hindrances and, instead, thrive. In this book, hes done it again!!

Bob Burg, coauthor ofThe Go-GiverandIts Not About You

Some business books take a few chapters to get into, while others never quite deliver. Not so with The Synergist. Les McKeowns astute observations leap off the page from the get-go. Throughout the book I laughed, I nodded, I cringedand I couldnt wait to turn to the next page.

Ive seen the personality types Les chronicles do unintentional damage within myriad companies, all too often with no one even understanding whats going on. This book presents a necessary exposition of what happens in the real world of business, and Im going to use its ideas to make my company perform at a much higher level.

Steve McKee, president of McKee Wallwork Cleveland and author ofWhen Growth Stalls

Les has done it again; a brilliantly written, insightful guide both to identifying your leadership style and learning how to keep team members working toward a common goal. Whether you have a one-person or a 1,000-person organization, you will want every employee to read this book and learn how to become a Synergist.

Carol Roth, business strategist andNew York Timesbestselling author ofThe Entrepreneur Equation

This book is a must-read for anyone on a team, leading a team, or aspiring to do so. In his usual witty and refreshingly candid style, Les provides laser-focused clarity around why teams fail and offers simple yet powerful tools that will turn any group of individuals into high-performing teams. Reading this book will give you the skills to engage in rich dialogue, build meaningful relationships, and contribute to a specific goal all while playing to your strengths. The days of hiding out in your office are over!

Halley Bock, president and CEO of Fierce, Inc.

The challenge for members of groups of people, such as in a work department, is to create alignment and to function as a team instead of going in separate directions. Les McKeown offers a practical explanation of the reasons for the failure of teams, even well-intentioned ones, and what they can do to elevate their game. He offers a practical model to engage the strengths of each team member in activities that enable them to work together more effectively and efficiently. Whether your group is newly formed or unhappily struggling, The Synergist is a blueprint for personal and team success.

Andrew Marshall, founder and principal of Primed Associates, LLC

We all know an ineffective team when we see one, but its often hard to figure out why the team is ineffective. The Synergist shows us that its the particular way the people in the groups workand then shows us the one role within a team that brings it all together. If youre serious about harnessing the power of your team, this is a must-read.

Charlie Gilkey, founder and CEO of Productive Flourishing

Finally! We all know that most teams and groups are excruciatingly ineffective at best, mainly because no one knows what to do to make group dynamics actually work. With The Synergist in hand, gone are the days of teams and groups plagued by frustration, mistrust, and uncertainty. Les McKeown lays out one very simple and incredibly powerful way to take the reins of any group and lead them out of the typical group quagmire and into unprecedented success. A must-read for anyone who leads a group of any kind!

Sarah Robinson, leader of the hooligan tribe, www.escaping-mediocrity.com

Reading Les McKeowns work is like having an honest conversation with your own private guide to dysfunctional organizations and how to fix them.... The Synergist is a deeply insightful take on what needs to happen in teams for them to realize their potential. Armed with the suggestions in the book, you will be ready to follow, ready to lead, and ready to galvanize others.

Rita Gunther McGrath, associate professor at Columbia Business School and author ofDiscovery-Driven Growth

PRAISE FOR PREDICTABLE SUCCESS

Hes got it right. Les McKeown has uncovered the core dynamics of organizational growth, and mapped it to the best (and worst!) practices to achieve and maintain optimal, in-your-zone conditionsno matter where a group is in its evolution. This is real-world expertise, with simple but subtle and sophisticated prescriptions for all of us involved in getting things done with other people. And, oh yeah, he nailed how to address some key opportunities in my own company... should be required reading for every management team.

David Allen, bestselling author ofGetting Things DoneandMaking It All Work

Les McKeown is absolutely on top of his game. Les not only knowsand showshow your businesses can grow and succeed, he explains it in a way that is intuitive, entertaining, and immediately actionable.

Darryl Hutson, CEO of American Express Incentive Services

Les McKeown has for over seven years assisted us in the growth and development of our distributorship network. He has an understanding of what makes a business succeedand a passionate commitment to teaching others how to achieve it. Predictable Success has been our secret weapon and can be yours, too.

Mel Haught, CEO of Pella Corporation

THE SYNERGIST

THE SYNERGIST

How to Lead Your Team to Predictable Success

LES M C KEOWN

THE SYNERGIST

Copyright Les McKeown, 2012.

All rights reserved.

First published in 2012 by

PALGRAVE MACMILLAN

in the United Statesa division of St. Martins Press LLC,

175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe, and the rest of the world, this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.

Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world.

Palgrave and Macmillan are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, and other countries.

ISBN: 9780230120556

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

McKeown, Les (John Leslie), 1956

The synergist : how to lead your team to predictable success / by Les McKeown.