Denny F. Strigl - Managers, Can You Hear Me Now?: Hard-Hitting Lessons on How to Get Real Results

Managers, can you hear me now?

Hard-Hitting Lessons on
How to Get Real Results

DENNY F. STRIGL
AND FRANK SWIATEK

Copyright 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ISBN: 978-0-07-176002-7
MHID: 0-07-176002-4

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This book is dedicated to my three grandsons,
Nathaniel, Harrison, and Grant.

Denny

I would like to dedicate this book to my grandchildren
Connor, Matthew, Jack, Max, Andrew, Sean, Addison, and Evan.
They are all a great source of pride and happiness.

Frank

In this innovative and practical guide for frontline managers, Denny explains time-tested techniques and leadership principles that create a sustainable high-performance culture. As Dennys colleague for many years, I have experienced the value and effectiveness of these techniques firsthand. The personal anecdotes and insights throughout the book offer an invaluable teaching tool for every manager trying to balance the difficult task of achieving results the right wayby building a winning team.

Dennys work ethic and high standards inspired generations of managers and helped create a culture of performance that is his lasting legacy to Verizon Communications.

This is an essential read for every managers, or aspiring managers, success for one simple reason: it is all authentic and it works.

Ivan G. Seidenberg
Chairman and CEO
Verizon Communications, Inc.

Im indebted to several people who have contributed to the presentation of the advice we have offered in this book. First, my wife, Amanda, not only inspired me but provided great ideas and sage counsel throughout the process. I couldnt have written this without her help. Second, many of my former colleagues at Verizon were invaluable in their cooperation and support: Ivan Seidenberg, Lowell McAdam, Steve Zipperstein, and, especially, Jim Gerace, who was very helpful in articulating the facts surrounding the birth of the Verizon Wireless credo, which he deserves credit for synthesizing. In addition, Jim was very helpful in reviewing and clarifying several other chapters. Im likewise grateful for Donald Caplins help in formulating the discussions of distractions and culture in the book. And a special thanks to copyeditor Steve McCabe, of Wordwright Editorial Services, Inc., for helping us choose the right words and put them in the right order.

And, of course, Im grateful to my family for the support they have shown for this project. Writing is hard and solitary work, and they have tolerated my absence and forgiven my inattentiveness while I have focused on this project. I appreciate their understanding and hope they will now share in my happiness (and relief) at its completion.

Denny Strigl, Lake Placid, New York

Coauthoring this book has been the culmination of many organizational experiences and the result of many mentoring relationships. I would like to acknowledge my early mentors who helped me to shape a foundation of management, leadership, and speaking. In particular, Don Deverall and Dennis Eaton of the Waterloo Management Education Centre in Canada; Al and Joan Cannie of Learning Dynamics in Boston; Dr. Ken Lipke; Earl P. Strong of Penn State University; and Dr. Herb True and Bill Gove, speakers extraordinaire.

I would also like to thank Denny Strigl for the opportunity to collaborate on this book. I have worked in his organizations for over 15 years as a performance consultant. I have seen firsthand his ability to develop a dynamic, results-focused company. He is one of the most successful CEOs in corporate America in the last 20 years. And while he believes that it is not all about him, his willingness to share his powerful beliefs and concepts will have a significant impact on managers and leaders of the future.

Finally, I would like to thank my wife, Betty Anne, for her continuous love and support in all of my professional endeavors.

Frank Swiatek, Cheektowaga, New York

Liston Street in Buffalo, New York, was not known as being part of the richest of neighborhoods, but its where I grew up. I was never much of a student in high school; frankly, I couldnt sit still for more than 10 minutes without getting antsy. As a kid, I was good at sports, but my primary interest was flying airplanes. By the time I was 19 years old, I had a commercial pilots license.