Fierce Leadership A Bold Alternative to the Worst "Best" Practices of Business Today

by SCOTT, SUSAN

• ISBN13: 9780385529044
• ISBN10: 038552904X
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-01-11
• Publisher: Currency

Summary

From the author of the acclaimed book Fierce Conversations comes the antidote to some of the most wrongheaded practices of business today. Provide anonymous feedback. Hire smart people. Hold people accountable. These are all sound, business practices, right? Not so fast, says leadership visionary and bestselling author Susan Scott. In fact, these mantras, despite being long-accepted and adopted by business leaders everywhere, are completely wrongheaded. Worse, they are costing companies billions of dollars, driving away valuable employees and profitable customers, limiting performance, and stalling careers. Yet they are so deeply ingrained in organizational cultures that no one has questioned them. Until now. In Fierce Leadership, Scott teaches us how to spot the worst best practices in our organizations using a technique she calls squid eye, the ability to see the tells or signs that we have fallen prey to disastrous behaviors by knowing what to look for. Only then, she says, can we apply the antidote.. Informed by over a decade of conversations with Fortune 500 executives, this book is that antidote. With fierce new approaches to everything from employee feedback to corporate diversity to customer relations, Scott offers fresh and surprising alternatives to six of the so-called best practices permeating today's businesses. This refreshingly candid book is a must-read for any manager or leader at any level who is ready to take a long hard look at what trouble might be lurking in their organization - and do something about it.

Author Biography

Susan Scott is the founder of Fierce, Inc., a global training company whose clients include Yahoo!, Starbucks, Cisco, BP, General Dynamics, New York Life, Nestl, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Lego, Care, Best Buy, Coca-Cola, and Ernst Young. Scott is the author of Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work in Life, One Conversation at a Time. For more fierce advice, visit her online at a Time. For more fierce advice, visit her online at www.fierceleadership.com.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
What Fresh Hell Is This?	p. 1
Squid Eye	p. 2
Spotting the Tells	p. 3
Memo to Leaders	p. 4
What Are You Practicing?	p. 9
The Purpose of This Book	p. 12
The Idea of Fierce	p. 15
Why Fierce?	p. 17
What Is "Fierce" Leadership?	p. 19
Where to Begin?	p. 23
From 360-Degree Anonymous Feedback to "365" Face-to-Face Feedback	p. 26
A Dangerous Idea	p. 27
Practicing Squid Eye	p. 31
What Were We Thinking?	p. 35
The Fierce Practice: "365" Face-to-Face Feedback	p. 38
Praising with Courage and Skill	p. 54
Taking It to the Organization	p. 58
Personal Action Plan	p. 60
Conclusion	p. 61
From Hiring for Smarts to Hiring for Smart+Heart	p. 62
The "Firm"	p. 63
The Business Crisis That Smarts Can't Solve	p. 67
Practicing Squid Eye	p. 70
What Were We Thinking?	p. 73
If You're Still Not Convinced, Think Nobel Prize	p. 74
Your Most Valuable Currency	p. 77
The Fierce Practice: Hire Smart+Heart People	p. 79
The Smart+Heart Interview	p. 91
Taking It to the Organization	p. 98
Personal Action Plan	p. 98
Conclusion	p. 100
From Holding People Accountable to Modeling accountability and Holding People Able	p. 103
Who's Accountable?	p. 105
Non Est Mea Culpa	p. 107
The Victim Context	p. 114
Are You In or Out of the Cave?	p. 116
Justified "Victim"	p. 118
Practicing Squid Eye	p. 119
What Were We Thinking?	p. 121
The Fierce Practice: Model Accountability. Hold People Able	p. 123
Taking It to the Organization	p. 144
Personal Action Plan	p. 145
Conclusion	p. 147
From Employee Engagement programs to Actually Engaging Employees	p. 150
The State of Engagement	p. 151
What Matters Anywhere Matters Everywhere	p. 153
Practicing Squid Eye	p. 163
What Were We Thinking?	p. 165
The Fierce Practice: Include! Engage!	p. 170
Taking It to the Organization	p. 185
Personal Action Plan	p. 192
Conclusion	p. 194
From Customer Centricity to Customer Connectivity	p. 198
The Trouble with Customers	p. 200
The House Feels Cold	p. 205
Happens Every Day!	p. 208
Practicing Squid Eye	p. 209
What Were We Thinking?	p. 212
The Fierce Practice: Customer Connectivity	p. 215
Mineral Rights with Customers	p. 229
Taking It to the Organization	p. 236
Personal Action Plan	p. 241
Conclusion	p. 243
From Legislated Optimism to Radical Transparency	p. 248
What Is Legislated Optimism?	p. 250
For the Rhythm of Your Home	p. 254
Practicing Squid Eye	p. 256
What Were We Thinking?	p. 258
Letting the Fresh Air into the Room	p. 261
The Fierce Practice: Radical Transparency	p. 264
Interrogating Reality Through Beach Ball Meetings	p. 270
Taking It to the Organization	p. 286
Personal Action Plan	p. 287
Conclusion	p. 290
Conclusion: Crossing the Bold Line	p. 292
Acknowledgments	p. 301
Recommended Reading	p. 303
Index	p. 305
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