Chapter 1 - Racetrack   OFF TO THE RACES

Are you tired of reading management stuff that sounds more like a textbook than a playbook? So am I. That’s why I meet monthly with a group of CEOs to talk about real-world problems, and solutions we can put to work NOW. In fact, I’ve been meeting with CEOs of major companies for 23 years. I’ve been in their strategy sessions and their bull sessions. I’ve been kicked out of the boardroom, and then invited back in. Why? Because I’ve had the audacity to tell leaders that what they are doing will not accelerate growth today—and maybe not even next quarter. Now stay with me. This book may feel like a swift kick in the pants, but it’s only going to hurt for a little while. I can show you how you can accelerate accomplishing your key strategies and earn 1,000 percent ROI on a $500K investment. (If you’re curious, take a sneak preview and look at page 31.) And it’s not by making people feel good about coming to work.

Chapter 2 - Start   START WITH WHAT YOU HAVE AND KEEP IT SIMPLE

How can you as a leader possibly keep up with the frantic pace of change?The answer is simple, but only if you keep it simple (and I plan to help you do that): Let people know what they have to do today to achieve your organization’s goals. I believe the best way to keep them on the right track—that is, the fast track—involves the use of well-designed reward and recognition programs. The challenge is that most reward programs don’t resemble a racetrack. They seem more like a maze. It’s the same picture I started to paint in the first chapter: The top performers head single-mindedly down the path toward the goal—a pile of cash. At the end of the year, the ones who get the cash are a little richer and a little happier. A few in the mass of middle performers, the Eighty Percent Club, try but don’t make the cash. They go back to the starting line with the ones who don’t even try, the low performers. Back to business as usual. It doesn’t have to be this way!