Roger Connors

When I first started reading this book a few months back, I put it down after probably the first 2 or 3 pages. I believe, I misunderstood what Roger Conners and Tom Smith were trying to say. But that was months back.

I picked up the book again two weeks back and went past my mental barrier just to find that I actually agree to most of the things Conners/Smith has to say about helping organizations and teams develop their culture. The authors have shed light on subjects that usually elude our show more conscious mind. We vaguely understand, if at all we do, the impact of our actions as leaders on, not only the physical output (goods/services) but the intangibles like culture and beliefs.

Conners/Smith have codified their entire concept into formulas that leaders can use to change their organization's culture and thus their results. The book might as well have been a book on mathematical theories, as the duo have meticulously explained with comprehensive examples, the meaning and the impact on and of each variable in the equations.

For example, speaking on a personal level, I had never chalked out a path between leadership's actions and final results on the shop floor, or the invisible results that permeates like ether in the organization. And reading this book has helped me understand this journey better.

The book gives plenty and great examples, but could have been more instructive if the examples were directly linked to the actions of Conners/Smith as consultants and their clients, instead of general steps of dos and don'ts.

Nevertheless, it's a book I'll encourage every business leader to read. Even if you disagree to how your actions influence how your people sleep at nights, you can now not say, "I didn't know!" show less

Basic premise: don't be a victim but take hold of your situation and ask what you can do to improve it. I'm not sure the book adds a whole lot of detail beyond that simple statement, but it pretends to. Lots of vague examples of companies and business people who were sinking then choose to stop complaining and start fixing and "voila!" their business turned around. Each section begins with a quote from [a:Frank L. Baum|3242|L. Frank show more Baum|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1383720421p2/3242.jpg]'s book [b:The Wizard of Oz|762677|The Wizard of Oz (Great Illustrated Classics)|Deidre S. Laiken|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1387746123s/762677.jpg|14816545] to illustrate that just like Dorothy, The Scarecrow, the Tinman, and The Lion, you have what you need inside you to solve your problems. You don't need a wizard to change your circumstances, just a Good Witch like Glinda perhaps to guide you on your way. A bit gimmicky, because they don't really borrow too much from the classic story, but it got me to read the book, so I guess it works (as a gimmick).

All the examples are very business-world, not so identifiable for me. show less

With a focus on accountability and its corollary, empowerment, there’s a lot that’s good here. Connors et al. shoehorn business lessons into the framework of The Wizard of Oz pulling out lessons that are ironic when one considers Baum’s work. But although it is better to view workers as people who are endowed with the unique skills that empower them to make a difference (as a opposed to replaceable cogs without free will), the assumption of the authors is that in large corporate show more environments like the ones they profile in their books, the accountability of average workers can make a difference. Sure, if an executive takes responsibility, there are measurable results that matter. But are we to believe that an instructional designer or systems consultant’s actions aren’t so obscured by layers of bureaucracy that the customer/client will really be able to tell the difference? show less

Good concepts but they weren't additive for me and the framework involves a lot of lists and levels of competence, which are organized into single-letter variables and exponents. It would be a useful system to follow, but seemed too complex for someone who already has systems of their own. There were some useful reminders about how to create real change through clear measures of success and by addressing the root cultural and belief systems.