A recent Gallup poll shows that only 30
percent of Americans are actively engaged at work. And honestly,
that doesn’t come as a big surprise. From dull, unfulfilling tasks to
job-related stress to long hours to grueling commutes to unsatisfactory
paychecks, there are many (many!) reasons why people might not enjoy
their work. And, of course, there’s the number one reason of all: “I
hate my boss!”
If you’re tempted to write that off with a “Get over it; everyone hates
their boss,” think again. We’re not talking about a standard “stick it
to the man” attitude. According to Gallup’s chairman and CEO, fully 20
percent of American employees are actively disengaged because they have
“bosses from hell that make them miserable.” In turn, these employees
“roam the halls spreading discontent.” Yikes, right?
But wait—there’s good news. According to author Matt Tenney, managers
can turn this depressing situation around and create the ultimate
win-win. By developing both the aspiration and the ability to more
effectively serve and care for the people on their teams, managers can
become leaders people actually want to follow. (Really!)
“When the focus is on serving team members, leaders can create a team
culture that people want to be a part of, that produces superior
results, and that has a positive impact on society as a whole,” says
Tenney, author of Serve
to Be Great: Leadership Lessons from a Prison, a Monastery,
and a Boardroom (Wiley, May 2014, ISBN: 978-1-118-86846-1, $25.00, www.matttenney.com).
“When this happens, leaders win too, because they get promoted faster
and create the conditions for sustainable, long-term success. Perhaps
more important, they actually enjoy going to work each day, and the
people on their teams do, too.”
Tenney’s extraordinary past provides him with a unique perspective on
the power of serving and caring for team members. In Serve to Be Great,
Tenney tells the compelling story of how his attempt to embezzle
government funds led to five and a half years in military prison. During
his sentence, Tenney’s perspective shifted from selfish to servant,
prompting him to live and train as a monk for three years, and finally,
to become a social entrepreneur. Tenney has cofounded and led two
non-profits, as well as a speaking and training company devoted to
helping leaders achieve greater long-term success while also making our
world a better place.
In addition to telling Tenney’s story, Serve to Be Great also
includes an abundance of case studies, research, and tactics to help
leaders make the shift to servant leadership.
“Servant leadership doesn’t mean that we assume some menial, meek
persona; it simply means that our motivation for leading people is to be
of service to others,” Tenney explains. “I believe that somewhere inside
each of us is the aspiration to devote ourselves to serving others. That
said, it can be challenging to effectively serve the people on our
teams, even if we want to. When we’re under stress—like the pressure to
hit a goal or ‘make the numbers’—we tend to focus more on the short-term
and can often sacrifice the relationships that are a foundation of
long-term success. With training, you effectively serve team members
even when the conditions are challenging.”
Here,
Tenney shares 11 tactics to help leaders achieve higher levels of
success by consistently serving and inspiring greatness in others.
“Being successful as a leader and living a meaningful, enjoyable life
are not mutually exclusive,” concludes Tenney. “In fact, the two
actually fuel each other. The very things that make life truly rich are
the same things that create and sustain long-term success in both
business and in life.
“The best news is that it’s all highly trainable,” he adds. “Any one of
us can become an extraordinary, highly effective leader who enjoys going
to work each day because we know that we’re making our world a better
place.”
Wiley
Melissa Connors, 201-748-6834
Publicity Manager
mconnors@wiley.com