Acknowledgments xiii
Topsy-Turvy: The Sky is Falling! 1
The World Turned Upside Down 2
The Crazy 1990s 4
Collapse 6
The Special Case of the Best and Brightest 6
Recovery and Productivity 9
The Psychological Recession 13
How to Recognize a Psychological Recession 14
A Psychological Recession Is Self-Fulfilling 16
Perception versus Reality 17
Who Is Affected? 19
Why It Matters 21
Feelings Matter-"Soft" is "Hard" 25
Heart Trumps Head 27
People Are Not Commodities 31
Commitment Is Not Kindness 32
Bad Management is (Really) Expensive 35
Many Employees Feel Negatively about Work 36
The Number of Unhappy Employees Continues to Increase 37
Many Employees Feel Resentful 37
Low Rates of Employee Commitment and Loyalty Are Very Expensive 37
Downsizing Leads to Resentment, Which Leads to Terrible Customer Service 38
Many Employees Want to Move to a New Job 39
Unhappy Employees Are Unproductive Employees 39
LikeEmployee Loyalty, Customer Loyally Cannot Be Taken for Granted 39
The Gallup Surveys of Engagement 40
Engagement and Productivity: The New Century Example 42
What All These Data Mean 43
Good Management (Really) Makes Money 45
It's the Interaction Between Employees and Customers 46
Good Management Is Profitable 50
Motivated Employees and Profitablity 50
Costco versus Wal-Mart's Sam's Club 51
SAS Institute 52
Best Companies to Work for 53
Commitment Can Take Many Forms 56
Establish Family-Friendly Policies 56
Invest in Training 58
Communicate Honestly 59
Let Them Own a Piece of the Company 59
Act with Integrity 60
Widening the Road to Success 60
Commitment and Engagement-Not Morale or Satisfaction 63
Nurturing Commitment and Engagement 66
Ask the Right Questions 66
Hire the Right People 67
Measure the Right Attributes 69
Morale and Satisfaction Don't Count 71
Getting It Wrong 72
Getting It Right 75
Create Significant Relationships Between Bosses and Subordinates 77
Employee-Boss Relationships 78
The Special Importance of Trust 80
Trust and Communication 81
Relationships at Work 83
Out of Touch with Subordinates 84
Leadership and "Average" People 87
Leaders for the Twenty-First Century 89
Strengthen the Bond with Employees by Customizing 91
Humanize the Workplace 95
Fair-But Not Identical 97
Involving Each Employee Individually 98
Today's Cluster of Priorities 100
Manage to Success: Customize Recognition 101
Suggestions for Customization Menu Items 104
Achieve a Best Fit 113
Hiring for Best Fit 114
Managing to Success 116
Really Know Expectations and Priorities 117
The Question of Risk 118
Risk and Corporate Culture: Digging Deeper 120
Asking the Right Questions 122
Staying Ahead of the Curve 129
How are We Doing Economically? 147
Why Many People Feel Defenseless 152
The Perception of Change Is Greater Than the Reality 156
Scared, Passive, and Cynical 160
A Twenty-First Century Safety Net 163
Goals for a Twenty-First Century Safety Net 165
Goals 165
Critical Elements of a Safety Net 166
Education Reform 167
Healthcare Reform 173
Shoring Up the Employer-Based System 175
Less Government and More Free Market Forces 176
New Ideas and Different Views 178
A New Vision for Collaboration 179
More Ideas About a Modern Safety Net 186
Psychology is More Important Than Economics 189
America's Strengths 193
The Threat from Other Countries 196
Lose the Fear and Release the Energy! 200
Endnotes 203
Index 217