Zapp! The Lightning of Empowerment: How to Improve Productivity, Quality, and Employee Satisfaction
Author: Jeff Cox, William Byham
List Price: $12.95
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ISBN: 0449002829
Publisher: Ballantine Books (11 November, 1997)
Sales Rank: 6,466
Average Customer Rating: 4.22 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 5 out of 5
Avoid "Stallled Thinking" with Zapp!
Zapp! is fun and easy to read. It is a good basic reminder of the things that good managers and leaders should know but do not always practice. The cute story discribes the benefits of listening and sharing. Too many organizations are hindered by what I call the "Communications Stall". An additonal and very uccessful approach to this problem is to use many ways of communicating (print, videos, speeches, discussions,..) and to do so often. Part 4 accurately shows that in the larger company setting, the ways that people have always done things continuously get in the way of progress. We have found that these "Traditions Stalls" and "Bureaucratic Stalls" must be questioned if they are to be avoided, and new ways found to accomplish more. For example, take the seats out of the meeting rooms to make the meeting shorter. Zapp! begins to do this by saying "There must be another way". The key to finding 2,000 percent solutions and to making much faster progress, is to ask the right questions. I look forward to Byham's next book to learn how he recommends a manager or leader get started.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Communicate Better!
Many people fail to focus on whether or not their message is received. More effective people focus on whether the message is received as they attempt to improve communications so their company can be more successful. ZAPP! also focuses on WHAT message is received. As the book shows, a perceived message can be dispiriting or empowering. I liked the fact that the book spent as much time on explaining about bad communications as it did on good ones. That is a great way to help people improve.
The only thing I did not like about the book was that the end led into a sales pitch for consulting rather than tips for how to pursue this on your own. It seemed out of keeping in a book about empowerment. Skip the last 2 pages, and you will be left with a better taste in your mouth.
Buy, read, think about, apply, and share this book and the lessons above with your colleagues. That will help you get heart-warming results to go with the heart-warming feeling that reading this book provides. Enjoy!
Rating: 4 out of 5
A must read for all managers
Having worked for too many bosses who are micro-managers, I wish this book was required reading for all such managers. This book, although lacking in realistic settings, is nonetheless a good read. Managers can't expect employees to be excited about their work if they don't have Ownership of their task. How many times have I been given a project to do only to find out that I've been left out of the analysis phase of the project. All information is on a Need to Know basis, and I obviously don't. What do I do for a living? I'm a programmer/analyst. Similar Products
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