The Three Laws of Performance: Rewriting the Future of Your Organization and Your Life (J-B Warren Bennis Series)

259 Pages·2009·1.08 MB·English

by  Steve Zaffron

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The Three Laws of
Performance
Rewriting the Future of Your
Organization and Your Life
Steve Zaffron
and Dave Logan
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Further Praise for
The Three Laws of Performance
‘‘I believe this book may be one of the most important
written in many years. The ideas are much larger than we
normally see in business books. They aren’t tips, tools, or
steps, but are in fact laws that govern individual, group, and
organizationalbehavior.Instrivingforwhat’spossible,notjust
forwhat’slikely,thisbookcanbearesourceforgenerationsto
come.’’
FromtheEditor’s NotebyWarren Bennis
‘‘God invites each of us to participate in the process of
transforming the world—to create a world in which every
person knows their infinite and irreplaceable worth and can
truly fulfill their potential. This book, filled with insights,
real-life encounters and experiences, shows us how we may
do this work of transformation. Applicable in the corporate,
labor, political, and civil society sectors—Steve and Dave
have written an inspiring, practical book that will assist all
whoseek to rewrite the futureofourworld.’’
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu,NobelLaureate
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‘‘The world needs this book; it is a gem. The ideas and
stories presented are empowering tributes to leaders and orga-
nizations who create space forsuccess.’’
PaulFireman, founder,Reebok International; now
chairman, Fireman Capital Partners, Bostonand New York
‘‘I am the founder of a fast-growing public company that
has surfed the backbone of the ideas in this book, and I
attribute much of our success to applying them. When we
realized that the company was operating in silos, we used
applications derived from The Three Laws of Performance to
have cross-functional teams create exciting, aligned futures
that haveresulted in unprecedented business results.’’
ChipWilson, founder,lululemon athletica
‘‘This book is filled with powerful illustrations that show
what organizations and individuals can do to make the world
work.It gives hopeto leaders at all levels.’’
Jack Canfield, coauthor, The SuccessPrinciples and
the ChickenSoupfor the Soulseries
‘‘I invite all readers to be open to what may occur as an
unfamiliarandperhapsevenstrangewaytothinkaboutpeople
and organizational issues. There is much to learn and the
payoffs are huge.’’
FromtheForeword byMichael Jensen, Jesse Isidor Straus
Professor ofBusiness, Emeritus, Harvard Business School
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‘‘For a person in a leadership position or someone aspiring
to take a leadership position this is a worthwhile read. As a
compendiumofrelevant experience, it will behard tobeat.’’
SirBobReid, chairman, International Petroleum
Exchange, former chairman and chief executive, Shell UK
‘‘At the Anthony Robbins’ Companies we have a huge
commitment to people achieving total peak performance and
optimum results in life. This book delineates the laws that
allow people, companies, and organizations to create these
unprecedented results. The thinking is novel and nothing
shortofbrilliant.’’
Sam Georges, CEO and president,
AnthonyRobbinsHoldings
‘‘Thisisanamazingbook!Itcapturestheprinciplesbehind
applications and processes that were implemented with most
of the 15,000 employees I managed within Telemar, Brazil’s
largest telecommunications company. One year after the start
of that process, the company successfully entered a growing
and profitable new market. In my view, without the ideas in
this book, we never would have gotten there that fast. It was
themostexciting adventureofmy life.’’
Marcio Roza, former CEO,Telemar Rio
‘‘By applying the Three Laws I noticed an instant trans-
formation in all areas of my life. In business, sport, and
relationships,Iwasabletorewritemyfuture,whichisnowfull
ofendless possibilities.’’
Natalie Cook,four-time Olympian, Australian Beach
Volleyball Team; gold medalist, Sydney, 2000
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‘‘Steve Zaffron and Dave Logan have produced a book
which illustrates how companies, and people, carry through
the kind of transformation that occurs when water turns into
steam or into ice. If you’re only interested in mediocrity, in
water that’s a little warmer or a little colder, this book won’t
mattertoyou.Butifyoureallywanttocreateyourownfuture,
thenumerousreal-lifeexamplestheygiveandthecrystal-clear
explanationstheyusetomaketheirexperienceavailabletous
are essential. How would I know? Well, I guess it’s because I
was able to survive 16 years in wrongful solitary confinement
in Chinese prisons and emerge to enjoy a Hollywood happy
ending, primarily because I followed the basic laws that this
book illuminates to dissolve my ‘default future’ and create a
new future formyself. It’s whatworks—really!’’
Sidney Rittenberg, founder, Rittenberg Associates;
consultant on businessrelations in China; coauthor,
The Man Who StayedBehind
‘‘This book is a perfect combination of fine storytelling
and rock-solid ideas. It makes accessible a powerful way of
thinking which has the capacity to transform businesses and
theircommunities.Idefinitelyrecommendyoureadthisbook.’’
PeterBlock,author,Community:TheStructureofBelonging
‘‘In this thoughtful book, Steve Zaffron and Dave Logan
show howleadership can benurtured through becoming more
aware of some fundamental laws that govern human behav-
ior and thereby organizational outcomes. Those who aspire
for more joyful and productive ways to lead their lives and
organizations will findit tobean invaluable read.’’
Mark Zupan,dean, SimonSchoolofBusiness,
University ofRochester
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‘‘Thisbookisoneofakind.Itexplainshowlifetrulyworks,
offering, as it were, a view of the elephant in all its glory, not
merely the tusk or the tail. Included are instructions that
are guaranteed to boost performance in ways that are utterly
unexpected and wholly reliable. One gets the impression that
having discovered the secret of life, the authors have a deep
andgenuine desire to share itwith their readers.’’
RosamundZander, coauthor, The Artof Possibility
‘‘I have seen and witnessed the power of this realization
inadustyminingcommunityinpostApartheid SouthAfrica,
where thousands of South Africans said that together their
future would be written differently, creatively. Practicing the
principles as outlined in this profound and readable book, a
whole community was empowered to become the space for a
transformed future.
This book isn’t about ideas and theories; it is about the
rugged hard work of writing a different future for you, your
community, your company or organization—a future that is
inclusive, alive, possible, and sustainable. It’s the only future
wehave.
IacknowledgeSteveandDavefortheiruniqueandexcep-
tional contribution and for showing us how to do this work. It
couldn’tcome ata moremomentoustime.’’
TheReverend Chris Ahrends, former chaplain to
ArchbishopDesmond Tutu,CEO,FourConsulting,
SouthAfrica
TheThreeLawsofPerformancegivesaccesstobeingaperson
of integrity and an extraordinary leader. Using the ideas in
thisbook,youwillseethattherearenolimitstowhatyoucan
achieve.’’
Richard V. DeMulder, professor, Erasmus University,
Rotterdam, Netherlands
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‘‘At the end of the day when you implement solutions
identified in a Six Sigma and/or Lean project, your ability to
execute the solution is not dependent on the set of technical
tools. It is people embracing the solution and acting on it.
This is a book that will help you understand and respect the
importance of language and how it can be used to leverage
communication into apowerfulbusiness improvement tool.’’
Mike Carnell, coauthor, LeaningIntoSixSigma,
president and CEO,CS International, LP
‘‘The Three Laws of Performance is a fascinating book
that will change your perspective on your organization, your
people, and on yourself. Through a combination of a deep,
practical, and often philosophical understanding of what it
is to be human, a wide range of telling examples, and a set
of exercises, this book has the rare capacity of delivering
insights that ring home and will make a difference. Our
personal experience is that this not only generates new and
unprecedented opportunities but does so through passion and
joyofplay.’’
Jaap Winter, partner, DeBrauwBlackstone Westbroek
Kees Cools, executive director,
TheBostonConsulting Groupin Amsterdam
Principals, Wintercools corporate governance advisors
‘‘Great performance is about people. The Three Laws of
Performance gets to the heart of how leaders learn about their
employees, their organization, and themselves. You will have
a clearer understanding of how you can unlock the power of
peoplewhen youare donereading this book.’’
Garry Ridge, president and CEO,WD-40 Company
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The Three Laws of Performance