Up Your Business!: 7 Steps to Fix, Build, or Stretch Your Organization

312 Pages·2007·3.027 MB·English

by  Dave Anderson, John C. Maxwell

UP YOUR
BUSINESS!

UP YOUR BUSINESS!
7 Steps to Fix, Build,
or Stretch Your Organization
Second Edition, Revised and Expanded
Dave Anderson
FOREWORD BY JOHN C. MAXWELL
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Copyright © 2007 by Dave Anderson. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
Wiley Bicentennial Logo: Richard J. Pacifico
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the
1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the
Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the
Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978)
7508400, fax [phone], or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the
Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John
Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 7486011, fax (201)
7486008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used
their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties
with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and
specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular
purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written
sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your
situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the
publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial
damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other
damages.
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard
to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not
engaged in rendering professional services. If legal, accounting, medical, psychological
or any other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional
person should be sought.
Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as
trademarks. In all instances where John Wiley & Sons, Inc. is aware of a claim, the
product names appear in initial capital or all capital letters. Readers, however, should
contact the appropriate companies for more complete information regarding
trademarks and registration.
For general information on our other products and services please contact our
Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 7622974, outside the
United States at (317) 5723993 or fax [phone].
Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that
appears in print may not be available in electronic books. For more information about
Wiley products, visit our web site at www.wiley.com.
ISBN-13: 978-0470-06856-4
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Foreword by John C. Maxwell vii
Preface ix
Author’s Note xiii
Introduction xvii
1. Always Remember, “It’s the People, Stupid!” 1
2. Abolish Corporate Welfare: Create a Culture
of Merit 61
3. Develop Your Human Capital: How to Train,
Coach, Mentor, and Retain Eagles 81
4. It’s All Right to Aim High if You Have Plenty
of Ammo 127
5. Look in the Mirror: Executing Your Leadership
Twelve-Pack 155
6. Survive Success: How to Overcome the Six
Temptations of Successful Organizations 203
7. Build Long-Term Vitality: Steps for Execution
and Follow-Through 243
8. Close the Gap between Knowing and Doing:
Develop the Commitment to Do What Is Easier
Said Than Done 269
v
CONTENTS
Notes 279
Bibliography 281
Index 283
Acknowledgments 289
About the Author 289
vi
Foreword
I realized Dave Anderson was a communicator the first time I
heard him speak at a meeting for my nonprofit organization,
EQUIP. He immediately connected with the audience as he talked
about his experience leading a $300 million retail organization.
Dave has a down-to-earth, no-nonsense approach to getting the
job done, which made the ideas he shared that day refreshing and
effective. In fact, it was my confidence in Dave’s abilities that
prompted me to produce a video series with him to adapt my book
The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamworkto a specific corporate sector.
Dave now brings that same talent for communicating real-
world, “walk-the-talk” strategies to Up Your Business! He presents
his ideas and principles in a clear and to-the-point way, and pro-
vides hundreds of easy-to-adapt strategies you can use to fix, build,
or stretch your organization. It doesn’t matter if your organization
vii
FOREWORD
is large or small; these principles can help a leader at any organiza-
tional level.
As the head of three organizations, I can relate to the emphasis
Up Your Business! places on getting the right people on your team.
Without the right people to implement vision and strategy, vision
and strategy become useless. In this book, Dave not only shows the
importance of people, he spells out specifically what you must do
to find them, develop them, and retain them. He’ll also sell you on
the necessity of ridding yourself of the wrong people quickly, pro-
fessionally, and humanely.
Perhaps the most significant aspect of Up Your Business!is that it
ignores fads and quick fixes, opting instead to provide timeless
leadership and management principles that work when they are
applied. As you join Dave in the quest to fix, build, or stretch your
organization, I can assure you that you’re in good hands. Open
your mind, get out your legal pad, and prepare to take action. My
best wishes are with you as you begin to set the stage for your best
year ever.
—John C. Maxwell
Founder
The INJOY Group
viii
Preface
Up Your Business! is written for leaders or aspiring leaders at all
levels in an organization. Regardless of whether your goal is to fix,
build, or stretch your organization, the principles herein will help
you. They apply equally to the CEO of a Fortune 500 company and
to the home-based-business owner wanting to take his or her en-
terprise to a higher level. The strategies are presented in a step-by-
step sequence and in easy-to-understand terms, and are ready for
immediate application. You will be able to use the book as a blue-
print to fix, build, or stretch your business. I’ve included numerous
real-life examples that support the book’s key points. You’ll find the
style nonacademic and politically incorrect. In fact, I’d rather of-
fend you by being direct than affront you with fluff. I believe you’ll
find the lack of sugarcoating and rationalizing refreshing.
Up Your Business! eschews fads and the latest business buzz-
words. It offers sound, tried-in-the-trenches leadership and man-
ix