What Managers Say, What Employees Hear: Connecting with Your Front Line (So They'Ll Connect with Customers)

This book is a wake-up call for any executive who thinks front-line employees give a damn. In retail stores, on shop floors, and in offices around the country (and around the world), a refrain of disillusionment and distrust is being sung, and its negative effects on corporate performance— e.g., employee retention, productivity, customer relationships—are profound. A huge gulf exists between the corner office and the cubicle, in terms of how people define their company's brand, vision, strategy, and goals, and the means to achieve them. Even enlightened business leaders, who support cultures of inclusion and open communication, find that their messages aren't getting through—the quantity of information available to front-line employees has increased, but the quality, in terms of both transmission and reception, has not. What Managers Say, What Employees Hear reveals the roots and effects of these problems, and presents a wealth of practical insights for addressing them. Former Harvard Business Review Senior Editor, Regina Maruca, has assembled an all-star cast of management writers, consultants, educators, and practitioners to provide fresh insights for bridging the gaps between management and employees—and improving everyone's performance in the process. Showcasing innovative practices in corporate strategy, communications, operations, customer service, and employee training at such world-class organizations as eBay, Radio Shack, Southwest Airlines, Bank of America, and Enterprise Rent-A-Car, the book demonstrates the positive effects of aligning goals and actions, building trust, and investing in the front line.

Table of Contents:
ContentsContentsContentsAcknowledgments ixIntroduction xiPart IBig Picture Essentials 11Organizing the Front Line: Turning Decisions into Actions Paul Rogers and Jenny Davis-Peccoud 32How Should the Front Line Really Treat Your Customers? Paul F. Nunes and Woodruff W. Driggs 153What Charles Taught Me about Trust at the Front Line Robert M. Galford and Woodruff W. Driggs 294A Mission for the Front Line Edward E. Lawler III 355The Case for the Chief Experience Officer Jeffrey F. Rayport 416Products, Customers, and Front-Line Employees Jay W. Lorsch 55Part IIRiffs on the Here and Now 637"We're Here to Help" (or Not) Monica Higgins 658The Seven Deadly Sins of Corporate Miscommunication Sam I. Hill and Rachel E. Hill 739No Time to Be Authentic? Ton Plekkenpol 81Part IIICase-Based Insights 8710Once upon a Time at San Juan Regional Medical Center Gary Adamson, B. Joseph Pine II, Tom Van Steenhoven, and Jodi Kroupa 8911Strategy and Style: Len Roberts at RadioShack V. Kasturi Rangan and Marie Bell 10512Connecting with Employees through Front-Line Leadership: Lessons from Southwest Airlines Jody Hoffer Gittell 125Part IVHistory Tells Us … 14113.Great Leaders Create Environments That Unlock Potential and Lift the Human Spirit Michael Lee Stallard, Carolyn Dewing-Hommes, and Jason Pankau 143Index 167About the Editor and Contributors 169

About the Author :
Regina Fazio Maruca is a freelance business writer and editor, specializing in marketing, branding, leadership, and organizational culture. Also a Principal at the Center for Executive Development, she has served as a Senior Editor at the Harvard Business Review, reporter and editor at Boston Business Journal, and Associate Managing Editor at New England Business Magazine, and has conducted interviews with high-profile business leaders for Fast Company. Since 2000 she has provided editorial, writing, and research services for authors at such organizations as Harvard Business School, Bain & Co., Accenture, the Committee of 200, and Boston University.

Review :
Leading consultants, academics, and business people explore issues involved in the management of front line employees from a variety of perspectives. The 13 contributions address such topics as tailoring employee training and standards to meet customers' expectations; promoting authentic engagement with customers; and creating environments that unlock potential.