Most people fear having a miserable job, and some are stuck in this predicament. Even jobs with nice enticements like fame and money can leave employees feeling unfulfilled by meaninglessness. One person has a disproportionately large impact on this situation: the manager. She/he can help employees find meaning in their work. In this book, Lencioni describes how managers can gift this to their employees… and achieve better results along the way.
Lencioni has written another well-known classic book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. I suggest that this book fits in that same category of a classic. 80% of the book describes a story about a person named Brian. He’s a hard worker who knows how to get the most out of his employees by making their lives happier. He rises to the level of CEO only to have to sell his company.
He retires with his wife but finds that he cannot stay out of business for long. He’s too wired to enjoy developing companies. To exorcize his restlessness, he buys partial ownership in a nondescript, local pizza joint and begins to work his magic as a manager. He attempts to transform this business and prove his principles. Then life happens, and we, the readers, see how Lencioni’s perspective plays out.
The remaining 20% of the book fleshes out the management theory behind this fable, along with some pragmatic pointers for implementation. I am not a manager, but find that I accomplish the most when I am happiest. I, therefore, find Lencioni’s approach attractive and persuasive. I am motivated by measuring my successes while doing relevant/meaningful work among people who value me. Unfortunately, this simple rubric is not practiced by many managers, and Lencioni explores reasons why in the section on theory.
Although I once considered people-driven work as a pastor, I ended up in software development. Though I work in front of a computer for most of my time, I enjoy interacting with users and having an impact by working with medical researchers. This pattern very much fits Lencioni’s theory described here. This short book can enlighten many by its deceivingly simple message.
The Three Signs of a Miserable Job: A Fable for Managers (and Their Employees)
By Patrick Lencioni
Narrated by Dan Woren
Copyright (c) 2007
Random House Audio
ASIN B000VA1PCG
Length: 4:55
Genre: Business/Management, Fiction
www.amazon.com