Customer Reviews

Bury My Heart at Conference Room B: The Unbeatable Impact of Truly Committed Managers

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

A number of the reviews of Bury My Heart at Conference Room B reference

having experienced it as a solution delivered within their company, which

the author states was used to test the book's central premise and gather

deep input from managers around the world before he wrote the book.

I am one of those managers whose career and life have been impacted by this process.

I was amazed that such an intense and individualized experience could be translated into a general

read. I don't know how he did it.

I still have my copy of the shorter "workbook" from that session all these years

later -- well thumbed and annotated. After reading the review complaining that

the content is identical to the workbook I compared the two. They are

sitting side by side as I write this and, as a rough estimate, I find that

about 65% of the book content is completely new or significantly reframed.

There is new documentation of results; interviews, case studies and stories;

tools for discovering personal values; applications for resolving management

issues and implementing the process within my own team, with my own manager

and company-wide; applications for use at home with my partner, children and

friends; a great chapter on how the brain works when deciding to commit; the

framing of the issue as a larger business concern and detailed research

notes. All of this is original to the book and even the central values

reduction exercise has been expanded.

As an Amazon customer and a regular purchaser of business books. I

don't recall ever seeing such a gap between reviews. Most of the reader

reviews for Bury My Heart at Conference Room B are detailed five-star

commentaries and testimonials of results yet oddly there is a column of

one-star reviews. These opinions should be respected but personally I find it fascinating

that the one-star reviews rarely address the central premise of the book: are we, as managers, living our own

deep values at work and is this affecting our emotional commitment to the

enterprise and our own success and fulfillment? That is the critical issue

this book confronts and confronts extraordinarily well: passionate,

engaging, tactical, well researched and documented. I thought it a stunning

read and will unhesitatingly recommend it to others.

This book captures what so many hearts struggle to express. I know this content can have a profound impact on the leadership ethos of large corporations, but I've also been challenged to bring it to life in the small space I inhabit. Putting family and integrity at the top of the list with my clients, employees, family and friends is a tough challenge. I've been rejuvenated to keep on trying by this pragmatic, sarcastic, bad boy/good guy book.

Rare is a book that is both inspirational and practical. This one is. It goes on my leadership shelf next to The Power Principle, Principle-Centered Leadership, A Leader's Legacy and The Making of A Leader. Select company. Well-deserved.

Thanks, Stan.

Within hours of its arrival, this book was immediately and directly useful to me. Really. As a management consultant specializing in coaching executive teams, I am continually dealing with the consequences of the background mood of resignation that pervades so many enterprises; too many talented people living inside a story that nothing they say or do will really make any difference.

Here's what worked for me: before and during my last three client engagements, I flipped open Stan Slap's book at random, and read a paragraph or two. The subsequent short reflection instantly connected my heart, mind and body with my reason for being there. My game lifted immediately. And so did that of my clients. In my library I have some great books about various aspects of improving and transforming business, but none of them come close to offering that kind of rapidly accessible inspiration.

Bury My Heart at Conference Room B has the kind of authenticity that can only come from working with directly with hundreds, if not thousands of people. Personally, I'm a little over the pseudo academic research approach that is so popular in contemporary management literature. Slap's polemic style has an urgency that is more appropriate to the subject matter. He doesn't hide his passion in this relentless riff on what he calls emotional commitment. At the same time, for me he really delivers the goods by laying out a practical, adaptable plan, while his real life examples impart the grounded confidence to turn insight into action.

In his hip, conversational, seminar leader tone, that is at once irreverent and sincere, Slap lays out his method for aligning personal and organizational values. He does it in bite-sized pieces that are perfectly chunked for busy managers (which has given me confidence to recommend it to my clients).

I found some of the book's chapter and section headings a bit too clever for my taste: "Wallet. Heart. Keys" and "The Dream Denied" didn't tell me much, and thus hindered the kind of casual, diagonal first reading that many busy people like me prefer and enjoy. Nevertheless the book has a solid logic to its unfolding. Slap spices the journey with punchy anecdotes; and includes scores of absorbing snippets in a quirkily attractive "research notes" section at the back.

If you are looking for (yet another) thoughtful analysis, in-depth treatment, with a fresh and well-structured approach, case studies and novel ideas for addressing the "perennial challenge" of motivation and engagement, don't buy this book. If, on the other hand, you want an actionable and versatile way to engage your people with their work for all the right reasons, and to connect their work and life as never before, Bury My Heart at Conference Room B is not only compelling reading, it will get you into action.

Finally, if you want a book you can hang out with long-term, that when you pick it up you can absolutely count on it to remind you, time and again, why you are REALLY here in your work, then don't miss this one.

I have had the opportunity to participate in the Bury My Heart in Conference Room B (BMH) training three separate times - as an individual contributor in a silicon valley start-up company, a manager in a medium sized software company, and as a RVP in a Fortune 200 company. With experience and confidence, I can say that the book is applicable to any size company, regardless of role or level of responsibility.

Results - as the RVP I addressed 100 partners, employees, my manager, Sr leadership and did the "these are my values, this is how I run our business, this is where I'm going, follow me" presentation that Stan outlines in the book. Was I nervous? incredibly so. Could this have been a Career Limiting Move - possibly.

The outcome/impact was far beyond my expectations:

- Sales were up 30% the next quarter.

- Turnover was reduced.

- Two partners walked up to me and said, "We are proud to call ourselves your partner"

- Employee walked up in tears and said "thank you for showing your strength. Im going to change"

- Internal executives - I solidified myself as a trusted leader, business partner.

- My internal brand increased - people wanted to be on my team, be in my "family".

- My direct manager - he deepened his respect for me, he learned who I truly was and our relationship became stronger.

- Most importantly for myself - it was a breakthrough. it was therapy. it was real. once you know who you are, you begin to realize how powerful you are. You begin to understand the impact you can have on the world. Who wants to live life halfway - half of who they are?? half of what they can truly accomplish??

The book will enable the reader to develop a foundation to understand themselves, thier core values. Once the values are understood, the book outlines how to lead yourself, your team, according to those values. The book is a gift for change.

Only when you know who you are, do you have the opportunity to lead.

Slaps states that what every manager in every company has in common is that they are human. When this humanity is denied by an anxious corporate organism, no one acts naturally. Managers are expected to form stable, selfless, giving and forgiving relationships with companies that are ever-changing, selfish, greedy and unforgiving. No one feels safe or trusts anyone else. People detach to protect themselves. No one emotionally commits. Part 1 and 2 of the book explain why it is important to achieve emotional commitment from managers because if you were able to do so, you are able to trigger "discretionary effort" which is worth more than financial, intellectual and physical commitment combined. The source of emotional commitment is the ability for you to live your own deepest values in a relationship or work environment - in other words, make decisions based on what you most deeply believe is the right way to live. You feel safe. You trust. Your personal values are aligned with your behavior and decisions. The essence of leadership is that leaders are people who live their deepest personal values without compromise and they use these values to make life better for others - this is why people become leaders and why people follow leaders. Part 3 of the book helps you with an exercise to find your values and influences among a laundry list of 50. Part 4 assists you with personal and professional implementation.

My thoughts on the book:

- The core premise of this book is on point. However taking the conceptual theory and applying it to day-to-day behavior feels like dieting or exercise. Tough slog. Inching up one day, back the next. I believe implementation of the concepts would be far easier if you were at helm of a small or large company where you set cultural tone and manage behaviors - it is quite challenging to walk the talk in middle management given the relentless pressures from above. However it is certainly aspirational.

- Slap is authentic and inspirational in his writing. The book is well written and structured. The book is written in 2-way conversational tone. It is entertaining and departs from the grind of your normal 10 steps to success self-help book.

- Very engaging stories and not the tired old Southwest Airlines-type of examples you normally find. This kept me attentive.

- The personal value finding and setting exercise was particularly valuable (and challenging). Had several ah-ha moments here.

Slap's introduction states that managers who implemented concepts and methods included in this book realized a "Transformational experience, rattling their bones and homesteading in their souls" - the big question is whether it can be deployed in corporate America and if so, how long it all sticks. That being said, this book is recommended reading for fellow managers.

Having worked in training & development, management consulting, and having sat through, read, edited and written many management training courses both online and in class - Stan's work is a favorite.

There are a few reasons why I have mailed this book to over a dozen entrepreneurs, small business owners, and first time managers that I know...

The first... "People leave managers, not companies". You can probably find the exact poll on gallup, but I know enough people (friends, family and clients) who have left or stayed and suffered through terrible managers to know this saying is not a myth. I love Stan's book because it speaks directly to a manager to help them identify their values, create the picture of the future, and get people on board.

The second... "You have to take care of yourself before you can take care of anyone else?". This concept is so true in life and somehow gets totally missed in the area of development at work. I love the ways you can apply the info in this book when you are new to an organization and need to get aligned, as well as how to use the info to establish and share your own values and vision for your people.

Finally... Stan's tone is interesting and engaging and brings up larger ideas around the kind of culture you might want to establish at your company.

Great read.

I always wonder about book reviews, as it is hard to gauge whether the reviewer is coming from a relevant perspective. Here is a bit about me so that you can determine whether my perspective is relevant to your decision about whether or not to invest your time and money in this book.

I am a vice president and general manager for a large high tech company and manage an organization of several hundred people. I was trained on the material in Bury My Heart at Conference Room B several years ago and have leveraged the methodology that Stan Slap lays out in the book ever since. I have also worked directly for two of the executives highlighted in the book and have seen first hand the impact that it has had on their lives, their leadership styles, and the results they have driven.

My Thoughts on Bury My Heart at Conference Room B:

I was initially concerned when I first heard this book was being published as I wondered whether or not the material I had learned in a classroom training session could effectively be delivered in a book. Not just regurgitated - effectively delivered. You see, the material in this book isn't just about a few trite leadership quick-fixes combined together so that you can try them out in your next staff meeting. It is not about making a sappy speech to your team to trick them into delivering better results. It is about understanding and communicating what makes you tick and establishing REAL bonds with your team, your peers, and your upper management that go far beyond the traditional workplace interactions. This combination not only drives high employee satisfaction, it drives sustainable business results. When the book shipped, I went through it cover to cover to see if the author was able to pull off this exceptional challenge; in my humble opinion - he knocked it out of the park.

The book is very well written and while it will challenge you, you will also find that it is thoroughly entertaining. If you invest the time not just to read this book, but also to actually put in the thought and work through the exercises, here is what you have the opportunity to achieve:

1. A clear definition of your core values and why they are what they are

2. A better understanding of what truly motivates people

3. A clear process for communicating and living your core values (both at home and at work) in a fashion that provides personal satisfaction and a truly satisfied and committed team

4. Sustainable (not just flash in the pan) business goal achievement as a result of 1-3 above

I highly encourage you to read Bury My Heart at Conference Room B and take this journey; it has made a huge impact in my life and the lives of those with whom I work. I know that I am better prepared to tackle each new challenge I face (both personal and professional) as a result of the material contained in this book. Get ready for a thought provoking, exciting, and eye opening experience.

Simply stated - "Be Human First, A Manager Second"...

I purchased this book for every member of my sales team. I asked each team member to look long and hard at their own values and why those values are so important....the results have been (and continue to be) amazing - my sales team has found a "better place" that continues to evolve. We have accomplished something more important than simply exceeding a sales quota last year (an important #1 priority!)- we have created a culture that is focused on passion, trust and family. We live that culture - tell stories about that culture and most important, enjoy the culture.

Stan Slap's book is not only game changing - it is life changing...read it, have your team read it...focus on getting yourself and your team to that "better place". The best part is that you and your team get to shape, define and live that "better place".

I understand now - more than ever - what my team is willing to do, not just to survive, but how we can exceed all expectations at work and at home. An amazing book...always on my desk within arms reach.

Live your personal values at work? Work supports my "real life"? Are you kidding me? Nonsense!!!!

Its hard to categorize Bury My Heart At Conference Room B as a "management" or "leadership" book. While it certainly will help you become a better manager and leader, the real impact it will have is to help you become a better person. This notion can be summed up by the quote "Be human first. Be a manager second"

Slap's writing style shows his passion for the topic and for life. He tells real world stories that at times seem disjointed to the moment in time but you will later have that "ah ha" moment when you think to yourself "thats why he told that story earlier". Unlike any business book you will ever read, Bury My Heart seems to be written by a real human with a real heart who truly wants the reader to live their personal values and in so doing, become a better leader and manager.

Companies spend millions developing and improving process, teach so called management techniques and untold millions are wasted on leadership "training". Bury My Heart teaches us that by building a culture that values and supports an individual's personal values, a company can gain unbelievable commitment from its managers and ultimately employees that will turn companies into machines that will grow beyond expectations and survive even the hardest economic times.

The book is a fun read that really makes you think. Its not one you will be able to read on a plane then put on the bookshelf next to all your other management and leadership books. You will want to share both the book and excerpts from it with others and I find myself picking it up regularly and rereading chapters as a reminder.

Seems a simple premise to live your personal values at work to gain commitment from your managers. But read Bury My Heart to get a grasp on what that really means. Its not easy but the results will be huge.

The paradigm needs to shift, and "Bury My Heart At Conference Room B" explains exactly why.

With nearly 20 years under my belt working for the world's largest transportation company, I understand the limitations associated with trying to motivate managers and employees by way of threats, bribes, inhuman performance metrics that cannot be obtained without cheating, and other forms of brow-beating that simply leaves those most important elements of a corporation's profitability feeling depressed, compromised, and in various states of ill-health. Slap's book pinpoints exactly why many of today's business operators fall short of giving everything they've got, and most importantly it plots the course for companies that want to get to the other side - obtaining absolute, maximum commitment from leadership at all levels of the enterprise and unleashing the greatest potential for performance.

The book dives deep into the function of the human mind and its inherent hunger for gratification. Rewards, as it turns out, are not always a function of bonuses and high-profile parking spaces. The brain wants more; in fact needs more on both cognitive and emotional levels to feel inspired to create what the author refers to as a "better place". That "better place" and the underlying desire to get there involves emotional attachment from the mail room to the board room. Get that from the people and victory is imminent.

Globalized competition is here to stay, and there are plenty of progressive underdogs willing to take out the complacent bullies at the top. They are doing that by allowing their people to live their values at work, while the managers and employees of Old School Management Incorporated are checking their personal ideals at the door - both on the way in, and on the way out.

This book is an easy read, well-structured, and injected with tidbits and nuggets of wisdom and humor throughout the text. The "grey pages" near the back of the book are particularly poignant, and are splashed with many pleasant quotes and notes.

Bottom line: "Bury My Heart At Conference Room B" strikes at the heart and mind of what truly motivates people to do and be their best. Companies, big or small, will benefit from information contained within.