Fired Up or Burned Out: How to Reignite Your Team's Passion, Creativity, and Productivity [Hardcover]

Michael L. Stallard (Author), Carolyn Dewing-Hommes (Contributor), Jason Pankau (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 3, 2007

Now in paperback from Michael Stallard!

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A fabulous book, a must read!" -- Jack Mitchell, Chairman and CEO of Mitchells/Richards/Marshs, Author of Hug Your Customers: The Proven Way to Personalize Sales and Achieve Astounding Results

"An enthralling and impressive work. It shows how to empower people and create great societies, corporations and cultures. I'm giving it to everyone at my own firm." -- Russell Reynolds, Jr., Founder and Former CEO, Russell Reynolds Associates; Chairman, The Directorship Search Group

"In our turbulent times, leaders who are searching for ways to develop the healthy work environment that releases the energy of their people, releases the human spirit, could not find a more inspiring support than this great new resource for leaders in the corporate, government and social sectors. Fired Up or Burned Out will be the indispensable leadership guide for leaders everywhere." -- Frances Hesselbein, Chairman and Founding President, The Peter Drucker Foundation (Renamed the Leader to Leader Institute)

"Reading this book is like having a great conversation; new and interesting people join in along the way, adding their own personal and varied insights, and encouraging an increasingly smart and useful dialogue. Readers are compelled to emerge smarter, more thoughtful, and more energized and engaging with this book." -- Regina Fazio Maruca, former Senior Editor, Harvard Business Review, Coauthor Your Leadership Legacy

"Stallard's strategy gives business owners the tools to energize and strengthen their employees. Fired Up or Burned Out is a must-read for leaders who are looking for new ways to inspire spirit in the workplace." -- Shep & Ian Murray, Co-Founders and CEOs of vineyard vines

"Through fascinating stories, Fired Up or Burned Out convinced me of the power of connection, in life and in work. It helped me see what is missing in so many organizations. Just as important, I learned what to do about it." -- Marian Chapman Moore, Professor, Academic Director, Darden MBA for Executives, Darden Graduate School of Business, University of Virginia

"Pragmatic...not PollyAnnaish...The soft stuff counts and Stallard's book helps fluff the pillows...It's impossible not to find some example that will make you rethink your own approach to other people in your working life." -- Michael Fitzgerald Columnist, The New York Times (on BNet)

"This is a very big idea. While it's simple, it's not easy to do, but it's important. Hurry!" -- Seth Godin, Author, The Dip

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson; annotated edition edition (July 3, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785223584
• ISBN-13: 978-0785223580
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (85 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,000,686 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Lee Stallard is a leading authority on leadership, employee engagement and customer engagement. He is the co-founder, president and CEO of E Pluribus Partners, a consulting firm that specializes in helping leaders create "Connection Cultures" to form strong bonds among the management, employees and customers of an organization. Connection Cultures increase employee and customer engagement as well as productivity, profitability, innovation, employee retention and customer loyalty. E Pluribus Partners' clients have included Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, General Electric, UBS, General Re and several hedge funds. General Electric recently revised its leadership training course to incorporate Michael's work.

Michael is the primary author of the book Fired Up or Burned Out. It has been widely praised by well-respected leaders and thought leaders. Marketing maven and bestselling author Seth Godin wrote, "this is a very big idea. While it's simple, it's not easy to do, but it's important. Hurry!" Frances Hesselbein, Chairman of the Leader to Leader Institute, described the book as "the indispensable leadership guide for leaders everywhere." Russell Reynolds, Jr., founder and former CEO of Russell Reynolds Associates wrote, "An enthralling and impressive work. It shows how to empower people and create great societies, corporations and cultures. I'm giving it to everyone at my own firm." William A. Holstein of The New York Times wrote that Michael's ideas on connection reflect "great wisdom." Michael Fitzgerald, who writes for The Economist and Inc wrote on BNet, "The soft stuff counts and Stallard's book helps...It's impossible not to find some example that will make you rethink your own approach to other people in your working life." Fired Up or Burned Out has also been praised by executive coach and best-selling author Marshall Goldsmith as a book that contains ideas that help leaders engage knowledge workers.

Michael's work has been in the media including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Leader to Leader, Leadership Excellence, M World: The Journal of the American Management Association, Perdido, Live Mint (in India), Shukan Daiyamondo (in Japan), Capital (in Dubai), Rotman Magazine of The University of Toronto (Canada in Spring 2009) and Fox Business Now. He is a regular contributor to India's largest circulated business daily newspaper, The Economic Times. Michael has spoken at conferences organized by Fortune magazine, The World Presidents Organization, the American Bankers Association, The Corporate Executive Board, the Innovation Council and the Investment Company Institute. He is a guest lecturer on employee and customer engagement at New York University's Stern School of Business, The University of Virginia's Darden School of Business, and the Center for Creative Leadership.

Prior to founding E Pluribus Partners, Michael was chief marketing officer for businesses at Charles Schwab and Morgan Stanley. The programs identified and implemented by the team he assembled and led at Morgan Stanley contributed to doubling the business unit's revenues over a two year period. The practices he and his team developed became the genesis for his approach to elevating the productivity and innovation of individuals and organizations. Earlier in his career, Michael worked as an executive in investment banking, marketing, finance and business development-related positions at Texas Instruments, Van Kampen Investments and Barclays Bank, PLC. Michael's educational background includes a bachelor's degree in marketing from Illinois State University, an M.B.A. from University of Texas Permian Basin, and a J.D. from DePaul University Law School. He was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1991. Michael is married and has two daughters.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Connectors, Disconnectors; Productivity, and Passion, August 18, 2007

By 

Thomas M. Loarie (Danville, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fired Up or Burned Out: How to Reignite Your Team's Passion, Creativity, and Productivity (Hardcover)

Michael Stallard's "Fired Up or Burned Out" addresses organizational and personal passion, creativity, and productivity. Stallard notes in his introduction that fewer than three in ten Americans are engaged in their jobs (surviving rather than thriving), and sets about to explain why and how it can be fixed.

"Fired Up" is organized into four sections (and 15 chapters): what fires us up; the keys to connecting a team and lighting their fires; where it begins; and lessons from twenty great leaders. Each section begins with a "What you will learn guide," and each chapter ends with a "Review, Reflection, and Application" summary. The former provides the theme and the latter provides an excellent reference for future review.

What you will learn includes:

* Why a sense of emotional connection is necessary for people and organizations to thrive.

* How the oft discussed elements of vision, value, and voice are reflected in the richer concepts of inspiring identity, human value, and knowledge flow.

* Why connection depends on the right kind of people whose actions increase connection.

* The three types of people who affect connection: intentional disconnectors, unintentional disconnectors, and intentional connectors.

Stallard begins with the fundamental belief that all people want and need to feel valued and shows how the "Power of Connection" works to this end. "Connection meets basic human psychological needs for respect, recognition, belonging, autonomy, personal growth, and meaning." People with a higher degree of connection experience superior mental and physical health improving the performance of both. And the lack of connection will gradually diminish both leading to burn out.

Psychiatrists have also observed that the lack of connection leads to feelings of loneliness, isolation, confusion resulting in behaviors of distrust, disrespect, and dissatisfaction. And at a time when the public is concerned about organizational ethics, it has been noted that in cultures where large numbers of people are disconnected, unethical behavior is more likely to occur.

Stallard links connection to vision, value and voice. Many business authors have underscored the value of the first two elements but less has been written on "voice." I found the discussion of "voice" one of the most interesting and refreshing aspects of this excellent book. Stallard explains in detail how "voice" or knowledge flow increases connection and fires up people, helps people to make better decisions (the wisdom of the crowd), and increases creativity and innovation. He then suggest several strategies on how to increase knowledge flow within the organization - top to bottom, bottom to top, and across all functions.

Author Michael Stallard has had an interest in work cultures throughout his career as he wanted to understand the culture that would bring out the best in himself. His interest led to a generalized notion of what would bring out the best in all, and left Wall Street in 2002 to start a think tank, E Pluribus Partners, to assist people and organizations in achieving their potential.

The final section, "Learn from Twenty Great Leaders Over Twenty Days" provides excellent examples of Stallard's principles in practice by great leaders - Marquis de Lafayette, George Washington, John Wooden, Howard Schultz, and many others.

"Fired Up" is an excellent read for those who lead, those who want to lead, and, even, for those who do not want to lead. All can fall into the traps of life that lead to failure. "Fired Up" shows us a practical way to avoid these traps and to live a full, productive life.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Passion and Connection, February 13, 2008

By 

Steven K. Szmutko (EWING, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fired Up or Burned Out: How to Reignite Your Team's Passion, Creativity, and Productivity (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

The power of connection is at once essential and evasive. The good organizations have it, the mediocre organizations give lip service to it, and the poor organizations just don't care if they have it. Yet, for those leaders who seek greatness -- for themselves, their organizations, and their organizations -- connection and engagement are indispensible.

Co-author Michael Lee Stallard is the founder of E Pluribus Partners, an employee engagement consulting firm, concisely and inspiringly outlines the three keys to connections: Visions, Value, and Voice. Along with Carolyn Dewing-Hommes and Jason Pankau, he asserts that connection is neither created nor maintained through a panoply of superficialities, but rather through the clarity of example rooted in human integrity and concern. Without genuineness, team members will quickly disengage (and perhaps justifiably so) and seek connection elsewhere, if not physically, then at least mentally, emotionally and spiritually -- all with disastrous consequences for the organizations.

The first part of the book outlines the importance of connectivity and meaning. The second part moves into the three keys of Vision, Value and Voice with examples drawn from various areas of life. Part three delves into the leader as instrument of connection -- again reinforcing that to increase connectivity, he or she must embrace those qualities within their mind, heart and soul. Lastly, the authors offer a twenty-day "program," examples of leaders who have engaged their people in various endeavors. These can be read "one-a day" -- a daily dose of wisdom, or reviewed in various order.

Appendix A, a scant three pages, provides a roadmap by which anyone can begin to evaluate connectivity within their own organization. The key of course, is that the aspiring leader must approach each question with honesty and integrity -- even if the answers are discomforting and indicative of immediate action.

This is a great book. As someone who highly values the principles of connectivity, the authors have enable me to place my own personal experiences in a more structured context and provide a blueprint for my own leadership in different areas of my life.

Nicely done!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Where it starts, May 22, 2008

By 

Ellen Etc. (Northern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Fired Up or Burned Out: How to Reignite Your Team's Passion, Creativity, and Productivity (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

Working in retail as I do and applying the messages of this book to my own situation, I saw how dependent the tone of an organization is on the abilities of its managers and supervisors. You can do a lot on your own, but how functional a workplace is, and how fun or fulfilling it will be to work there, come from the immediate leadership. If you're grinding away in an atmosphere that undermines your ability to apply these principles, find a better work environment. And if you're using the principles the authors have presented, your "can do" attitude will help you find something better.

I liked how the book recaps main ideas at the end of each chapter for quick overview and reinforcement.