(Great) Employees Only: How Gifted Bosses Hire and De-Hire Their Way to Success [Hardcover]

Dale Dauten (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 18, 2006

"A mediocre employee in your group is more than one mediocre employee--he or she is a human multiplier-effect, to the downside. If you have even one mediocre employee, you have announced to the world that mediocrity is okay by you, while conceding that you are willing to slow the entire group for the sake of the worst employee.


Thus, allowing that one person to stay is not being kind or generous; it's dangerous. It's dangerous for the individual, who knows that, at some level, he or she is doing second-rate work, and who you are locking into mediocrity, and it is dangerous for the group, which is slowed and distracted."
--from (Great) Employees Only

"Dauten will challenge every preconceived notion you have about making your career take off."
--Harvey Mackay, author of Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive

"You'll rediscover the joy that's missing in your career, your coworkers, and yourself."
--Ken Elkins, former president and CEO, Pulitzer Broadcasting Company

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

From (Great) Employees Only:

"Let's say we have two managers who, on the same day, take over identical teams. Both are bright and eager to excel. One has read all the management books on motivation; the other has just this book to go by. Within six months, the first manager will have increased productivity by ten, maybe twenty percent. The second boss, using the GEO system (that's Great Employees Only), will have increased productivity by over 100 percent, while putting in one-third fewer hours at the office. Along the way, our second manager will have encountered less resistance, and will have made more friends, learned more, and had much more fun."

With lively language and entertaining stories, (Great) Employees Only reveals how gifted bosses hire, de-hire, and inspire, and shows you how to emulate their tactics to achieve stunning success. You'll get an insider's look at forty-eight insights developed from author Dale Dauten's research into America's most effective leaders, including what it takes to:

• Master the art of contrarian thinking
• Tap into the "underground" talent market
• Transform employees into lifelong allies
• Replace the act of "firing" with the graceful art of "de-hiring"
• Establish a culture that hires and de-hires for you
• Create the set-up-to-be-a-hero syndrome
• Enjoy the benefits of effortless leadership

This guide will show you how to do staffing right, letting you minimize your day-to-day managing and focus on the big issues of business. When you promote your best and get rid of the rest, great people will not only want to work for you, they'll feel appreciated, valued, and motivated. The title says it all—the secret to success is (Great) Employees Only.

Praise for (Great) Employees Only

"Dauten's work clearly soars ahead of his time. He is the Obi-Wan Kenobi of business consultants."
—Steve Chandler, author of The Story of You

"While Dale's writing will keep you up late reading, his book is like a great night's sleep—leaving you refreshed, renewed, and eager to try something new."
—Bill McLaughlin, President and CEO, Select Comfort (creator of the Sleep Number® bed)

From the Back Cover

"A mediocre employee in your group is more than one mediocre employee—he or she is a human multiplier-effect, to the downside. If you have even one mediocre employee, you have announced to the world that mediocrity is okay by you, while conceding that you are willing to slow the entire group for the sake of the worst employee.

Thus, allowing that one person to stay is not being kind or generous; it's dangerous. It's dangerous for the individual, who knows that, at some level, he or she is doing second-rate work, and who you are locking into mediocrity, and it is dangerous for the group, which is slowed and distracted."
—from (Great) Employees Only

"Dauten will challenge every preconceived notion you have about making your career take off."
—Harvey Mackay, author of Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive

"You'll rediscover the joy that's missing in your career, your coworkers, and yourself."
—Ken Elkins, former president and CEO, Pulitzer Broadcasting Company

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (September 18, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470007885
• ISBN-13: 978-0470007884
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,178,234 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Writing two newspaper columns a week, I'm always looking for good stories about the human side of business. If you have a charming, funny, infuriating or heartwarming episode of management, customer service or innovation, I'd love to hear it.

(The columns are "The Corporate Curmudgeon" and "Kate & Dale Talk Jobs", written with employment genius Kate Wendleton. Between the two, they run in over a hundred papers.)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of the best, March 12, 2007

By 

HM29 (Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: (Great) Employees Only: How Gifted Bosses Hire and De-Hire Their Way to Success (Hardcover)

There is a lot to like about this book. One, there is helpful, specific practical information on how to create a "hiring pool" to have better employees. Two, there is revolutionary thinking about "de-hiring." This sounds like a synonym for "firing" but it isn't... it's a new way to think about employees and how to motivate them to be top performers or motivate them to find a place where they can be (working elsewhere). Finally, the book is clever and witty. Dauten is a syndicated newspaper columnist, and his writing style is personal and warm. Don't be fooled by the light touch and humor -- this is a book that is both deeply philosophical and immediately practical. It's the employment equivalent of Good To Great.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another gem by Dale Dauten, March 9, 2007

By 

William L. Peper (Warren, Michigan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: (Great) Employees Only: How Gifted Bosses Hire and De-Hire Their Way to Success (Hardcover)

This book is one I recommend that every manager (or anyone aspiring to become a manager) read and study. Dauten focuses on a much-neglected topic -- the advantage of promoting healthy turnover and improving the performance of direct reports by ensuring that every employee produces results at an acceptable level.

Firing a terrible employee is a no-brainer. Dauten explores a more difficult and common problem, handling a long-term underachiever. He advocates a method of "de-hiring" in these situations.

Allowing employees to produce mediocre work indefinitely does not help the company, the manager, or the employee. Dauten advises that managers set quantifiable objectives that represent an appropriate level of performance, and not a minimum standard. If the employee understands that meeting this level of performance is a condition of employment, he will either rise to the occasion, try and fail to meet the standards and leave voluntarily, or understand better when terminated. This approach treats the employee with dignity, provides an opportunity for improved performance, and establishes clear expectations for the future.

This book is a quick read. Yet it contains principles that I continue to reference when coaching dozens of managers in the automotive retail industry.

5.0 out of 5 stars Required Reading for Enlightened Bosses, November 15, 2008

By 

Scott Ryan Jones "Global Sales & Marketing Le... (Atlanta, Georgia USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: (Great) Employees Only: How Gifted Bosses Hire and De-Hire Their Way to Success (Hardcover)

One of many great books by Dale Dauten, '(Great) Employees Only...' is a very approachable text on how gifted leaders attract superstars and redirect those that will never be. I've successfully used Dauten's approach to both hire superstars and 'dehire' underachieving team members to our mutual benefit. '(Great) Employees Only...' is required reading for my existing and aspiring managers and has been consistently well received. Highly recommended.