Performance Talk: The One-on-One Part of Leadership [Paperback]

Wally Bock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 2006

Follow the fictional story of Karen, a newly promoted supervisor, and learn how to successfully talk to your staff, influence their behavior and help them to grow and develop. This is an essential business manual that's full of resources, reminders, learning points and tips to help you become a more effective leader.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Want to be a better boss? The difference between a good manager and a great one is often the ability to talk to your staff about their performance. Now there’s a book filled with effective and practical advice on how to do it: Wally Bock’s innovative Performance Talk: The One-on-One Part of Leadership. Using a fictional supervisor, Karen, Bock teaches you how to motivate your people, influence their behavior and help them reach their full potential. Based on solid behavioral science research, this wise and enjoyable book provides a system that helps you prepare for and conduct supervisory interviews that get results. Each chapter includes specific key points, reminders, learning aids and resources for further development. You’ll learn how to use the personal styles and strengths of your people to your advantage. You’ll discover how to improve your odds that conversations with subordinates will come out the way you want. And you’ll have specific tools for analyzing performance problems, setting objectives, and planning and carrying out supervisory interviews. This is not just another business book. It’s the one manual you need to make the most of being a manager.

"Performance Talk is a super read rich in content. In the story portion you can feel the emotions and issues as well as understand them. The review points and resources give you more tools to understand how to use the principles in your own business." --Roy Haggerty, President and CEO, Ajilon Consulting & Communications

Product Details

• Paperback: 138 pages
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (March 2, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1419624555
• ISBN-13: 978-1419624551
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,639,418 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Engaging Approach to a Difficult Aspect of Leadership, April 2, 2006

By 

T. E. Engells "tengells" (Houston, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Performance Talk: The One-on-One Part of Leadership (Paperback)

Wally Bock, a leadership consultant and author, has written an interesting and engaging book on performance. Unlike the hundreds, if not thousands, of books written on the topic of leadership, supervision and practical supervisory skills during the last fifty years, this book is both valuable as a text and as a continuing resource.

The book, less than one hundred and twenty pages, is really two books in one. The first book could be labeled the "story". The "story" is a well written narrative involving Karen, a new supervisor facing some real work performance problems with "Ted". The story slowly unfolds to include a supervisory support group and a constellation of experienced mentors. As the reader follows Karen's growth during her first six months as a supervisor, the theories, strategies and tactics of effective supervision are woven into the fabric of this short story (less than eighty pages) in a conversational and engaging style.

The second book found within Performance Talks is labeled as "reminders and resources". In those forty pages topics as varied as problem analysis, supervisory interviews and supervisory leadership are addressed in direct fashion. Each topic addressed which is directly linked to the "story", is structured into "Key Points" and "Resources to Help You Improve". The key points are a collection of lessons to be gained from that element of the topic of performance talks, but the resource section is an unrivalled collection of topic specific references to other books, websites and journals.

Bock's book is certainly unique and a bit quirky. If you use the litmus test with business literature of "Was it useful?" than Bock's book passes the test. This short book may prompt change both in your individual development as well as the development of junior leaders.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly useful and entertaining, July 28, 2006

By 

Robert W. Bly (Rivervale, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Performance Talk: The One-on-One Part of Leadership (Paperback)

I normally stay away from (a) books on leadership and (b) business books written in story form. But Wally is one of the smartest guys I know, and this little book is surprisingly entertaining and useful. Unlike other books on leadership which are ponderous and dull, this book is fun and motivating.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two Thumbs Up for "Performance Talk", April 3, 2006

By 

Michael Thomas (Hollywood, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Performance Talk: The One-on-One Part of Leadership (Paperback)

If you are in the business of managing people then this book is a must read. "Performance Talk" is easy reading, a little over a 100 pages, and a book you will not want to put down. This book needs to be in every Manager's tool box and should be required reading for ALL Supervisors regardless of the industry or profession they work in. "This stuff really works!"