Squawk!: How to Stop Making Noise and Start Getting Results (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: turtle pool, superior managers, other gulls, Travis Bradberry, Full-Fledged Expectations, Communication That Clicks (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Dr. Bradberry provides a wonderful solution with an easy-to-understand and utilize three-step model that allows you to engage your team and generate improved results. Read it, and you’ll see a positive change in your future!" -- Robert Savage, COO, Taco Bell, Yum Brands

"I’ve been talking about seagull management for years. If you want to understand how to turn it around, read Travis Bradberry’s Squawk!" -- Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The One Minute Manager (R) and The One Minute Entrepreneur (TM)

"Squawk has a central theme I find near and dear—the tendency of managers to move so fast from problem to problem that they forget people are involved. People need time and attention, and this book is an important reminder that great management doesn’t happen on the fly." -- Stephen Lundin, coauthor of Fish! (R) and author of Cats

"Squawk! is simple, yet powerful, and very entertaining. It provides a valuable illustration of how to get more from your team, and I was able to get through it in just one flight." -- Dennis Sadlowski, president and CEO, Siemens Energy and Automation

Companies are losing their top talent every day, and many of those departing do so on entrepreneurial wings. If you want to prevent this and learn to keep your flock together in friendlier skies, read this little fable and take its big lessons to heart! -- Michael E. Gerber, bestselling author of the E-Myth and Awakening the Entrepreneur Within

Dr. Bradberry provides a wonderful solution with an easy-to-understand and utilize three-step model that allows you to engage your team and generate improved results. Read it, and you'll see a positive change in your future! -- Robert Savage, COO, Taco Bell, Yum Brands

I've been talking about seagull management for years. If you want to understand how to turn it around, read Travis Bradberry's Squawk! -- Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The One Minute Manager (R) and The One Minute Entrepreneur (TM)

Squawk has a central theme I find near and dear-the tendency of managers to move so fast from problem to problem that they forget people are involved. People need time and attention, and this book is an important reminder that great management doesn't happen on the fly. -- Stephen Lundin, coauthor of Fish! (R) and author of Cats

Squawk! is simple, yet powerful, and very entertaining. It provides a valuable illustration of how to get more from your team, and I was able to get through it in just one flight. -- Dennis Sadlowski, president and CEO, Siemens Energy and Automation

There are several powerful leadership messages woven into this entertaining and memorable parable-teaching me when I was least prepared (and most ready) for it. I have a list of ten colleagues who will be getting a most-unexpected gift. -- Kenneth Forster, director, Global Customer Strategy, the Coca-Cola Company

Review

"Squawk! is simple, yet powerful, and very entertaining. It provides a valuable illustration of how to get more from your team, and I was able to get through it in just one flight." (Dennis Sadlowski, president and CEO, Siemens Energy and Automation )

"Squawk has a central theme I find near and dear-the tendency of managers to move so fast from problem to problem that they forget people are involved. People need time and attention, and this book is an important reminder that great management doesn't happen on the fly." (Stephen Lundin, coauthor of Fish! (R) and author of Cats )

"Companies are losing their top talent every day, and many of those departing do so on entrepreneurial wings. If you want to prevent this and learn to keep your flock together in friendlier skies, read this little fable and take its big lessons to heart!" (Michael E. Gerber, bestselling author of the E-Myth and Awakening the Entrepreneur Within )

"Squawk! is as profound as it is fun! A must-read for every manager." (Ron McMillan, bestselling coauthor of Crucial Conversations, Crucial Confrontations, and Influencer )

"I've been talking about seagull management for years. If you want to understand how to turn it around, read Travis Bradberry's Squawk!" (Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The One Minute Manager (R) and The One Minute Entrepreneur (TM) )

"There are several powerful leadership messages woven into this entertaining and memorable parable-teaching me when I was least prepared (and most ready) for it. I have a list of ten colleagues who will be getting a most-unexpected gift." (Kenneth Forster, director, Global Customer Strategy, the Coca-Cola Company )

"Dr. Bradberry provides a wonderful solution with an easy-to-understand and utilize three-step model that allows you to engage your team and generate improved results. Read it, and you'll see a positive change in your future!" (Robert Savage, COO, Taco Bell, Yum Brands )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: HarperBusiness; 1 edition (September 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061562343
• ISBN-13: 978-0061562341
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (89 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #225,096 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Three Simple Steps to being a Better Manager, August 27, 2008

By	John Chancellor "Mentor coach, www.teachtheso... (New Orleans) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

(What's this?)

Squawk gives you three simple and easy to implement steps to becoming a more effective manager. The book presents these steps in a very engaging story form.

But first let's review some of the reasons you need to take Squawk seriously.

Thirty-two percent of employees spend at lest twenty hours per month complaining about their bosses. Probably a lot of those twenty hours are on company time.

More than 66% of employees are actively considering leaving their current job.

Employers suffer in excess of $360 billion in annual losses due to employee dissatisfaction.

Most managers believe their focus should be in bringing in the numbers ... but most get fired because of poor people skills.

Travis Bradberry uses the seagull as a symbol for today's manager. All too often today's manager swoops in, fails to get complete details of what is happening, squawks up a storm, deposits/dumps on the workers and leaves a mess for others to clean up.

The seagull manager is showing up more and more in today's workplace.

Bradberry gives three simple but effective techniques to shift the way you manage.

1. Set full fledged expectations - make sure the employee's efforts are spent doing the right things the right way. Let them know what is expected and how they will be evaluated in the future. Be sure to get agreement and commitment to work toward established goals.

2. Communication that clicks. Too often managers do not communicate enough and only communicate when things go wrong. Observe what employees say and do and speak openly with them about their work. Communication clicks when it is frequent and in a langauge everyone understands.

3. Paws on Performance - pay attention to each employee's performance - offer praise as often as constructive feedback. Keep your paws on performance.

This is a delightful little book, it can be read in a couple of hours. But the lessons, if implemented, will last a lifetime. It is very simple and straightforward. Anyone can understand and implement the principles.

59 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Swooping in, September 8, 2008

By	Lynellen Perry "lynellen.com" (Dumfries, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

(What's this?)

This is a fun little book in the spirit of "Who Moved My Cheese?"...a fable that tries to show (instead of tell) how a seagull manager can improve their leadership skills. I hadn't heard the term 'seagull manager', but it makes a lot of sense: "swooping in on a problem, squawking up a storm, and flapping our wings about, only to discover that we have just pooped all over everything."

Some of the quotes that I like in the book: "To manage is to achieve results by making use of what you have available to you. If you aren't setting crystal clear expectations with every member of your flock, you won't see results." "Your sole purpose as a manager is to guide your employees to results." And you have to get into the details of HOW they are to do the job. "The toughest part of being a manager is constructively correcting employees when they're off track." And managers can't do this only when it is convenient, flying in at the last second. Managers have to be around the employee routinely, and make sure to balance criticism with praise.

I'm sure its nothing you haven't read before, but it is a nice retelling.

103 of 118 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should become a classic business parable!, August 28, 2008

By	Monty Rainey (New Braunfels, TX) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

(What's this?)

I love parables/fables, especially in the business/self improvement genres. SQUAWK! by Travis Bradberry is one of the best ever. This ranks right up there with "Who Moved My Cheese" and "Our Iceberg is Melting" and should become a classic.

I don't know of anyone in business management that will not learn a great deal from this book. More than anything, Bradberry forces the reader to do a bit of self-examining, that really forces you take these lessons to heart.

This is an entertaining read. At times, light-hearted, but the lessons here are very serious. Contained are some easy to understand and just as easy to apply lessons of leadership.