Helping People Win at Work: A Business Philosophy Called ''Don't Mark My Paper, Help Me Get an A'' (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Garry Ridge (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Ken Blanchard's Leading at a Higher Level techniques are inspiring thousands of leaders to build high-performing organizations that make life better for everyone. Now, Blanchard and WD-40 Company leader Garry Ridge reveal how WD-40 has used Blanchard's techniques of Partnering for Performance with every employee--achieving levels of engagement and commitment that have fortified the bottom line. Ridge introduces WD-40 Company's year-round performance review system, explaining its goals, features, and the cultural changes it requires. Next, he shares his leadership point of view: what he expects of people, what they can expect of him, and where his beliefs about leadership and motivation come from. Finally, Ken Blanchard explains why WD-40 Company's Partnering for Performance system works so well--and how to leverage its high-value techniques in your organization. Partnering to help virtually everyone succeed Stop building failure into your mentoring of employees Agreeing on what to evaluate and how to evaluate it SMART goal setting: specific, motivational, attainable, relevant, and trackable Coaching via Situational Leadership(R) II Help people move through all four stages of mastery Building a tribe, not just a team Create a culture that shares knowledge and encourages nonstop learning "I'm thrilled that the first book in our Leading at a Higher Level series is with Garry Ridge, president of WD-40 Company. For years I've been concerned about how people's performance is evaluated. People are often forced into a normal distribution curve, or even worse, rank ordered. Not only does this not build trust, it also does not hold managers responsible for coaching people and helping them win. The manager's responsibility is focused on sorting people out. When I was a college professor, I always gave my students the final exam at the beginning of the course and spent the rest of the semester helping them answer the questions so that they could get an A. Life is all about getting As, not some stupid normal distribution curve. Garry Ridge got this, and wow! What a difference it has made in WD-40 Company's performance." --Ken Blanchard "When I first heard Ken talk about giving his final exam at the beginning of the course and then teaching students the answers so they could get an A, it blew me away. Why don't we do that in business? So that's exactly what I did at WD-40 Company when we set up our 'Don't Mark My Paper, Help Me Get an A' performance management system. Has it made a difference? You'd better believe it. Ever since we began the system, our company's annual sales have more than tripled, from $100 million to more than $339 million. And we've accomplished this feat while making the company a great place to work." --Garry Ridge

From the Back Cover

Ken Blanchard’s Leading at a Higher Level techniques are inspiring thousands of leaders to build high-performing organizations that make life better for everyone. Now, Blanchard and WD-40 Company leader Garry Ridge reveal how WD-40 has used Blanchard’s techniques of Partnering for Performance with every employee--achieving levels of engagement and commitment that have fortified the bottom line.

 

Ridge introduces WD-40 Company’s year-round performance review system, explaining its goals, features, and the cultural changes it requires. Next, he shares his leadership point of view: what he expects of people, what they can expect of him, and where his beliefs about leadership and motivation come from. Finally, Ken Blanchard explains why WD-40 Company’s Partnering for Performance system works so well--and how to leverage its high-value techniques in your organization.

 

Partnering to help virtually everyone succeed

Stop building failure into your mentoring of employees

 

Agreeing on what to evaluate and how to evaluate it

SMART goal setting: specific, motivational, attainable, relevant, and trackable

 

Coaching via Situational Leadership® II

Help people move through all four stages of mastery

 

Building a tribe, not just a team

Create a culture that shares knowledge and encourages nonstop learning

 

 

“I’m thrilled that the first book in our Leading at a Higher Level series is with Garry Ridge, president of WD-40 Company. For years I’ve been concerned about how people’s performance is evaluated. People are often forced into a normal distribution curve, or even worse, rank ordered. Not only does this not build trust, it also does not hold managers responsible for coaching people and helping them win. The manager’s responsibility is focused on sorting people out.

 

When I was a college professor, I always gave my students the final exam at the beginning of the course and spent the rest of the semester helping them answer the questions so that they could get an A. Life is all about getting As, not some stupid normal distribution curve. Garry Ridge got this, and wow! What a difference it has made in WD-40
Company’s performance.”

--Ken Blanchard

 

“When I first heard Ken talk about giving his final exam at the beginning of the course and then teaching students the answers so they could get an A, it blew me away. Why don’t we do that in business? So that’s exactly what I did at WD-40 Company when we set up our ‘Don’t Mark My Paper, Help Me Get an A’ performance management system. Has it made a difference? You’d better believe it. Ever since we began the system, our company’s annual sales have more than tripled, from $100 million to more than $339 million. And we’ve accomplished this feat while making the company a great place to work.”

--Garry Ridge

 

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: FT Press; 1 edition (May 8, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0137011717
• ISBN-13: 978-0137011711
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #75,569 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Changing the focus of performance reviews, May 29, 2009

By	David Witt (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In Helping People Win at Work, Ken Blanchard and Garry Ridge argue that that performance reviews should be used primarily to develop people--not evaluate them. It's a philosophy they call "Don't mark my paper--help me get an "A."

The book offers a nice combination of theory and practice describing how the concepts have been put to work at the WD-40 Company where Ridge is the President and CEO.

Ridge explains that "Don't mark my paper--help me get an "A" means having managers at WD-40 working together with their direct reports on Planning, Execution, Review and Learning.

* Planning is all about setting goals and establishing the report card for the employee's "final exam." It's making sure that every employee knows exactly what he or she is being asked to do.

* Execution is where the manager has to keep up his or her end of the partnership relationship on a day-to-day basis, helping and coaching the employee to get an "A."

* Review and Learning is a quarterly evaluation designed to answer the questions, "What did we set out to do? What actually happened? What should we do differently?"

Blanchard and Ridge also discuss the changes to corporate culture and managerial mindset that are necessary to make the concepts a reality. In chapter two for example, Ridge shares 8 ways to Build the Right Culture. In chapter 4, Blanchard shares 12 Simple Truths about Helping People Win at Work. It's a nice combination that shows how a people-focused strategy has been put to work in a real-life organization with great results.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, May 14, 2009

By	Nick - See all my reviews

This is a wonderful book with a well-written and interesting story... many good insights to learn and follow. A great addition to the Ken Blanchard library!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A well-oiled approach to a thriving business culture, July 4, 2009

By	Marcia Conner "Learner. Leader. Writer. Paren... (Staunton, VA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Garry Ridge is one of a kind: yet his counsel on how to develop a thriving culture, based on his experience with global icon WD-40 Company, can be applied to any firm. The changes he undertook, outlined here, moved WD-40 beyond its historically narrow focus into a future of virtually unlimited opportunities.

He did this by simplifying, without getting caught up in ego or trying to prove his smarts. He's humble, out in front, cheering on his people, learning all the time, and never letting go of the organizational vision.

Given Garry's style, it's no surprise this book sidesteps lofty theories and niche opinions. Instead, he does what savvy business people do: frames his perspective with concrete examples, using the language he's gleaned from seminal thinkers who have influenced him ("Getting an A," Ben Zander... and frankly, anyone who has thought much about where school has gone wrong; Setting "Big Hairy Audacious Goals/BHAG" and making sure the "Right people are on the bus," Jim Collins).

From this book you'll get detail about WD-40's performance review system (including forms and specifics, "you don't want to save up feedback until somebody fails"), the difference between teams and tribes ("a tribe is a place you belong; a team is something you play on once in a while"), goal-setting and ensuring everyone excels ("we owe each other for something we've agreed upon"). And he shares one of my favorite lines from any CEO, "If our culture of candor, caring, accountability, and responsibility doesn't work for you, let's share you with a competitor."

This isn't a typical Ken Blanchard partnership book. There isn't a story of a leader or a management team in a bind. It's a 2-part book outlining how and why Garry leads WD-40 by example, takes his duty running the squeak, smell and dirt business seriously, with humor, and graciousness. Then Ken walks the reader through the simple truths that help put Garry's decisions and practices into context so you can make these ideas your own. This book moves WD-40 Company from under your sink to a trusted place on business bookshelves.