Publisher's Synopsis
How to Earn the Gift of Discretionary Effort by thought leaders Karla Brandau and Douglas Ross is a deep dive into a comprehensive approach to catapulting your leadership career and turning your employees into your competitive advantage in a difficult marketplace. This cutting-edge book details how earning the gift of discretionary effort is the distinguishing characteristic of 21st century leaders.
Any skill requires discipline to become proficient and this book is the training manual for individuals with the perseverance and determination to become the leader people CHOOSE to follow-not HAVE to follow because of their place on the organizational chart. Leadership is about getting work done through others. As you become the leader people CHOOSE to follow, you will earn the gift of discretionary effort on a daily basis. You will move your employees from minimal effort to amazing contributions, resulting in increased profitability and economic sustainability for your company.
Discretionary effort is the difference between what one is capable of bringing to a task, versus the minimum effort required to get by or make do, and still receive a paycheck. Each day, when an employee walks in the office door (or logs in remotely) and starts work, that employee makes a choice whether or not to give discretionary effort. It takes a special kind of leader to achieve the environment of exceptional employee experience and workplace optimization where workers naturally give discretionary effort, not just give the stereotypical second mile.The book teaches you how to be that special kind of leader that gets much more than the second mile from all who work with you. You'll learn to refine the touch points between you and your employees from potential misunderstandings to productive conversations that move projects along to successful conclusions.
The principles in the book are based on the RossBrandau Discretionary Leadership ModelTM and you'll uncover strategies on how to create a workplace where individuals have the optimal work experience and feel safe to surface the truth about work conditions, systems, processes - every aspect of the business. As the truth is surfaced, giant leaps forward in improving products and services can be made.
You'll build a workplace where the focus is enhanced employee experience; where they want to come to work and are challenged and supported in their professional growth; where individuals learn to optimize their strengths and collaborate with team members with different personalities; where you can refine the process of rational alignment of all teams and employees when providing vision and direction and a road map for achievement of company goals. This environment frees employees to give excellent customer service
You are not left on your own with just intellectual material. The discipline and practice is real. Every chapter explaining a level of the model is based on the concepts of Praxis or practice and gives you statements to reflect on and Discretionary Effort Practice Steps to reinforce your learning. These statements and exercises help you internalize and implement the principles in your daily interactions. Written in a straightforward, personal style with true stories and illustrative examples, thought leaders, Karla Brandau and Douglas Ross provide the tools and techniques for developing your employees into authentic contributors who are emotionally committed to the values, mission, vision, and goals of the organization and who strive for continuous improvement, profitability, and economic sustainability on a regular basis.
A unique feature of the book is the over-all encompassing nature of the material. It does not hit one single concept or key and keep pounding on that key principle but combines information in a way that gives you a balanced and complete strategy for company growth.
Visit www.EarnTheGift.com to learn more.
