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3 Signs of a Miserable Job

by Phil Gerbyshak on January 3rd, 2008

I recently finished listening to 3 Signs of a Miserable Job by Pat Lencioni. It’s another book like Lencioni’s other books (5 Dysfunctions of a Team, Silos and Turf Wars, Death by Meeting and 5 Temptations of a CEO, all also really well done) in that it’s told as a fable. For me, that makes it a much easier read, as I can envision myself as one of the characters. This book is no exception.

The lead character goes from CEO of a great company with a great culture to semi-retired pizza manager (and part owner) who wants to test out his theory that culture is part of the reason companies are successful. While the premise may be a bit of a stretch, Lencioni actually pulls this off quite well. For me, having worked as a pizza manager in a past life, and now working as a VP in corporate America, I can totally relate to the lead character.

As in all great books, there are important points to ponder, and questions you can ask yourself to get more clarity on the points. Obviously as this book is called 3 Signs of a Miserable Job, there are 3 points. These 3 points (signs) are:

1. Immeasurability -Not measuring the right things
2. Irrelevance - not tying goals to making a real impact on people
3. Anonymity - not being know for anything other than what your job role entails

Great points, and of course, Lencioni teaches us how to dig deep to get clarity on these signs. His 3 questions to ask yourself are:

1. How do you measure success?
2. Who do you serve?
3. Whose lives do you impact with your service?

The key is to get your associates to understand and articulate points 1 and 2, and help them understand the impact of the 3rd point. Perfect topics around which to get your employees and especially your managers more engaged!
This is one of the best books I’ve read in the last 12 months. It’s very well written, it’s easy to understand, it only makes 3 points, and makes them well, and I could easily relate to the main character. I give it 5 stars, and encourage you to listen to it or read it with your leadership team, and talk about how you can implement Lencioni’s points.

More Resources for 3 Signs of a Miserable Job:

• 3 Signs of a Miserable Job resource page, with resources like a PDF version of the model, a video, some Q&A about the book, an anti-misery worksheet, and more
• Interview with Pat on the Cranky Middle Manager show
• Pick up your own copy of 3 Signs of a Miserable Job here

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POSTED IN: book reviews, employee engagement