Slacker Manager

Mr. Marcus Buckingham: September Inductee Into the Order of the Golden Slacker

by David Zinger on September 4th, 2008

The September Golden Slacker: Marcus Buckingham

Inducted by David Zinger

Marcus Buckingham is our final inductee into the first year of the Order of the Golden Slacker that has included Tom Peters, David Allen, Lisa Haneberg, and Marshall Goldsmith.

I am delighted to induct Mr. Marcus Buckingham as the September inductee in the Order of the Golden Slacker.

It is an honor to induct Marcus Buckingham into the Order of the Golden Slacker.

Marcus Buckingham has given managers many terrific tools and resources. We are stronger because of his work and we know the one thing we need to do as both managers and leaders.

At most companies, managers review their people by focusing primarily on a person’s weaknesses or “opportunities,” and development emphasizes addressing shortcomings.  A typical one-hour performance discussion might spend 2 minutes focused on what a person does well and 58 minutes on what needs to be improved.  In most instances, this is not development; it is damage control and it is not a formula for greatness or winning.

In contrast, great managers spend 80% of their time working to grow an employee’s greatest strengths.  Investing to develop a person’s greatest talent is how breakthrough performance can be achieved.  This means not that great managers ignore shortcomings, but that they focus on the talent and work around the shortcomings.  Ways this can be achieved include changing people’s jobs, allowing them to spend most of their time where their talent fits best; partnering an employee with another individual with complementary talents; or helping a person get “just a little bit better” to avoid glaring weaknesses.

A Quick Review/Reminder of the attributes of Slacker Managers:

1. infuse work with passion and purpose
2. focus on smarter not harder work
3. ensure that work is effective and efficient
4. leverage learning for results
5. commit to both personal and professional development 
6. draw out the strengths of others and themselves
7. transform “me thinking” to “we thinking”
8. weave results and relationships into good management 
9. delegate for results and development
10. engage in lifelong learning in diverse and multiple ways
11. value giving and serving ahead of taking and being served
12. willingly admit when they don’t know something
13. use all available resources
14. laugh as leaders - taking work seriously and themselves lightly

I believe Marcus has made very helpful contributions on most of these items and phenomenal contributions on item 6: draw out the strengths of others and themselves.

Get more of Marcus Buckingham:

1. Click here to visit Marcus Buckingham’s Website. You will leave the website a stronger manager.

2. Read Go Put Your Strengths to Work and The One Thing You Need to Know and put the ideas into practice.

3. Click here to download or read a free 18 page review I wrote on Marcus Buckingham’s video strength series: Trombone Player Wanted.

I am honored to induct Mr. Marcus Buckingham into The Order of The Golden Slacker.

The Order of the Golden Slackers:

• September 2008: Marcus Buckingham
• August 2008: David Allen
• July 2008: Tim Wright
• June 2008: Tom Peters
• May 2008: Leo Baubuta
• April 2008: Steve Roesler
• March 2008: Rocky Noe
• February 2008: Harvey Schachter
• January 2008: Wayne Tunnel
• December 2007: Marshall Goldsmith
• November 2007: Rosa Say
• October 2007: Lisa Haneberg

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