University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
All In
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All In

How the Best Managers Create a Culture of Belief and Drive Big Results

Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton
Free Press, 2012
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Editorial Rating

7

Recommendation

Organizations with thriving corporate cultures – in which employees are engaged and energized – usually outperform their competitors. Executives and managers can reshape their corporate cultures to inspire their workers to be loyal, enthusiastic and dedicated. Global workplace experts Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton discuss how successful business leaders turbocharge their corporate cultures, thus increasing their bottom line and making their employees proud to be part of their companies. While some of their illustrative case histories strain a little to make the authors’ point about corporate culture, most are credible and instructive. getAbstract recommends their insights to all managers eager to win employee commitment and enthusiasm.

Summary

Make Them Believe

In the late 15th century, Genoese trader Christopher Columbus solicited money from King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain to sponsor his expedition west across the Atlantic Ocean in search of a new route to Asia. Most Spanish noblemen regarded Columbus as a lunatic and thought his plan was absurd. Mired in dire financial constraints, Spain had no money to fund a venture that everyone believed would fail.

In his presentation, Columbus played on Isabella’s piety. He claimed that his expedition would promote Catholicism throughout Asia. Isabella made Columbus detail his prospective voyage to a committee of court advisers. They were deeply skeptical. The royal purse stayed closed.

Years passed, and Columbus continued to seek support from Spanish officials. He changed his pitch, asking Spain to grant him 10% of the wealth of the treasure-laden lands he would claim for the crown. His focus on riches strengthened his argument, but Isabella and Ferdinand still said no.

Columbus gave up and left the Spanish court. In his absence, his persistent appeals to Spanish nobles and officials finally paid off. These courtiers begged the Queen and King...

About the Authors

Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton are the best-selling co-authors of The Carrot Principle and The Orange Revolution. They founded The Culture Works, a consulting and training firm.

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