Product Description:
A business parable about how companies can achieve remarkable results by helping their employees fulfill their dreams
Managing people is difficult. With disengagement and turnover on the rise, many managers are scratching their heads wondering what to do. It's not that we don't dream of being great managers, it's just that we haven't found a practical and efficient way to do it. Until now . . .
A business parable about how companies can achieve remarkable results by helping their employees fulfill their dreams
Managing people is difficult. With disengagement and turnover on the rise, many managers are scratching their heads wondering what to do. It’s not that we don’t dream of being great managers, it’s just that we haven’t found a practical and efficient way to do it. Until now . . .
The fictional company in this remarkable book is grappling with real problems of high turnover and low morale -- so the managers begin to investigate what really drives the employees. What they discover is that the key to motivation isn’t necessarily the promise of a bigger paycheck or title, but rather the fulfillment of crucial personal dreams. They also learned that people at every level need to be offered specific kinds of help and encouragement -- or our dreams will forever remain just dreams as we grow dissatisfied with our lives and jobs.
Beginning with his important thought that a company can only become the-best-version-of-itself to the extent that its employees are becoming better-versions-of-themselves, Matthew Kelly explores the connection between the dreams we are chasing personally and the way we all engage at work. Tackling head-on the growing problem of employee disengagement, Kelly explores the dynamic collaboration that is unleashed when people work together to achieve company objectives and personal dreams.
The power of The Dream Manager is that simply becoming aware of the concept will change the way you manage and relate to people instantly and forever. What’s your dream?
Praise for The Dream Manager:
The business statistics are astounding: high percentages of detached, ready-to-exit employees; soon-to-occur vacancies among top executive and middle-manager ranks; and a growing chasm between employees and the organizations they work for. From Gallup to corporate human resources gurus, myriad solutions have been proposed. Yet Kelly, consultant and author (The Rhythm of Life, 1999; The Seven Levels of Intimacy, 2005, among others), proffers an idea that seems simple to implement. His philosophy is that organizations can only become best versions of themselves if their employees can realize that same opportunity. Center stage is the Dream Manager, an individual (or group) devoted to helping workers achieve personal life goals. His fictional parable plays out the story of Admiral Janitorial Services, a cleaning company plagued with extraordinarily high turnover. Presto digito! Within months of hiring a Dream Manager, employees stayed. Profits increased—and customers clamored for information. It is true that the pursuit of dreams "creates passion, energy, enthusiasm, and vitality." It is also true that, without solid proof, few businesses will explore this avenue.
-- Jacobs, Barbara, Booklist
"The Dream Manager emphasizes that a key and critical role of leadership is the ability to recognize the dreams of those that we lead and inspire them to achieve those visions . . . I believe Matthew Kelly’s new book will be an important contribution to the literature of leadership."
-- Robert A. McDonald, Chief Operating Officer, Procter & Gamble
"The Dream Manager will forever change how companies think about their employees, and how managers define what it means to do their job."
-- Patrick Lencioni, author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
Product Details:
ISBN 10: 1401303706
ISBN 13: 978-1401303709
Pages: 176
Language: English
Customer Reviews:
Give to friends and family this easy but profound read August 29, 2007
Review by Ralph D. Zerhusen – Covington, KY United States
I have now purchased 28 copies of this excellent work, and have given most away already to people I care about. The message is simple but profound. Some amazing conversations with my wife and kids have already taken place because of this book. I highly recommend it.
If you're looking for work, keep your eyes open for your own dream manager! November 30, 2008
Review by Danny Iny
The dream manager is the manager who considers the dreams of his/her employees. Managing your life in an effective way that can result in great personal success, is one of many skills to be attained through reading `The Dream Manager'.
Matthew Kelly uses fables to demonstrate their concept; a revolutionary approach to connecting managers to the personal goals of their employees. He shows us the importance of considering the individual goals of every company employee in order to bring about success for the business. The two are closely inter-related.
In demonstrating this, Kelly inspires the reader to consider our own dreams and formulate a game plan for achieving them. Any job seeker will be thankful they considered this essential subject before attempting to land a job.
This WORKS! November 16, 2008
Review by Kristine Barr – Cincinnati, OH)
As a business strategy & performance coach, I'm often asked how to motivate employees. The answer. You can't. But you can get in touch with why they really come to work every day and why they want to be successful. And you can help them get there! I shared The Dream Manager with a manufacturing client of mine a year ago. They now have a full-time Dream Manager and we're seeing tangible results! They are taking the book (and its applications) to their China operations! The Dream Manager concept is one that transcends all cultures because everyone has dreams. I'm hopeful that in today's tough economic times, more companies apply The Dream Manager. It will help increase innovation and productivity even in a down market. Those companies that do so will have laid a foundation for growth and will emerge even stronger when the market improves. This stuff works. Matthew, you're brilliant!
Remarkable book August 13, 2008
Review by J. A. Martens – Utrecht, the Netherlands
The Dream Manager is a remarkable book. It is simple and powerful. The book presents one idea: if you are looking for engaged relationships with people, find out what people are dreaming about and assist in making these dreams possible. This applies to yourself as well, to become more engaged yourself, state your own dreams and work to make them possible.
The first part of book is written as a story about a company that develops a program for making the dreams of their employees come true. It shows the steps taken, the obstacles, real and mental, and how to overcome them and the benefits of the program. The format of a story makes for an easy, short and interesting read. The second provides resources to start working on realizing your own dreams and those of others.
Excellent Motivation July 3, 2008
Review by Janine D. Mosley - LaMott, PA
This book is a quick read that motivates anyone to manage, lead, and live at a greater dimension. Engaging the workplace and those around you is a wonderful gift and sharing true compassion & good will to see others dream come to pass it what AMAZING leadership is all about. Thank you for challenging us to think better so that we can lead better. Awesome book!!!
The dream manager changed my life May 22, 2008
Review by M. A. Applewhaite
Being in a management position, I thought the book was supposed to teach me how to be the dream manager. I soon found out that it is much better than I expected. It teaches you to start dreaming again. The reason why people are so miserable at work is because they do not feel that they make a difference. I live and breathe this philosophy now at work and in my personal life. The 12 areas that we can dream guide you toward your personal achievements. I am forever changed in the best way possible. A must read for all.