Free StandOut by Marcus Buckingham Page B

to it.
     
• Acknowledge when it is time to give up on an idea, project, or person. Your commitment to finishing what you started can sometimes blind you to negative realities.
     

How to Win As a Manager
     
    Equalizer : Your strength is the certainty you give me. I always know what to expect from you, and so my relationship with you is predictable and therefore secure.
• You work hard. I see how committed you are to getting things done, and this encourages me to contribute my best to help achieve our mutual goals.
     
• I can count on you. If you make a decision or a promise to me, I know that you’ll see it through. Keep the same integrity around your meetings and one-on-ones. The more I see that these are meaningful to you and not simply an activity that you tolerate, the more present and accountable I will be.
     
• Revisit SMART (Specific Measurable Actionable Relevant Timebound) plans every three months without fail. The clarity and certainty this provides me as your employee keeps me focused and engaged. It also speaks to your dedication to my development and success at the company, and so increases my loyalty.
     
• Support our training and lead by example by keeping yourself up-to-date as well. Take over for us now and then to keep abreast of system changes and challenges. Also, if you’re able to use a system more efficiently than we are, that’s probably a good opportunity for you to give us additional support and training.
     
• You are thorough and organized. I’m confident that what you assign is what needs to be done. This frees me to focus without concern that my efforts will end up on the cutting room floor.
     
• You treat people fairly. You consider how decisions will impact workloads. You evaluate how to distribute bonuses equitably. You ensure that acknowledgments are universal. You do your best to keep things equal. Sometimes, though, note when I’ve gone above and beyond and look for a special way to recognize me.
     

How to Win in Sales
     
    Equalizer : Your strength is your responsibility. Keep doing exactly what you say you are going to do, and soon you will have established the kind of trusting relationships that your competitors will find hard to break.
• In all aspects of work, your standards of equity and justice guide the way you do business. Your principled approach builds credibility as we, your clients, come to rely on your integrity.
     
• You feel intense accountability to make good on a promise or commitment you have made. Your obligation to fulfill commitments pushes you to find a way to follow through and deliver. Your resourcefulness sets you apart.
     
• Take the lead in structuring the proposal. You attend to the details that matter. I will notice this careful planning and will want to return to it when I am thinking about a future purchase.
     
• Your judgments are fair and appropriate. Your levelheaded style will serve you well as you manage through the challenges of an account relationship. I will always know I will get a fair hearing from you.
     
• Be careful about putting down your competitors when you believe they’re behaving unethically. I don’t need to be caught up in the drama. Just tell me what makes your solution different and why I need it.
     

How to Win in Client Service
     
    Equalizer : Your strength is your sense of fairness. I can rely on you to do what is right.
• I trust you. You tell me the good news. You tell me the bad news. You don’t put a positive spin on a negative reality. You just tell it like it is. At times I’d appreciate a little more empathy, but I’ll always take the truth over sugarcoating.
     
• You do what you say you are going to do when you say you are going to do it. I value this immensely. I may not always get the answer that I’m hoping for, but at least I’m not wasting my time waiting.
     
• Set a standard for follow-up and communicate that to me. When I provide feedback about my experience at