Fierce leadership: a bold alternative to the worst ''best'' practices of business today

From the author of the acclaimed book Fierce Conversations comes the antidote to some of the most wrongheaded practices of business today. & middot; "Provide anonymous feedback." & middot; "Hire smart people." & middot; "Hold people accountable." These are all sound, business practices, right' Not so fast, says leadership visionary and bestselling author Susan Scott. In fact, these mantras ' despite being long-accepted and adopted by business leaders everywhere ' are completely wrongheaded. Worse, they are costing companies billions of dollars, driving away valuable employees and profitable customers, limiting performance, and stalling careers. Yet they are so deeply ingrained in organizational cultures that no one has questioned them. Until now. In Fierce Leadership, Scott teaches us how to spot the worst "best" practices in our organizations using a technique she calls "squid eye"'the ability to see the "tells" or signs that we have fallen prey to disastrous behaviors by knowing what to look for. Only then, she says, can we apply the antidote. Informed by over a decade of conversations with Fortune 500 executives, this book is that antidote. With fierce new approaches to everything from employee feedback to corporate diversity to customer relations, Scott offers fresh and surprising alternatives to six of the so-called "best" practices permeating today's businesses. This refreshingly candid book is a must-read for any manager or leader at any level who is ready to take a long hard look at what trouble might be lurking in their organization - and do something about it. From the Hardcover edition.;Introduction -- The idea of Fierce -- Fierce practice #1: From 360-degree anonymous feedback to "365" face-to-face feedback -- Fierce practice #2: From hiring for smarts to hiring for smart+heart -- Fierce practice #3: From holding people accountable to modeling accountability and holding people able -- Fierce practice #4: From employee engagement programs to actually engaging employees -- Fierce practice #5: From customer centricity to customer connectivity -- Fierce practice #6: From legislated optimism to radical transparency -- Conclusion: Crossing the bold line.