Books > The One Thing You Need to Know >

Excerpts

Contents

1: A Few Things You Should Know About the "One Thing"

"Get me to the core": "If you dig into a subject deeply enough, what do you find?"

A lifetime of "why"s: "What drove this book?"

The tests for the "one thing": "Why are some explanations more powerful than others?"

One controlling insight: "What is the One Thing you need to know about happy marriage?"

Part I

The One Thing You Need to Know
Sustained Organizational Success

2: Managing and Leading: What's the Difference?

A vital distinction: "Are they different? Are they both important? Can you do both?"

A view from the middle: "What do great managers actually do and what talents do you need to do it?"

A view from the top: "What do great leaders actually do and what talents do you need to do it?"

3: The One Thing You Need to Know: Great Managing

The basics of good managing: "What skills will prevent you from failing as a manager?"

Great managers play chess: "What is the One Thing you need to know about great managing?"

A walk through a walgreens: "How does one truly great manager do it?"

Great managers are romantics: "What are the benefits of individualization?"

The three levers: "What are the three things you need to know about a person in order to manage him or her effectively?"

The most useful questions: "How can you identify these levers?"

4: The One Thing You Need to Know: Great Leading

A leader wins our loyalty: "What did Giuliani say to calm our fears?"

Five fears, five needs, one focus: "What are the universals of human nature?"

The points of clarity: "Where are your followers crying out for clarity?"

The disciplines of leadership: "How do the best leaders achieve this clarity?"

Part II: The One Thing You Need to Know Sustained Individual Success

5: The Twenty Percenters

Dave, Myrtle, and Tim: "What does sustained individual success look like?"

The early contenders: "What explanations seem like the One Thing, but aren't?"

What is sustained success?: "It's a broad term. How do we define it?"

6: The Three Main Contenders

Contender 1: "Find the right tactics and employ them."

Contender 2: "Find your flaws and fix them."

Contender 3: "Discover your strengths and cultivate them."

7: So, How Do You Sustain Success If...?

You're bored

You're unfulfilled

You're frustrated

You're drained

Conclusion: Intentional Imbalance

Acknowledgments