Creating High Performers - 2nd Edition 7 Questions to Ask Your Direct Reports

Creating High Performers offers managers certainty and a step-by-step process to answer the following: 1) What should I provide to direct reports? 2) Am I doing this well? 3) Why is underperformance happening? and 4) What actions should I take to improve performance?

The 7 Questions are an easy-to-use foundation for a conversation leading to targeted, effective performance management and coaching. Real-life stories experienced by the author as a manager or coach illustrate the value of each question.


Additions in this 2nd edition include:

1. An expanded discussion of why and how the traditional model for supervision is failing
2. A clear definition of a proposed new role of supervisor (people manager) to meet the needs of today's workforce, including a listing of what products or outcomes a people manager should be delivering
3. How to restart and build a strong working relationship with employees
4. Follow-up questions for each of the 7 Questions to clarify what's possibly missing that could lead to improved performance
5. Why it is essential to ask the 7 Questions in the context of current performance, i.e., whether it exceeds, meets or falls below expectations
6. An expanded discussion on how to discern whether poor performance is a Can't Do or Won't Do Problem and how to solve it
7. A new chapter on how the six ways to employ the 7 Questions for improved organizational performance
8. An expanded Troubleshooting chapter based on challenges/questions of managers trained and coached on the 7 Questions method.

This book brings clarity and method for those new to managing others. For experienced managers, it offers a new approach to overcoming the ill effects of old practices. It details how to shift to a new role and establish the trust this new method requires. For both, it offers a way to gain greater satisfaction from managing others and to add more value to your organization.

Following graduate school, William Dann began a 13-year management career, nine as CEO. Early years spent in a cross-cultural rural Alaska setting taught him the foundations of employee motivation and development and spurred a life-long passion for realizing employee potential. Not wanting to repeat the early supervision failures he made or observed, led to a checklist of questions that must answered affirmatively to assure success. That checklist became the genesis for the writing of the first edition. Lessons learned teaching the method prompted the writing of a revised and expanded second edition.

William founded his consulting firm, Professional Growth Systems LLC, to pursue the passion for realized potential, developing a series of proprietary products to get organizations and individuals there. His firm has served over 200 clients of all types throughout the U.S. and internationally. He served six years as an adjunct professor at the graduate level at Boston University, teaching both U.S. and international students.

Bill maintains a blog you can subscribe to at http://www.professionalgrowthsystems.com. You can also find him on LinkedIn (William Dann), Facebook (Professional Growth Systems), or Twitter (ArcticWill).

Bill continues to consult, coach, teach, develop products and write. He lives in Alaska with his wife, Jenny. Son Tyler and family live nearby.