I'm Sorry I Broke Your Company

Preface
Introduction
Why I Blame Management Consultants
About this book

Chapter 1. Strategic Planning can't Predict the Future: Strategy Development is a Vision Quest
The downside of having a strategy is missed opportunities
Managing by the numbers only manages the numbers
Predicting the future is risky business
Planning for the future and predicting the future are not the same thing

Chapter 2. Make Sure You Reengineer the People, too: Optimized Processes only Look Good on Paper
Having people to rely on for improvements is all you really need
People should manage the methods and not the methods manage the people
In a human-created world, most of the problems are created by humans
It s hard to optimize a person 36

Chapter 3. Metrics Are the Means, not the Ends: Numerical Targets are Measure-mental
Everything gets measured all the time
It s funny how the targets are always met
Measures create conflict where there normally is none
Take a goal you want and turn it into something you don t

Chapter 4. Standardized Asset Management is a SHAM: How Performance Management Demoralizes the Performers
Performance management systems only enforce the strategic objective of implementing performance management systems
There s so much effort to ensure fairness in a process that is inherently unfair
Let me tell you what I like and don t like about you
We re not only in it for the money

Chapter 5. I am a Manager, and So Can You: Why is the Manager's Handbook is 609 Pages Long?
There s no shortage of management models and techniques
How I inadvertently managed to manage
Being a good manager isn t all that different from being a good person

Chapter 6. Stop Perpetrating Talent Management on People: Albert Einstein Was NOT an A-player
Sorting out the A, B, Cs
Performance is situational
The problem with labels is that labels stick
Sometimes the A players are alienated by this