Recommended Resource – Reviving Work Ethic

/in , , , /by

Reviving Work Ethic: A Leader’s Guide to Ending Entitlement and Restoring Pride in the Emerging Workforce
by Eric Chester

About the Reference

Reviving Work Ethic by Eric Chester provides actionable methods organization leaders can employ to instill within their young workers the strong work ethic foundational to America’s market success. He begins by categorizing young workers on a cognizance and compliance scale; later revealing what leaders must do to imbue workers within each quadrant with a strong work ethic. Eric clearly defines this target ethic as being comprised of a positive attitude, reliability, professionalism, initiative, respect, integrity, and gratitude. He closes by highlighting the value proposition of a workforce characterize by a strong work ethic.

Benefits of Using this Reference

StrategyDriven Contributors like Reviving Work Ethic because of the actionable insights provided to imbue workers with a strong work ethic. Unique to this writing is the cognizance and compliance matrix that provides an excellent starting point from which leaders can specifically tailor their actions to individual employees. We further appreciate Eric’s deliberate definition and influencing actions associated with each aspect of work ethic. His attention to defining work ethic, employee conversation starters, action tips, and work ethic value proposition tables, contribute to the completeness of this book and make it ideal for new and experience leaders alike.

If we had one criticism of Reviving Work Ethic it would be Eric’s singular focus on new workers. StrategyDriven Contributors believe to varying degrees and for differing reasons workers of all ages and experience levels have a sense of entitlement. Furthermore, we believe workers from all generations can be found in each quadrant of Eric’s cognizance-compliance matrix. Thus, while we agree younger workers may be more easily influenced, we feel it is a leader’s responsibility to attempt to instill a strong work ethic within all workers and to take appropriate action to hold those accountable who do not demonstrate these desirable characteristics.

A strong work ethic is critical to individual and organizational success. Leaders must act to imbue their subordinates with these admirable characteristics. Because of its clarity and immediately actionable methods to instill a strong work ethic within workers, Reviving Work Ethic is a StrategyDriven recommended read.

StrategyDriven Podcast Special Edition 9 – An Interview with Steve Kerr, author of Reward Systems

/in , , /by

StrategyDriven Podcasts focus on the tools and techniques executives and managers can use to improve their organization’s alignment and accountability to ultimately achieve superior results. These podcasts elaborate on the best practice and warning flag posts on the StrategyDriven website.

Special Edition 9 – An Interview with Steve Kerr, author of Reward Systems examines how properly conceived and implemented reward systems create organizational alignment and increase execution efficiency and effectiveness. During our discussion, Steve Kerr, author of Reward Systems: Does Yours Measure Up? and Senior Advisor at Goldman Sachs, shares with us his insights regarding:

  • components of an effective reward system and how they help create organizational alignment
  • a three phase process for creating a reward system aligned with an organization’s strategic goals
  • how to introduce employees to a new or changing reward system
  • balancing performance, tenure, and attendance during reward determination
  • warning signs that an organization’s reward system is less than effective

Additional Information

Steve’s book, Reward Systems, can be purchased by clicking here.

About the Author

Steve Kerr, author of Reward Systems, is Senior Advisor at Goldman Sachs, where as Chief Learning Officer he created Pine Street, the firm’s distinctive leadership development organization. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, Steve was the Chief Learning Officer at General Electric, where he led and expanded that organization’s world renowned Crotonville learning center. He has also served on the business school faculties at Ohio State University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Southern California. To read Steve’s full biography, click here.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:32 — 44.7MB)

Subscribe: RSS