Quint Studer - The Busy Leader's Handbook

—Andrew Foxworth

Partner

Foxworth, Shepard & Bruhl, P.A.

“Reading Quint's new book, The Busy Leader's Handbook , was very enlightening and refreshing as I have had the unique honor of working with Quint in many different aspects. Not only is Quint training our leadership team in these exact attributes, he and his team are also working with our City Council in guiding them on the right strategic path, along with getting more civic engagement for our city.

“It is easy to get complacent as a leader when things are going well, but dealing with conflict and negativity isn't easy. This book provides great ideas and insight on making sure leaders stay focused and on the right track. A lot of the issues addressed in the book are issues the city is currently dealing with: change, employee engagement, performance reviews, and employee development and training. I will be able to take the ideas from this book and implement them to make the city of Fort Walton Beach a better place to live, work, and play, and I will be able to ensure I stay on the right track in growing as a leader along with my leadership team and all employees.

“Employees are the heartbeat of any organization. It is imperative that leaders nurture that relationship and develop employees as future leaders while making sure all employees and customers know the ‘why' and the ‘what.'

“This is a must-read for any leader, future leader, employee, boss, etc., as the ideas addressed in this book apply to everyone in an organization.”

—Michael D. Beedie, P.E.

City Manager

City of Fort Walton Beach

QUINT STUDER

Cover design: Wiley

Copyright © 2020 by Quint Studer. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Published simultaneously in Canada.

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ISBN 9781119576648 (Hardcover)

ISBN 9781119577317 (ePDF)

ISBN 9781119576679 (ePub)

To all those people who each and every day strive to help others become the very best they can be. Never underestimate the difference you make.

1 Cover

2 How to Approach This Book How to Approach This Book Thank you for reading The Busy Leader’s Handbook. It’s meant to be a quick and easy resource for leaders at all levels. Knowing how overloaded and overwhelmed leaders can be, we purposely kept chapters short and to the point. Each one features high-impact, granular, “how to” tactics that leaders can start using right away. These tactics work. I’ve seen them get outstanding results over and over throughout my career. This book has three sections. Section 1 delves into some key leader skills and behaviors. Together, these chapters capture the mind-set, attitude, and capabilities the best leaders tend to possess. We put them first because they are the foundation for everything else. We all need to become the best leaders we can be before we’ll be able to bring out the best in others. Section 2 is about optimizing employee performance. It explores what exceptional leaders do (and don’t do) to create a positive, productive, engaging workplace culture and inspire people to consistently put forth their best efforts. Great leaders create environments in which people grow, thrive, and find a powerful sense of meaning. They lead teams in a way that creates results far greater than the sum of the individual efforts. A leader who masters these practices will set up their people to truly shine. Finally, Section 3 addresses strategic and foundational topics. These chapters focus on the structure, processes, and groundwork that need to be in place if you’re to build a successful organization. Why do we cover these last? Simply because without the efforts of leaders and employees there would be no company to run! While it would be terrific if people read cover to cover, it’s not necessary. This is a reference book and chapters are designed to be self-contained. Feel free to read the topic (or topics) you need help with in the moment and save the rest for another day. (Also, don’t be surprised if you notice some crossover. Leadership is organic and its components interconnected: topics don’t fall neatly into categories!) Whether you’re a new leader or a more seasoned one, I hope you will benefit from this book. Feel free to share it with other leaders and managers inside your company. The more people who embrace the proven principles of great leadership, the stronger your business will be. I wish you and those you lead much success and fulfillment on your journeys. Leadership is a noble calling and if this book can play a small role in helping you do it better, I will be so grateful. Quint Studer

3 “Wait . . . Didn’t I Read This in Another Chapter?” “Wait . . . Didn’t I Read This in Another Chapter?” It would be great if you read this book straight through from beginning to end! But we know leaders are busy (it says so right in the title!) and don’t always do it that way. That’s why The Busy Leader’s Handbook is written the way it is. It’s set up so you can jump right to whichever chapter you need in the moment. As a result, cover-to-cover readers may find that certain tactics are repeated in more than one place. What’s more, actions that strengthen one leader’s skill or behavior quite often strengthen others as well. It just works out that way. It’s a good thing that so many tactics function organically to improve your leadership in several different areas: they give you more bang for your leadership buck! Thank you for reading this book. We wish you all the best on your journey to becoming the best leader you can be.