Question: Who is the intended audience?
Answer: This book is for anyone who:

•  Ever lost a great employee to another company, and it wasn’t about money.
An unhappy employee will leave for a 5% pay increase; it takes a 20% increase to compel a satisfied employee to jump ship.

•  Struggles with when to be fair and when to be firm.
Most bosses would like to get results, but they don’t want to do so with a trail of disgruntled people in your wake.  They can learn the dos and don’ts of F2 Leadership.

•  Has made bad hires in the past.
A bad hire costs the company about 1 to 4 times that person’s annual salary.  They will find the 10 tips for not hiring squirrels to be your top dogs.

•  Doesn’t seem to get their messages across very well.
This book provides a step-by-step model to communicate more effectively, especially when engaging in difficult conversations.

•  Spends too much time at the office.
Bosses can get back 10 to 20 hours of your week, not by telling direct reports what to do, but by delegating effectively and making people accountable for results.

•  Has direct reports who are bored or frustrated.
Only 20% of people feel their employers utilize their strengths.  When people don’t feel a sense of achievement, they leave.

•  Wants to respond more effectively to change.
This book helps bosses better understand change, plan its direction, and overcome resistance to it.

•  Needs to know how to conduct more powerful and behavior-changing performance appraisals.
Bosses can learn ways to develop people so they offer more to the organization, feel empowered, and see opportunities for advancement.

•  Would like to conduct better meetings.
Bosses will discover how to make the best use of everyone’s time and put plans into action.

Q: What is the book about?
A: In my work with hundreds of first-time bosses, I found that no one had really prepared them for their new jobs.  In college some studied engineering, marketing, accounting, or some other job function.  Some even took a course or two in management, yet they still weren’t prepared for the responsibilities of having direct reports.

Q: Why are you the best person to write this book?
A: For more than 30 years, I have helped executives in military organizations, small businesses, and Fortune 500 Companies define their direction and select the best people to put their strategies in motion. I have helped clients in the retail, financial services, food, medical, hospitality, manufacturing, and technology industries.  Some of my major clients include Tyson, Emerson Electric, Kraft Foods, Boeing Aircraft, Estee Lauder, and Merrill Lynch. Through thousands of hours of coaching with hundreds of corporate clients, I have observed what it takes to become the boss no one wants to leave.

I hold a Ph.D. in organizational systems, two Master of Arts degrees in both interpersonal communication and organization development, and a Bachelor of Science degree in communication. By combining my experience as an organizational consultant with my education in business, I offer my clients selection, coaching, and consulting solutions that are pragmatic in their approach and sound in their foundation.

A former university professor, I have served on the adjunct graduate faculty at Washington University and belong to The National Speakers Association, The National Association of Corporate Directors, and the Air Force Association. I hold numerous certifications, including Director of Professionalism, a designation given by the National Association of Corporate Directors.

In addition to being the author of The Magnetic Boss: How to Become the Leader No One Wants to Leave, which Washington University uses in its graduate curriculum, I have also served as a contributing editor of two editions of Small Group Communication: Theory and Practice, written peer-reviewed published articles, and authored numerous articles published in trade magazines.

Serious about humor, I draw from my original research of the Vietnam Prisoners of War to help others cope with change and adversity so they can emerge from setbacks more resilient and hardy. I continue to associate with the Robert E. Mitchell Prisoner of War Center, a Naval research facility that has studied the Vietnam Prisoners of War since their 1973 repatriation.

Q: How is this book different from other books on this topic?
A: This book is an amalgamation of what I observed—and in many cases, helped create—in Fortune 500 Companies, privately held firms, family-owned businesses, and military organizations. The advice I offer in this book goes beyond theory; it addressed practical, proven techniques to help companies develop a talent advantage. Bosses can use this book as a guide for what they must do to attract, develop, and retain the best and brightest in their industries.