The Dream Manager
by Matthew Kelly
Published by Hyperion
Click on book
cover to order
at Amazon.com
Reviewed by Bob Pike CSP, CPAE-Speakers Hall of Fame
(also in CD)
Matthew Kelly writes like he speaks – with power, clarity, and focus. I should know because I’ve shared the platform with him, and I’ve read every one of his books. In this latest book he tells the story of Simon Roberts, general manager of Admiralty Janitorial Services. Recruited to run the company by Greg, the entrepreneurial founder, Simon finds he spends more time recruiting than anything else. With 400% annual turnover, a little over average for the industry, the company is a revolving door. And turnover costs–big time. Simon convinces Greg to go back to the basics and ask employees what they want and need, even though the executive team believes they have answer: more money. And it turns out they are wrong.
By really listening to employees and finding innovative solutions that appear to cost, but really pay back–and pay back big time, Simon finds the real key to employee satisfaction, full engagement, and reduced turnover, as well as profitability. For example, running employee shuttles to help people get to their jobs because many don’t have cars, and the buses don’t operate on the schedules when they clean buildings.
Ultimately, this is where the Dream Manager comes in–someone who asks people what their dreams are and then helps them to create plans to reach them. Simon and Greg, together with the executive team and the Dream Manager, show the employees that the company is committed to helping them achieve their dreams–and the employees respond with increased performance, lower turnover, fewer sick days, and greater productivity.
Kelly helps the reader realize the importance of motive in making the concept of a Dream Manager work. Though the story is fiction, the facts quoted are alive and well in every industry. Hearing of the employees’ dreams that come true because of the company’s commitment, will bring tears to your eyes. Executives and managers reading this book will long to make the same things happen for their own employees–and they can. The final section of the book lays out a step-by-step plan for individuals, managers, or organizations to implement their own Dream Manager process.
Armchair Interviews says: Everyone will want to work for a company with a Dream Manager program.