The Dream Manager:
| Author: Matthew Kelly, 2007 |
What's it all About?
As simple as the title sounds, it really is about a company hiring a dream manager! Not a typical position title you would hire when looking to minimize overhead and costs to increase profits, is it? Well you need to read deeper into this to understand why there has been success with this position and why Matthew Kelly has spoken on the topic in over 50 countries.
Having the forward written by Patrick Lencioni is an endorsement that carried a lot of weight for me. Top that with fact that the book was recommended by a colleague who is a VP of Business Transformation at a company considering hiring a dream manager. Hmmm... this intrigued me. I had to read it! Well, I listened to it, less than 4 hours on Audible, and it was a great parable that went by quickly.
What is one of the biggest cost drivers for businesses? And the greatest resource leaders are struggling with? Yes, turnover and hiring the right people. You know, the best person for the job is usually the one that is already in your organization, yet we seem to forget that once they are hired.
This book is a parable about a janitorial service company where people are turning over like crazy. They start asking the employees, ‘what are your dreams?’. They discover a majority of people want to buy homes. To help make this happen they realized they needed a coach with a financial background to work one on one with staff. When they do work with a coach, they get some wins, with some people buying homes. Others who wanted to go on trips figured out ways to save for them. Brilliant! The book includes a section of tools to get you going if you are interested doing this in your organization, and other ways, if you have some peers to start this with.
Favourite Quote
‘When people are progressing, they are much less likely to start looking around for another job. It is when they don’t feel that they are advancing that they start to get restless.’
Biggest Takeaway
It is a simple takeaway actually, creating a position like this did not occur to me until I read this book. Even to ask staff the question, ‘what are your dreams”, and then act on them with support, did not come to mind, at least not this exact approach. When I first heard about it, the curiosity grew in me, but now I believe it. I work with companies that are unlocking people issues and addressing turnover. There is so much cost in replacing positions, that the return on investment is pretty simple. Excited to see this in action for the company that will be moving forward with this, to see it transpire live. If there was a way to bet on the success of it, I would be putting my money down!
Reviewed by: Trevor Blondeel, November 2019