Hopefully you got a nugget or two out of last month’s review of Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh. This month we feature a good book with a boring title: Leading the High-Energy Culture by David Casullo. If the new trend is to name a book after a typical web search – and can’t you just picture the beleaguered CEO saying, “I’m gonna go to the Google and figure out how to inject some energy into this here company culture!”? – one wonders if hash tags in titles could be far behind. Coming soon: #How to Lead the Charge. But I digress. Casullo, president of Boston-based Bates Communications, exudes energy both in person and through the written word. He’s clearly an authority on this key topic and what could be more important in running a small business than employing motivated people? You could argue cash flow (always helpful), a diversified client base (good point), and a strong new business pipeline (oh yeah!), and the counterpoint is: all of that stems from a fired-up staff.
Casullo writes extensively about the intensity of personal truths and how we need to “emit vibrating energy on the right wavelength.” He ends each chapter with a worthwhile exercise, perhaps the best of which is the one he calls “Who Are You?” Now, don’t worry, this isn’t Charlie Sheen weepily asking that question to the Manhattan skyline in the original “Wall Street”; Casullo wants you to explore what drives you as a business person. In doing the exercise, you must name four personal truths and then test the importance thereof by pitting each one against how well you’re known for it. Are you driven by this truth? Would you closest allies quickly identify you by such a trait? Does it put you “in the moment”? Casullo points out thatthe board of directors at Home Depot probably thought they knew Robert Nardelli when they named him CEO and were likely thrilled while he oversaw the doubling of the retailer’s revenues in his first five years at the helm. But Nardelli only paid lip service to Home Depot’s founders’ edict of “people first.” He placed performance metrics – and his own cushy compensation – over all else, and customer service and employee relations suffered greatly as a result. He was summarily fired. Hey, pal, don’t let the gigantic, automatic sliding door hit you in the backside on the way out.
The one flaw of Leading the High-Energy Culture is the author’s over-reliance on using his Energy Continuum chart. The issue? You – okay, I – can’t read it. It covers space, time, you, others, and the past, present, future from the visionary, predictable, introspective, perceptive, reflective, and historical realms. And that’s about half of it. But who reads charts anyway, right? The words are sound. Casullo’s advice on the rally cry (and Ford CEO Alan Mulally’s brilliant use of it in turning the auto maker around) and the dynamic inquiry process are outstanding. He also reminds the reader to “save the saved” – simply, focus on your winners, your champs, and they will help you convert others. If you’re in charge of a team and have completely taken it upon yourself to keep everyone afloat, you may be better off painting a suspension bridge by hand – once you finish, you go back to the start for a fresh coat. Who’s got time for that?