What Managers Say, What Employees Hear: Connecting With Your Front Line (So They’ll Connect With Customers)

This book is a wake-up call for any executive who thinks front-line employees give a damn. In retail stores, on shop floors, and in offices around the country (and around the world), a refrain of disillusionment and distrust is being sung, and its negative effects on corporate performance-- e.g., employee retention, productivity, customer relationships--are profound. A huge gulf exists between the corner office and the cubicle, in terms of how people define their company’s brand, vision, strategy, and goals, and the means to achieve them. Even enlightened business leaders, who support cultures of inclusion and open communication, find that their messages aren’t getting through--the quantity of information available to front-line employees has increased, but the quality, in terms of both transmission and reception, has not.

What Managers Say, What Employees Hear reveals the roots and effects of these problems, and presents a wealth of practical insights for addressing them. Former Harvard Business Review Senior Editor, Regina Maruca, has assembled an all-star cast of management writers, consultants, educators, and practitioners to provide fresh insights for bridging the gaps between management and employees--and improving everyone’s performance in the process. Showcasing innovative practices in corporate strategy, communications, operations, customer service, and employee training at such world-class organizations as eBay, Radio Shack, Southwest Airlines, Bank of America, and Enterprise Rent-A-Car, the book demonstrates the positive effects of aligning goals and actions, building trust, and investing in the front line.

Regina Fazio Maruca is a freelance business writer and editor, specializing in marketing, branding, leadership, and organizational culture. Also a Principal at the Center for Executive Development, she has served as a Senior Editor at the Harvard Business Review, reporter and editor at Boston Business Journal, and Associate Managing Editor at New England Business Magazine, and has conducted interviews with high-profile business leaders for Fast Company. Since 2000 she has provided editorial, writing, and research services for authors at such organizations as Harvard Business School, Bain & Co., Accenture, the Committee of 200, and Boston University.