Stop The Monkey Business

By David L. Cleveland

In Cleveland's Primer to become a great leader, he makes it clear that WTF doesn't stand for Win The future.

 

Compelling cases are made for why:

• Execution eats Strategy for Breakfast. There is a reason there are thousands of successful small businesses that can't even spell Strategy.  They know how to execute the processes of their business.
• The Truth Will Set You Free, especially when it comes to dealing with problem employees. Face the brutal facts and quit torturing your employees and customers.
• No one should have the authority to disappoint a customer if you want to survive in today's competitive environment. Customer Centered is binary.  You either are or you are not.
• Succession Planning without first building the right Organization is like building a home without a plan.  Get the organization right before you start planning its future staffing.
• Core Values that don't focus on what your customer needs and wants is a waste of time.  This is where you can differentiate your business from the competition.
• Quit looking for the Holy Grail of Leadership there is no one right way but four basic styles that you need to become adept at.

With a "been there and done that" approach and an irreverent style Cleveland makes this topic fun and informative for the new Manager and the Old Pro who needs to sharpen his or her skills.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Spotlight Publishing
• Release date: Nov 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781958405208

Book preview

Dedication

Oh, my goodness, there are so many people I could think of with regard to dedicating this book. It could be my mom. She pushed me with unwavering zeal to improve myself.

Maybe my wife Shirley, and my sons Kris and Josh, who I love dearly, for putting up with many years of international travel and my too often not being there when they needed me.

Perhaps it should be dedicated to Don Bowen, my Organizational Development Professor at University of Tulsa, who really opened my mind to the powers of organization and team, which helped me launch my first career in Human Resources.

Or later, as I started my career, Pete Cameron, the Gulf Oil Human Resources Executive who decided to give a 24-year-old, wet-behind-the-ears kid a chance to be Division Director of Personnel.

I also have to consider Georg Rosenbauer, the Hilti Executive who, after choosing me to run Human Resources at an early age, called me in and said, …the other Division Presidents are tired of you telling them what to do and agree you should be put in charge of our smallest division in Latin America.

There are probably others. But I have to go with the guy who always believed in me, my dad. He always stood behind me, even when I probably didn’t deserve it. He always told me, Buddy, you can do anything you want if you put your mind to it.

Thanks Dad.

Endorsements

Stop the Monkey Business is an insightful and practical guide for managers and would-be managers in the world of business. The practical wisdom in this book is based on David’s wide-ranging experience in leading a variety of businesses. While David’s advice is well-grounded in substantive business concepts, he offers a pragmatic approach to applying those concepts in the workaday world of business. He emphasizes the need for a practical approach to leading an organization by demonstrating the necessity of an honest assessment of one’s organization and the absolute necessity of good execution. His strong emphasis on making the customer the focus of everyone in the organization amounts to a call-to-arms for businesses that want to thrive in the face of fierce competition. His insistence that effective business leaders take a pragmatic approach to managing people, focus the company’s resources where they are needed and solve problems on the fly, all in the name of serving customers is an essential lesson for business leaders today. Would-be managers, new managers, and long-serving managers can all benefit from reading this book.

-Ralph W. Jackson, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus

The Collins College of Business - University of Tulsa

Contents

Dedication

Endorsements

Preface

Intro to WTF Management

I. WTF #1 – Facing the Brutal Facts

WTF #1 CHAPTER EXERCISE

II. WTF #2 – Execution Eats Strategy for Breakfast

WTF #2 CHAPTER EXERCISE

III. WTF #3 – If it ain’t SMART you’re just camping out

WTF #3 CHAPTER EXERCISE

IV. WTF #4 – No one has the authority to disappoint a customer

WTF #4 CHAPTER EXERCISE

V. WTF #5 – Poor Organization can cost you a lot of money

WTF #5 CHAPTER EXERCISE

VI. WTF #6 – Core Values: If You Don’t Mean It… Don’t Bother

WTF #6 CHAPTER EXERCISE

VII. WTF #7 – Spend more time on Not Demotivating Employees

WTF #7 CHAPTER EXERCISE

VIII. WTF #8 – All Leadership Styles are Right… Sometimes

WTF #8 CHAPTER EXERCISE

IX. One Last Thought Before We Say Adieu

Bibliography

About the Author

This book is exceptional in its straight-talk style, clarity and execution, thus making it a powerful tool for all leaders and managers. The step-by-step strategies make it a fail-proof resource for everyone. The eight ‘WTFs’ are not only about how to ‘Win The Future,’ but also, ‘What To Fix!’

-Kristine A. Sexter, Consultant and Author of Rolling Out the Recognition, Employee Retention Strategies for Manufacturers

I have worked with this sassy, down to earth and vocal leader for over 30 years. I even took his job when Hilti sent me to Tulsa Oklahoma while he got to become the President of the smallest Division. He achieved amazing results starting as a rookie GM of foreign territories