Last year I had the opportunity of reading several business focused books and in doing so gained a great deal of insight. Some of the books were great while others were tough to get through. One of the books that was an enjoyable and relatively easy to read is titled “First Break All the Rules” by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman.

The book, based on 25 years of research by the Gallop Organization is the product of interviews with over a million employees and eighty thousand managers. The writing is easy to follow and doesn’t leave you feeling like you’re up to your eyeballs in the really heavy stuff. Its strategies are applicable and it doesn’t try to mold you into the author’s view of a good manager. Alternatively, it coaches you to take advantage of your innate abilities and grow them for your own managerial success.

In the introduction to the book the Author states “…great managers do share one thing: Before they do anything else, they first break all the rules of conventional wisdom. They do not believe that a person can achieve anything he sets his mind to. They do not try to help a person overcome his weaknesses. They consistently disregard the Golden Rule. And, yes, they even play favorites.”

We have all restated the phrase; our employees are our greatest asset. Yet many of us don’t consider the variety of strategies we could implement in order to make the most use of that investment. Sure, we purchase benefits and provide bonuses but what do we do in order to maximize that daily efficiency/output of that asset. Based on my meetings with several small businesses over the years I’m sorry to say that most of us do nothing but expect the person to show up because “I give them a paycheck every two weeks…they should be grateful for that.” The first truth is, most employees I speak with are grateful to be employed and are certainly grateful for the paycheck. The second truth is, most employees can and would gladly give more output if their direct supervisor would manage them individually instead of managing the group for which they are a part.

As I read the book I was almost constantly underlining sections and taking notes in the margins because the content was applicable and provided real and workable strategies. One that stood out to me was “spend the most time with your best people” because I’ve seen companies that do this and have witnessed their superior performance. But, that’s just one of several great points that made this book worth the money and the time.

Happy reading.

Jake Lunt is the General Manager of the Idaho office of A Plus Benefits, Inc.

I’ve received several requests lately about available employment opportunities at A Plus Benefits so am writing this post in an attempt to provide some guidance.

First, let me unequivocally state that we are almost constantly looking for talented individuals. If you think that’s you, please send your resume to hr@aplusbenefits.com.

Hold on though. Don’t be too hasty. Before sending the resume please read the rest of this post to ensure that you are looking for work in the right place. The fact is A Plus Benefits is a fantastic place to work and to develop your professional credentials. A Plus’s investment in training, benefits, work life balance and creating an enjoyable work environment have contributed to its distinction of being one of the top three small businesses to work for in the state of Utah. So if this sounds intriguing to you please send your resume to hr@aplusbenefits.com.

Wait a minute. I’m not quite done yet. Here is the part you need to consider before you send your resume. If you want a job where you can come and collect a paycheck without working hard and being accountable for your productivity, don’t apply because we don’t want you. If you have a history of showing up late for work and wanting to leave early, go apply somewhere else. If you feel like great holiday parties, better than industry standard wages, world class training and lots of other perks are your entitlement for showing up to the office, we are not a good fit. If you don’t feel like customers deserve your very best work and most careful attention go apply at one of our competitors because we don’t want you working for us. Bottom line, we hire great employees and make it well worth their time. If you are a great employee please apply by sending your resume to hr@aplusbenefits.com. If you have even the slightest inkling that you would be unable to perform in this type of environment don’t waste our time with a misleading resume.

We will look forward to seeing your resume soon.

If in your attempt to discover a job opportunity with A Plus you’ve stumbled onto this post and do in fact send your resume to the link listed above you’ve already passed the first test. Good Luck!

Jacob Lunt is the General Manager of Idaho Operations for A Plus Benefits, Inc.