When They Win, You Win by Russ Laraway
Published: June 7, 2022
St. Martin’s Press
Pages: 297
Genre: Business Leadership, Business, Self Help
KKECReads Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.
RUSS LARAWAY has had a diverse 28-year operational management career. Before starting his first company, Pathfinders, he was a Company Commander in the Marine Corps. A graduate of The Wharton School, he worked at Google and Twitter before co-founding Candor, Inc., alongside bestselling author Kim Scott. In 2018, Laraway became the Chief People Officer of Qualtrics and ultimately took on a role in helping other companies think (very) differently about the employee experience. Over that span, he has managed 700-person teams and $700M businesses facing a vast array of leadership challenges along the way.
In When They Win, You Win, Russ Laraway, the Chief People Officer at Qualtrics, provides a simple, coherent, and complete leadership standard that teaches organizational planners and managers how to develop incredible levels of employee engagement. The book identifies three key elements: clear direction-setting, frequent coaching, and active engagement with employees on their long-term career goals.
Russ Laraway’s approach to management, developed at Google, Twitter, and Qualtrics, shows the way to cultivate a happy, productive, and engaged team. Happy results are sure to follow―for you, your customers, your shareholders, and your employees alike.
“It’s clear that the manager holds the keys, so please let’s choose our drivers carefully and renew their licenses frequently.”
I knew I would enjoy this book from the first sentence, which I feel obligated to share because it’s a memorable way to start a book: “Managers are failing everywhere, and no one is helping. This is a big claim, but don’t worry, I brought receipts.”
RUSS LARAWAY! If you wanted to grab my attention, you succeeded!
This is such a great book. Written with passion, experience, and honesty, this should be what every manager gets when they are promoted to management.
I loved the accountability throughout this book and the real-life examples and scenarios. Several well-placed pop culture references kept my motivation high as well.
Russ seems like a normal guy, hardworking, passionate, and dedicated to helping his people reach their potential. He was speaking my language.
While we are from very different business worlds, so much of what he says translates across various fields. And I love that Russ indeed does “provide receipts.”
This is a very easy-to-read book, with real-life explanations and many examples. I love that Russ is screaming what needs to be heard.
This is a powerful tool and should absolutely be used and shared.