The First Two Rules of Leadership

How can you improve your leadership results beginning right now? The First Two Rules of Leadership: Don't be Stupid, Don't be a Jerk provides a clear path to increased results and higher job satisfaction for the leader and the people he is leading. Written for the leader who wants to do great things, but is overwhelmed with the complexities of leading, it is a book with a very simple message: think your decisions through and take care of your team.

Written by bestselling author David Cottrell, The First Two Rules of Leadership: Don't be Stupid, Don't be a Jerk offers tried-and-true leadership strategies that stand the test of time—all of which you can put into practice today to positive results. The principles discussed apply to businesses in every industry, as well as schools, hospitals, churches, and even homes. By following the two rules outlined in the book's title, you'll improve morale, decrease turnover, increase your own job satisfaction, and have a whole lot more fun leading.

• Lead with confidence and class
• Make better decisions and develop synchronization on your team
• Coach smart, deal with poor performers, and focus on what's really important
• Listen to your team, encourage positive performance, and attack complacency

You can lead your team to achieve extraordinary results! The First Two Rules of Leadership: Don't be Stupid, Don't be a Jerk gives you the expert tips and tricks you need to treat your team with dignity and respect—so you can all enjoy the benefits of winning with class.

Introduction vii

Don’t Be Stupid 1

Don’t Be Stupid—Hire Smart 3

Don’t Be Stupid—Coach Smart 11

Don’t Be Stupid—Deal with the Sleeping Stars 21

Don’t Be Stupid—Synchronize 29

Don’t Be Stupid—Concentrate 39

Don’t Be Stupid—Value Integrity 53

Don’t Be a Jerk 65

Don’t Be a Jerk—Listen Up 69

Don’t Be a Jerk—Make a Decision 79

Don’t Be a Jerk—Answer Why 89

Don’t Be a Jerk—Encourage 97

Don’t Be a Jerk—Attack Complacency 105

Don’t Be a Jerk—Lead with Confidence 113

Winning with Class 123

Notes 127

Acknowledgments 131

About the Author 133

Three Ways to Bring The First Two Rules of Leadership into Your Organization 135

Everyone Needs to Lead 137

The First Two Rules of Leadership Package 139

Other Books by David Cottrell 141

Index 143

DAVID COTTRELL is president and CEO of CornerStone Leadership. He is a premier authority on leadership who has mentored leaders at many of today’s most successful organ-izations. An internationally known author, educator, and speaker, he is author of more than twenty-five books, including the bestselling Monday Morning Leadership. He can be reached at www.CornerStoneLeadership.com.

The thousands of people who quit their jobs — those who quit and leave or the people who quit and stay — originally joined the organization looking to make meaningful contributions, take on more responsibility, and generally grow in their fields. But, now they want to do that somewhere else. Why? The truth is this: in most cases, those people decided to quit their leader. Somewhere along the way, the leader lost their trust and failed to meet their needs.

Fortunately, something can be done and there is something you can do to prevent people from quitting you! You can create a positive climate where your team will flourish in their jobs. You can make smarter decisions. You can lead with respect and dignity. You can achieve extraordinary results with class, beginning right now.

The First Two Rules of Leadership shakes out the complexity of leading people and delivers a realistic plan you can use to provide greater results and job satisfaction for your team—and yourself!

The timeless advice inside this book works. It applies to every type of business and delivers remarkable results in every industry, schools, hospitals, churches, and even your own home. This groundbreaking guide reveals the secret to becoming a great leader in two convenient parts— don’t be stupid and don’t be a jerk. Each chapter digs down into an explicit area of these principles to show you how to make smarter leadership decisions. In straightforward, easy-to-digest narratives, this transformational guide illustrates how to:

• Create a winning environment by hiring smart, coaching smart, and synchronizing your team’s activities toward success.
• Become a leader your team respects and wants to follow by listening to your team, operating with transparency, eradicating complacency and leading with confidence.
• Have a whole lot more fun leading a winning team.

Whether you’ve been leading teams for decades or days, if you want to improve morale, decrease turnover, improve results, read and apply The First Two Rules of Leadership: Don’t be Stupid, Don’t be a Jerk.