In our work lives when something isn't working, we struggle with what part of the problem to tackle first. Do we start with cost reduction? What about morale? Or should we go for process improvements first? We pick the problem to work on, and depending on whether our plan makes sense, one of two things happens. First, we fail--and then we add frustration to our list of problems. Two, we succeed, and then some new problem pops out to replace the old. We cut 10% out of our budget, and our star performers leave in frustration because we sliced what they saw as a critical program. It's as though the system we're working on is an old inner tube. The moment we patch one hole and add pressure, another spot tears open.

The point is that it's possible to change everything at once. Seem far fetched? Zaffron and Logan make a compelling argument that executives spend their time and money adjusting the systems in which people operate rather than targeting people's performance directly. When the three laws in this book are applied, performance transforms to a level far beyond what most people think is possible.

About the Author
Steve Zaffron is the CEO of Vanto Group, which has consulted with 300+ organizations in twenty countries including Lockheed Martin, Apple, Morgan Stanley, Johnson & Johnson, Reebok, NASA, Northrop Grumman, Polus Group Japan, and the US Defense Dept. Zaffron has personally consulted many top executives and led seminars for over 100,000 people, as well as guest lecturing at Harvard Business School, University of Rochester, Ohio State and USC. He is also a senior executive and board member with Landmark Education, where he spearheaded the design of the Landmark Forum program which has been attended by more than a million people worldwide.Steve holds a master's degree from the University of Chicago and graduated magna cum laude from Cornell University.

Dave Logan is a professor and former associate dean of executive education at USC's Marshall School of Business, where he pioneered several MBA courses as well as a Medical Management degree program. He also teaches at the Foundation for Medical Excellence and the International Center for Leadership in Finance (Malaysia). He is author or co-author of four books, including the bestselling Tribal Leadership and has been interviewed on CNN, NBC, and dozens of newspapers and radio stations across the country. Logan holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Communication from the Annenberg School at USC.

Both authors are members of The Barbados Group, an internationally-renowned think tank.

Table of Contents

• Editor's Note, byWarren Bennis.
• Foreword, by Michael C. Jensen.
• Authors' Note.
• Introduction: The Power of Rewriting the Future.
• Part I: The Three Laws in Action.
• 1. Transforming an Impossible Situation.
• 2. Where Is the Key to Performance?
• 3. Rewriting a Future That's Already Written.
• Part II: Rewriting the Future of Leadership.
• 4. With So Many Books on Leadership, Why Are There So Few Leaders?
• 5. The Self-Led Organization.
• Part III: Mastering the Game of Performance.
• 6. Who orWhat Is Leading Your Life?
• 7. The Path to Mastery.
• 8. Breaking the Performance Barrier.
• Appendix: The Three Laws of Performance and the Leadership Corollaries.
• Notes.
• Acknowledgments.
• The Authors.
• Index.