In The Three Legged Table: Why Every Employee Matters, Brian James, MBA, says every employee plays a vital role in the functioning of an organization. In the words of Patricia Fripp, an executive speech coach, keynote speaker, and sales presentation skills expert, "Your business is as good as your worst employee." Looking at the chain of command, the CEO is important because he or she has the primary responsibility of developing the best directions an organization can take. The managers and supervisors control the day-to-day operations of their departments; the line employees have basic roles in sales, health care, or other fields; and then there are the men and women who clean and maintain the facility. Although each level of responsibility differs, each individual plays an important role in the organization's operational productivity, financial performance, and how the public perceives the organization. In The Three Legged Table, the author discusses how each employee affects these areas, outlines common pitfalls that sabotage employee morale, stresses the importance of leaders and mentors in overcoming these issues, and describes how they can boost drive and performance. In his last chapter, he presents a Bill of Rights for the ideal work environment: -Thou shalt be respected, whilst respecting others. -Thou shalt be treated in fair manner and treat other fairly. -Thou shalt always respect the rights and needs of every person. -Thou shalt have right to a work environment that is free of distractions. -Thou shalt appreciate that change is difficult, painful, and necessary. -Thou shalt understand that errors are the symptoms of a larger problem, and not the problem itself. -Thou shalt understand that employees are part of the solution, not the problem. -Thou shalt understand that while blame is easy, finding the right answers is hard. -Thou shalt understand that finding the best answer often requires everyone being involved. -Thou shalt understand that while the customer comes first, they may not always be right. Although the author's specific points of conversation are related to the health care industry, the content of his book can be equally applied to other organizations and industries. For the purpose of illustration, he discusses how a three-legged table represents the health care industry. The tabletop represents the patients being served; the floor, upon which the table sits, represents the physical facilities of the organization; and in between are the supports, which represent three separate and yet vital players in providing health care. The table legs represent the roles of administration, physicians, and the support staff. "In the restaurant industry, we could substitute the roles," says James. "The administration creates schedules and manages the workflow, the kitchen staff prepares the food to appearance and customer preferences, and the wait staff delivers the food items, the cleanliness, and availability of the counters and tables. Each plays an important role in overall performance of the operation and delivery of the food service. The actions of each team has the potential to disrupt the actions of the other members overall service team." Readers will find The Three Legged Table an enlightening, informative, and deeply inspiring read.
About the Author: Author of The Three Legged Table: Why Every Employee Matters, Brian James holds an MBA with specialization in healthcare administration, an AAS in echocardiography, and a BS in biology. He has twenty-five years of experience in health care and cardiovascular ultrasound.