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Why Your Boss Needs to= Care About You

By DAN ACKMAN
January 10, 2007; Page D10

For a book essentially about empathy, "12: The Elements of Great Managing" is a little full of itself. The self-importance starts right on the cover: "12" bills itsel= f as "the long awaited follow-up to the best seller, 'First, Break All the Rules.'" But it turns out that the earlier book, by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman -- about "what the world's greatest managers do differently" -- has had a few follow-ups already. Mr. Buckingham has written or co-written "Now, Discover Your Strengths" and "The One Thing You Need to Know." Mr. Coffman has written "Follow This Path." Neither man is invo= lved in "12."

It turns out that the Gallup Organization considers "12" the follow-up to "First, Break All the Rules.&quo= t; Why? Because both books rely on polling information gleaned from the company's database and because the new book's numerical title refers = to the dozen traits shared by exceptional managers, as defined by "First, Break All the Rules."

This time out, Gallup employees Rodd Wagner and James K. Harter= are credited as the authors, though it's clear from the start who is really in charge: Messrs. 3D"[Pho= Wagn= er and Harter's bosses. The managerial "elements" discussed in "12" represent, we're told, information obtained by the investment of millions of dollars. "As such they are proprietary. They cannot be reprinted or reproduced in any manner without the writ= ten consent of The Gallup Organization."

Okaaaay. It's an awkward prohibition, though. If "First, Break All the Rules" had be= en as influential as the company claims, we'd already know the precious = 12 elements by heart. They seem fairly self-evident in any case. For instance (and I paraphrase here in order to avoid the wrath of Gallup atto= rneys), "12" advises us that the best managers make sure that their employees know what is expected of them and that the right materials = are on hand. "Great managing," it turns out, includes caring ab= out employees, listening to their opinions and talking to workers frequen= tly about their progress. Here is where the empathy comes in.

Such managerial recommendations do indeed sound pedestrian, but they are still laudable goals for any organization, a= nd it doesn't hurt to put them between the covers of a book. The authors= are to be credited for at least drumming up some off-the-beaten-track examples to buttress their message.

There is the story of a fiberglass factory in Rio Claro, Brazil, where the manager made sure to provide not just the best safety goggl= es but also an infra-red thermometer to measure the heat of the furnace. This concern about the equipment and the work environment, the authors say, was interpreted by the Brazilian workers (and why not?) as a reflection of the company's genuine concern for their safety and their performance.

Then there is the tale of the = Idaho Falls call center where the manager's caring and clowning, according to the authors, made the pla= ce fun and profitable. Given that the call center's employees are put "in a great mood" by a manager who straps on "in-line skates and rolls through the center singing and playing the guitar,&q= uot; the case study appears to refute "The Office" and Ricky Gervais's career.

Such tales are entertaining, but they might come acr= oss as mere anecdote, cherry-picked to bring a little liveliness to what mig= ht otherwise be a rather dry run-through of corporate bromides. So the b= ook teems with references to scientific studies, as if we need neuroscien= ce to understand that people, employees included, enjoy praise and acknowledgement.

The real question is: How is a business supposed to persuade managers (who the authors assume are always dedicated and ne= ver slackers themselves -- surely not the case) to use these principles, which amount to caring deeply about their employees? Apart from saying that companies should pay more attention to the quality of their line managers, the only answer in "12" comes from a two-page cha= pter called "What Great Managers Need." It turns out that "= one of the most fundamental needs of a great manager is...a great manager." The ellipsis is the authors' own.

The dozen elements discussed by Messrs. Wagner and H= arter all relate to "soft" skills -- the kind that help managers = to retain employees and encourage them. Near the end of the book, the authors devote a chapter to "the problem of pay," which, th= ey say, is "an element unto itself." But is it? They cite rese= arch on happiness that suggests surprisingly little correlation between in= come and feelings of well-being. Thus "the power of money" works "only in combination with all the non-financial drivers of emplo= yee engagement."

But there are a few catches. While people might not = tie their happiness to income alone, they are very interested in making m= ore money than the next guy. And the context of how a company pays its workers is almost as important as the pay itself: "What employees enthusiastically do for the company depends heavily on what the compa= ny eagerly does for them," the authors say. <= st1:place w:st=3D"on">Gallup doesn't poll employees abo= ut pay, but psychological studies confirm that "more than just the money, the thought counts." In other words, a great manager does= n't simply offer a raise -- he does it with a smile. That's not one of the 12 elements, and Gallup doesn't claim to own it, but there it is.

Mr. Ackman is a writer based in Jersey City, N= .J.