Why Are There Snowblowers in Miami?

Book excerpt: Whether it’s having snowblowers for sale in a place where it never snows or a more pervasive issue—like having so many meetings scheduled there’s no time left to actually solve any problems—dysfunction within large organizations is so prevalent that most people either accept it as an inevitable fact of corporate life or assume someone else will deal with it. But must it be this way? Goldstein’s answer to this is a resounding No! In Why Are There Snowblowers in Miami?, heexplains the nature of dysfunction present in most companies and other organizations, why it occurs, and most importantly, what leaders, at all levels, can do to tackle these issues and improve performance. As a senior executive for a major department store chain, Steve Goldstein was shocked to find snowblowers for sale at the company’s Miami store. When Goldstein asked a salesman on the floor how long this had been going on, he replied, “I’ve been here for thirty years, and we’ve been getting them since I’ve been here.” For Goldstein, this one snowblower experience crystallizes all the dysfunction he has seen in business over the course of his career. A seasoned business leader with more than three decades of experience, he has discovered that almost all dysfunction is caused by a lack of engagement, and that it is fixable. Goldstein outlines his unique Five Principles of Engagement and demonstrates how top-level leaders can—and should—use them to improve the way they interact with their teams, employees, and customers. He offers pragmatic, proven techniques for solving problems most leaders face: including a revolutionary time-saving meeting model; a new process for making more efficient decisions—with all participants having greater accountability; a new system that impels leaders to really know their employees and customers; and other ground-breaking tools. ​Inspiring, entertaining and refreshingly honest, Why Are There Snowblowers in Miami? is filled with true stories from the author’s own experience as well as anecdotes and insights culled from interviews he has conducted with some of the world’s most influential CEOs. From these real-life examples readers will learn how understanding and utilizing the Five Principles of Engagement can lead to powerful and positive change in their own organizations—and in their lives.