Gary Winters

Coach • Workshop Facilitator • Author
Gary Winters
Coach • Facilitator • Author

Don’t work harder for someone than they’re willing to work for themselves.

You’ve got a problem with Darren’s performance which has been below standard for too long. 

You’ve stepped in do some performance coaching. You’ve been patient, compassionate, a good listener. You know the two of you have engaged in a problem-solving dialogue – certainly not a “Now hear this!” monologue from you. 

Despite four coaching sessions over the past six weeks, there’s been no improvement. This despite the fact that Darren has agreed a problem exists, he’s agreed things need to change, and he even has suggested a couple of things he could do differently. 

Problem is – he’s not doing them. 

Suddenly it dawns on you (perhaps in the shower, or during your commute to work, of after a long meeting) – you’re working harder for him than he’s working for himself. You’re putting in the time and the effort to help Darren, by exploring the performance issues, clarify your expectations and sorting out potential solutions. Each time you’ve meet you felt progress has been made. 

But Darren’s not doing anything differently. 

When you’re confident you’re working harder for Darren than he is for himself, it’s time to stop the coaching. Stop the problem-solving. Accept the notion that Darren has got to go. 

Good leadership is knowing when to hold ‘em, when to fold ‘em, and when to walk away.

If you have a Darren on your team, you know what needs to be done. Remove him. Do it and be at peace. You did what you could to turn him around, and it didn’t work. You didn’t fail – that’s on Darren, too.

Cut your losses and move on. 

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“What ELSE Your Boss Never Told You” is the sequel to the very popular “What Your Boss Never Told You.” Packed inside are more tips, techniques, and insights about the challenging, but rewarding leadership position.

“What ELSE Your Boss Never Told You” is written in a conversational tone, as though you and the author were enjoying a cup of coffee and talking about the issues that emerge for new leaders. It stands alone, and/or could be read before or after the first volume, “What Your Boss Never Told You.” You can start with any chapter and read in any order you like.

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if you search for a book on management, you’ll find a staggering 600,000+ books currently available. How can you narrow that down? “What Your Boss Never Told You” is the best place to start.

No textbook here – this book is short and sweet. It’s designed to help you “unpack” your new job and be effective from the first day with your new team. It contains twenty-one chapters filled with the wisdom Winters has gathered from real managers – effective, successful leaders in organizations much like yours.

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Leaders make decisions every day – big and small. Most know that if they include others in the decision-making process, the quality of those decisions – and the commitment to them – will likely improve. That said, they also know it’s impractical, if not impossible, to include others in every decision they confront.

“To Do or Not To Do” tackles the question of when to make decisions on your own, and when to involve your team. It gives you a deceptively simple but proven method to determine, when you are facing a difficult decision, how to decide how to decide.

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Far too many meetings are dreadful, mind-numbing, energy-draining, productivity-sapping, colossal wastes of time. As someone once said, “To kill time, a meeting is the perfect weapon.”

Here’s the deal: if you’re willing to learn and apply the techniques in “So, How Was Your Meeting?”, you’ll call fewer meetings, while vastly improving the ones you do lead. They’ll take less time, have more balanced participation, produce better decisions, and result in concrete action items for follow-up afterwards.

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While there are thousands of books written for people about to retire, this may be the only book for people who manage soon-to-retire employees. Written in a casual, conversational style, “Managing the Soon To Retire Employee” will give you everything you need to know to move forward with confidence and grace.

You can be successful with Sooners. It won’t happen by chance, and it’s not a matter of pulling some management “trick” out of your hat. But you can learn how to do it, and you can apply what you’ve learned right away.

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Managing friends or former peers can be awkward. When you become the boss, everything about these relationships can suddenly be uncomfortable. There’s a new set of ground rules to establish – as manager, you are going be accountable for the work performance of friends or former co-workers on the team, and they are going to have to adjust to the fact that they now report to you. Everyone involved can feel awkward and hesitant about the future. 

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Have you been approached by management with an offer to promote you to supervision? Or, are you mulling over the possibility for the future? Find yourself not sure whether to accept the promotion?

If so, you’ve come to the right place. Help! They Want to Make ME a Supervisor will help you sort out a very big question: Should you accept the offer to become a supervisor? Once you’ve read this book, you’ll be confident that you’ve made the best decision for you and for your organization.

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