Don't rock the boat. Don't make waves. Don't offend anyone. There's a palpable feeling that clouds many team meetings and keeps them from being productive: over-politeness. And while the conflict that naturally exists in most organizations hasn't gone away, it manifests itself in passive-aggression, mediocrity, and a molasses-like inability to get anything done.

Nice Teams Finish Last provides the antidote to this all-too-common tendency, giving managers, team leaders and members, and facilitators the practical support they need to battle "the nice trap" and start getting results ...

Contrary to popular opinion, brainstorming isn't magic. Truly productive brainstorming sessions are dependent on the ability of the leader to create the right environment and let his or her people's ideas flow.

Filled with clear, concise guidance and quick, easily implemented techniques, this book provides supervisors, managers, and team leaders the fun, proven activities they need to get idea-packed brainstorming sessions started, and keep them going. Readers will discover how to:

- Ask questions that provoke responses and inspire creativity

- React to and record ideas in a...

-All managers want to hold their employees accountable for results, but few know how. Moving beyond the far-from-ideal annual performance review -- which only evaluates what has already occurred, and not what the manager wants to achieve -- Keeping Employees Accountable for Resultscontains checklists, how-tos, and other tools to manage performance on an ongoing basis. The book gives busy managers quick, step-by-step advice on:

* Setting expectations

* Monitoring progress

* Giving feedback

* Following through

Light on theory...