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In his sixth fable, bestselling author Patrick Lencioni takes on a topic that almost everyone can relate to: the causes of a miserable job. Millions of workers, even those who have carefully chosen careers based on true passions and interests, dread going to work, suffering each day as they trudge to jobs that make them cynical, weary, and frustrated. It is a simple fact of business life that any job, from investment banker to dishwasher, can become miserable. Through the story of a CEO turned pizzeria manager, Lencioni reveals the three elements that make work miserable -- irrelevance, immeasurability, and anonymity -- and gives managers and their employees the keys to make any job more fulfilling.

As with all of Lencionis books, this one is filled with actionable advice you can put into effect immediately. In addition to the fable, the book includes a detailed model examining the three signs of job misery and how they can be remedied. It covers the benefits of managing for job fulfillment within organizations -- increased productivity, greater retention, and competitive advantage -- and offers examples of how managers can use the applications in the book to deal with specific jobs and situations.

Patrick Lencioni (San Francisco, CA) is President of The Table Group, a management consulting firm specializing in executive team development and organizational health. As a consultant and keynote speaker, he has worked with thousands of senior executives and executive teams in organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to high-tech startups to universities and nonprofits. His clients include AT&T, Bechtel, Boeing, Cisco, Sams Club, Microsoft, Mitsubishi, Allstate, Visa, FedEx, New York Life, Sprint, Novell, Sybase, The Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Lencioni is the author of six bestselling books, including The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. He previously worked for Oracle, Sybase, and the management consulting firm Bain & Company.

Average Customer Rating:

Three Signs of a Miserable Job	Customer Rating:
This book was a great reminder for me as a manager on what I should be focusing on to keep my staff engaged in the business. Teaching these lessons fable style makes it easier to see the how and why.

Three Signs of a Miserable Job	Customer Rating:
Author uses a compelling short story to illustrate his ideas. The three "signs", anonymity, irrelevance,and immeasurement speak volumes about the negative impact each can have on our engagement, and gives a simple and powerfull message to all leaders as to where they should be focusing their efforts when leading their teams.

Enjoyed Three Signs	Customer Rating:
I really enjoyed reading The Three Signs of A Miserable Job and it helped put a lot of things in focus that you might not realize are critical to success as a leader. I felt it was so valuable that I purchased two more copies and shared them with my management team.

Being a manager takes more than signing letters & receiving fat checks...	Customer Rating:
I was wondering whether most managers (especially those who have "a job for life") would follow your advice. Indeed, being in that position takes more than signing letters and receiving fat checks every month. I have been reading your books over and over again. Thank you Mr Lencioni for enlightening my mind!

Don't Strike Out. Buy This Book!

Customer Rating:

This is a great topic and an easy read. While it is a one-trick book, the topic is so deep and varied that it can fill an entire book. A lot of managerial books that cover a single topic are often shallow and sometimes even fails to offer ways to correct the problems associated with the topic. That is not the case with this book. The author provides a clear, operational definition of a miserable job. If you have moved around in your career (or not!) you can easily relate to these bad jobs. I was very glad to see the author lay the bulk of the blame at the manager's feet. This is where it belongs but man. The relationship between the employee and their direct supervisor is one of the most important in that person's life. The three signs are defined as: Anonymity - In a recent training class for managers, I asked them to list their subordinates and then to tell me the name of the spouses and name at least one of their children. I struck out. Not a single person could pull this off. Irrelevance - I am reminded of the two stone cutters. One said his job was hot, dusty and hard. The other enlightened cutter told everyone he was building a cathedral. What a difference between the workers! "Immeasurement" or not being able to tell if your work is contributing to the success of the organization or themselves. For me, an analogy would be given the job of driving a car cross country but not being given a map, fuel gauge or speedometer. Buy this book if you want to reduce your employee turnover and help with retention. This is right on point and I can highly recommend it. Michael L. Gooch, SPHR - Author of Wingtips with Spurs