There is some great advice in this book. I appreciate that this goes beyond philosophical discussions of managing people and shares practical advice from someone with experience. I have shared it with all my staff who supervise others.

I love Radical Candor - both the book and podcast have had a lasting impact on my work life and it’s one of the books I most recommend to coworkers and friends looking for management advice. I hoped this would be similarly impactful but unfortunately for me it wasn’t and I didn’t finish the book. This felt like it could have been a great article or podcast episode but was stretched out too much to make a book. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance copy to review.

A lot of nuggets of wisdom to help propel your career with a lot of employable practical advice. For those who want to improve as a manager, this is a must read! Thanks netgalley.

"People deserve to be led well."

This line from the epilogue perfectly sums up what Russ Laraway is focused on expressing in his book When They Win, You Win. Being led well doesn't come only from the top of the company, but from the middle especially. Managers can be the main sources of success for most companies, but are underserved and underserving. Laraway lays out simple elements that managers can implement to make their team members happy in their positions, engaged in the workplace, and thriving in their careers. Not only does Laraway lay out how to achieve results, but also why you should WANT to strive for the results and how they help companies achieve their bottom-line in business and provide better workplaces for employees.

The book is broken out into 5 different parts. The first section is introducing the Big 3. The second, third, and fourth segments go into depth about each of the Big 3: direction, coaching, and career. The final section of the book brings it all together. This book could easily be used in long-term discussion based conversations as there are subsections in each segment. Laraway also includes his shortlist of leadership books he recommends for managers.

I will definitely be rereading When They Win, You Win and look forward to implementing these ideas into my work practice.

In this book, former Silicon Valley manager and leader in the field, Russ Laraway lays out simple to follow rules for creating and maintaining successful teams. Keeping people happy will make teams function better. Communicating with team members and being engaged/caring about them is important to keeping people engaged and making teams work better. Laraway shares his leadership standard to help teams work as well as his teams have historically, and that can be super helpful for managers who want to be good at their jobs and support their employees.

I do need to stop picking such such books, however, because I wasn’t engaged. My dream job is to not have a job. My aspirations don’t lie with my career, and even though I want to do a good job, my promotion goals are just to make more money to fund the things I really want to do. I will say this one is useful with relevant info, just didn’t resonate with me, a reforming workaholic whose only major goals are to foster cats and maybe have a paid for house one day.

If you’re a manager of people, though, this book can definitely help you in your people leading skills, and it’s out now wherever you get your books.

I liked this book and thought it was filled with a lot of great information. I would recommend to anyone who is managing people. Thank you netgalley for the ARC.

This is an absolutely wonderful book about how a happy working environment is much more conducive to a productive workforce and workers. New research shows that managers and bosses that make an effort to be positive and engaged with their employees will have a MUCH more productive office and team. This book lays out the groundwork for that to happen. I found it very useful and will definitely be going back to this book again and again as a refrence!

When They Win, You Win by Russ Laraway is a readable management book that boils good management down to "The Big 3", Direction, Coaching, and Career--otherwise known as good managers are clear about accountabilities, they coach their team members to success and growth, and they give evidence that they care about their people not just as a means to an end .

The author peppers solid advice throughout the book with real life examples which make for an interesting and engaging read. This book is a nice start for newer managers or those who need more instruction on how a company will never be better than its people.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

With WHEN THEY WIN, YOU WIN, Russ Laraway has laid out a clear, simple path for managers to build and support a productive, rewarding, profitable business. The guiding principles he lays out for managers are straightforward and reward the manager and team member personally and professionally: Direction, Coaching, and Career. Smart, expert, and direct, Laraway offers novices to experienced managers information, insight, and valuable practices. I enjoyed Laraway's down-to-earth, direct writing and the many examples he provided of how clarity and focus work for success. Throughout the book, I nodded total agreement, acknowledging how hard it is to keep that focus when everyone and everything around you is hollering for things to be done right, faster, the sanctioned way instead of being human and as brilliant as you and your people truly are. I received an advance copy of this novel and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

When I was reading Russ Laraway's book, I was reminded of a story from the bar that Mark Cuban founded in Bloomington before he was of legal drinking age. It got shut down because of an incident involving an underage minor, but he had a guy who was a lousy bartender. He wasn't on time, and he didn't meet the mark. Everyone felt terrible about getting rid of him, because he was universally liked. They realized that he needed to become a manager, so that's where they put him. He was far better as a manager than as a bartender.

I have to say I learned so much from this book! I am so glad I got the chance to read it. I liked how the steps that are provided in this are easily laid out with examples. I didn't find this overwhelming at all and it was clearly well researched too.

I always enjoy books that offer tips on career development and growth. This book offers tips combined with real life examples. I will continue to enjoy implementing what I learned, and applying it in real life. I also look forward to sharing tips with my leadership team.

When They Win, You Win by Russ Laraway

Published: June 7, 2022
St. Martin’s Press
Pages: 297
Genre: Business Leadership, Business, Self Help
KKECReads Rating: 5/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

RUSS LARAWAY has had a diverse 28-year operational management career. Before starting his first company, Pathfinders, he was a Company Commander in the Marine Corps. A graduate of The Wharton School, he worked at Google and Twitter before co-founding Candor, Inc., alongside bestselling author Kim Scott. In 2018, Laraway became the Chief People Officer of Qualtrics and ultimately took on a role in helping other companies think (very) differently about the employee experience. Over that span, he has managed 700-person teams and $700M businesses facing a vast array of leadership challenges along the way.

“It’s clear that the manager holds the keys, so please let’s choose our drivers carefully and renew their licenses frequently.”

I knew I would enjoy this book from the first sentence, which I feel obligated to share because it’s a memorable way to start a book: “Managers are failing everywhere, and no one is helping. This is a big claim, but don’t worry, I brought receipts.”

RUSS LARAWAY! If you wanted to grab my attention, you succeeded!

This is such a great book. Written with passion, experience, and honesty, this should be what every manager gets when they are promoted to management.

I loved the accountability throughout this book and the real-life examples and scenarios. Several well-placed pop culture references kept my motivation high as well.

Russ seems like a normal guy, hardworking, passionate, and dedicated to helping his people reach their potential. He was speaking my language.

While we are from very different business worlds, so much of what he says translates across various fields. And I love that Russ indeed does “provide receipts.”

This is a very easy-to-read book, with real-life explanations and many examples. I love that Russ is screaming what needs to be heard.

This is a powerful tool and should absolutely be used and shared.

Thank you to NetGalley and Saint Martin’s Press for the advanced copy of When They Win, You Win.

This book gives direction to managers to support their staff and build their own skills and sense of self in the managerial role.

I found this book to be helpful and insightful. I have had roles as a manager in my career and liked them the least of every job I’ve had. I found some new tips and explored myself as a manger in this read. I found the coaching section to be the most helpful. Some of the writing style was a bit schmaltzy to me but overall it was an easy, good read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book to read in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I'm always up for reading a good book on how to be a better manager and keep employees engaged and productive. This book had lots of great ideas and really motivated me to try the suggestions with my team. Anyone interested in motivating their employees should definitely take the time to read this!

I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of WHEN THEY WIN, YOU WIN by Russ Laraway through a Shelf Awareness giveaway. Thanks for the early look, and have a safe and happy weekend!

Every time Laraway writes "steps off soapbox," he knows he is coming off as arrogant and self-important. Yet here we are. Interesting thoughts, but I am not a fan of the way they are shared.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Well thought out helpful guide to managing cooperative teams and re-establishing employee engagement. The three simple steps are fleshed out w deeper examples and nuances w/in each step and peppered with industry war stories. Style and guidance touch on themes similar to those in “Dysfunctions of a Team”, while landing more relevant and applicable for a post-pandemic workforce than Lencioni’s fable. Subsequent editions could be improved by lightening balance of trench stories, relative to exploration of motivational psychology.

Russ Laraway's When They Win, You Win offers some interesting nuggets of wisdom for managers and it's always helpful to expose yourself to new ideas in the workplace. Here Laraway enourages managers to be very hands on and involved in their employees job and career goals, which while possibly aspirational, is more time consuming than many managers would be able to manage and potentially borders on a little too hands on for my taste and style. But some food for thought in the arena.