The Ministry of Common Sense: How to Eliminate Bureaucratic Red Tape, Bad Excuses, and Corporate Bullshit

Description

How often in your life do you spend time following a rule or a procedure that makes no sense, offers little or no advantage, and slows you down in the process? In a world of work governed by a system of well-intentioned rules, that's something that happens all too often. In this book Martin Lindstrom - a global leader in branding and expert in organisational culture - takes you behind the scenes at companies which are paralyzed and demoralised by a breakdown in common sense. Lindstrom shares a five-step process for identifying and repairing these lapses, showing that restoring common sense always cuts costs, boosts engagement and increases customer retention. The stories in THE MINISTRY OF COMMON SENSE are entertaining, troubling, eye-opening and recognisable to anyone who works in or leads an organisation of any size. It's easy to get blinded to problems right in front of you - but setting up your own Ministry of Common Sense will mean less time wasted on unnecessary things, less mistakes and misunderstandings, and a better way of working for all.

MARTIN LINDSTROM is a well-known international management consultant and best-selling business author who routinely sees various kinds of "corporate red tape" on a global basis. Over the years, he has learned how to quickly pinpoint and then eradicate these bothersome hurdles in companies of all sizes. Lindstrom is recognized as one of the world's most influential people (Time) and ranked among the world's top business thinkers (Thinkers50).

Martin Lindstrom's delightful romp shows how too many organizations seem designed to drive their customers and employees crazy. And this gem is filled with useful (and fun) tips and tools that will help leaders build teams and organizations where common sense is the rule rather than the exception. -- Robert Sutton, Stanford professor and author of bestsellers including The No Asshole Rule and Scaling Up Excellence As a business and culture transformation expert, Martin doesn't just chop off branches and leaves. He goes deep inside organizations to target the roots of inefficiency, impracticality, and general boneheadedness. -- Marshall Goldsmith, America's #1 Leadership Coach Fun, fast-paced, and as actionable as it is insightful. Get ready to find out all the ways your organization can gain from better common sense. Highly recommended. -- Renee Mauborgne, INSEAD professor and co-author of the bestsellers Blue Ocean Strategy and Blue Ocean Shift The Ministry of Common Sense forces us all to take a hard look in the mirror if we want to take our businesses to the next level to win big - and do so by simply eliminating needless layers of corporate BRIGHT RED tape. Thanks for this book, Martin, because you have saved me from senseless meetings! -- Tyra Banks, Supermodel turned Super Businesswoman Laughing aloud while reading a management book is not an everyday experience-and it happened to me dozens of times while reading The Ministry of Common Sense. Martin Lindstrom's 'common sense' approach is wise, humorous, and fundamentally practical. The book offers a path forward for engaging your employees in fixing broken systems to make work better and customers happier. -- Amy C. Edmondson, Harvard Business School professor and author of The Fearless Organization With wit and humor, Lindstrom argues that lack of empathy and blind acceptance of politics, technology, rules and regulations can strip us - and entire companies - of good judgment, damaging employee experience, culture, and customer satisfaction. If you are looking for a straight line to customer loyalty and financial success, check out The Ministry of Common Sense. It's a brilliant reminder that bringing humanity back to business just makes sense. -- Liz Wiseman, bestselling author of Multipliers and Rookie Smarts A good-humored take on a serious subject--we are taking a daily bath in bureaucratic self sabotage. Plain-spoken and practical; a fun way to learn how to restore common sense to your organization -- Whitney Johnson, award-winning author of Disrupt Yourself and Build an A Team Bloated PowerPoints and endless meetings are just a few of the corporate practices that bog down the workplace in bureaucracy. The result is low morale, squandered productivity and poor decision-making. Thankfully, Martin Lindstrom offers specific solutions to restore common sense to organizations that sabotage their own success. -- Carmine Gallo, communication advisor and bestselling author of Talk Like TED A must-read for anyone wishing to introduce more common sense practices and greater empathy in their workplace. -- Keith Ferrazzi, Founder and Chairman of Ferrazzi Greenlight You will laugh, you will cry, and you will learn the power of common sense in this incredible gift of a book. Oh, and buy one for your boss too! -- Chester Elton, bestselling author of The Carrot Principle, All In, and Leading with Gratitude Lindstrom proves that, more often than not, the bigger your policy manual the smaller your organization's common sense. More importantly, he shows leaders at all levels how to reverse that alarming trend. -- David Burkus, author of Under New Management and Leading From Anywhere