Narrator: Imagine being 27 years old, new to a company, and brimming with confidence. This was Scott Miller, one of the book's authors, when he was handed his first management role. He was tasked with leading a team of client-service coordinators, and he believed they needed a firm hand to boost their performance. He immediately implemented strict rules: monitoring arrival times, banning personal appointments, and even asking an employee to check voicemails during her honeymoon. The team’s morale plummeted. After just three weeks, Miller was called into his boss's office and unceremoniously demoted back to his old job. He had failed spectacularly. This raw, humbling experience begs the question: why are so many new managers set up to fail, and what does it actually take to become the leader a team deserves?

In their book, Everyone Deserves a Great Manager, Scott Miller, Todd Davis, and Victoria Roos Olsson argue that leadership isn't an innate talent but a set of specific, learnable practices. They provide a clear and actionable framework designed to prevent the kind of trial-and-error disaster Miller experienced, offering a guide for leaders to transform their teams into engaged, high-performing units.

Narrator: The most significant hurdle for any new manager is a psychological one. The paradigms that make someone a successful individual contributor are often the very things that sabotage them as a leader. The authors introduce the "See-Do-Get" cycle: the way we see a situation determines what we do, which in turn determines the results we get. To change results, a leader must first change their mindset. The core mindset shift is moving from "I achieve results on my own" to "I achieve results with and through others."

Consider the story of Carolyn, a record-setting salesperson who was promoted to sales manager. As an individual, she was a superstar. But as a manager, she was failing. Whenever one of her salespeople faltered during a client meeting, Carolyn would jump in, take over, and close the deal herself. She successfully hit her sales targets, but her team never learned. They remained dependent on her, and their skills stagnated. Carolyn was still operating with the mindset of a star player, focused on her own ability to score. She hadn't realized her new job wasn't to hit the number herself, but to build a team that could hit the number. Her legacy wasn't the deals she closed, but the people she failed to develop. A great manager understands that their people are their results.

Narrator: The authors assert that while leaders can't create engagement, they are responsible for creating the conditions for it. The single most powerful tool for creating these conditions is the regular 1-on-1 meeting. However, most managers get it wrong. They treat 1-on-1s as status updates, a time to monitor progress and check boxes. This is a missed opportunity. The effective mindset is to use 1-on-1s to coach, connect, and understand the individual.

This is powerfully illustrated by the story of Joanna, a high-performing remote project manager. Despite her success, she submitted her resignation. During an exit interview, the Chief People Officer discovered the reason: Joanna felt completely disconnected. Her manager’s 1-on-1s were brief, transactional meetings focused only on project status. He never asked about her challenges, her career interests, or her well-being. As Joanna put it, "I want to work where I feel valued and connected—not just a machine." The company saved her by moving her to a new team with a leader who held regular, meaningful 1-on-1s. Under this new manager, Joanna didn't just stay; she thrived. The story shows that people work for more than a paycheck. They crave connection and a sense of being understood, and the 1-on-1 is the primary arena where that happens.

Narrator: Many managers fall into the trap of micromanagement, believing their job is to tell people what to do and how to do it. This approach stifles creativity and demotivates teams. The authors argue that a leader's true role is to help the team get clear on the "why" behind the work and then support them in figuring out the "how."

A story from a luxury hotel in Paris perfectly demonstrates the poison of micromanagement. The experienced waitstaff would meticulously set the tables for VIP guests. But afterward, their supervisor would always reposition a champagne flute. Then, the assistant manager would refold a napkin. Finally, the general manager would rearrange the centerpiece. This happened every single time. The result? The staff eventually stopped trying. They would do a mediocre job, knowing their work would be redone anyway. Management’s constant interference, intended to ensure perfection, had destroyed the team's initiative and pride. Effective leaders do the opposite. They align the team on a clear goal, create a simple scoreboard so everyone knows if they are winning, and then delegate responsibility, trusting the team to deliver.

Narrator: Feedback and change are two of the most challenging aspects of leadership, and they are deeply intertwined. A culture that handles feedback well is inherently more resilient and adaptable to change. The authors stress that the goal of feedback isn't to "fix" people but to "elevate" the entire team. This requires a balance of courage and consideration.

Scott Miller learned this the hard way as a young waiter. He was fast and efficient, but his methods created chaos for the kitchen staff and other waiters. His newly promoted manager decided to give him feedback. After closing, he sat Scott down and said, "I need to see a marked improvement in your teamwork," handing him the feedback written on an index card. The feedback was direct but lacked consideration, leaving Scott feeling shocked and offended. While the intention was right, the delivery was flawed.

This ability to communicate with candor and empathy is critical when leading a team through change. The book introduces the FranklinCovey Change Model, which maps the emotional journey from the Status Quo through zones of Disruption and Adoption, ultimately arriving at Better Performance. A leader’s job is to make this journey "short and shallow" by communicating clearly, listening to concerns, and championing the change. A team that is used to receiving regular, balanced feedback is far better equipped to handle the uncertainty and disruption that change inevitably brings.

Narrator: In the relentless pace of modern work, many leaders believe they are too busy to take time for themselves. This, the authors argue, is a dangerous and counterproductive mindset. The most effective leaders understand that they must manage their own time and energy first, because a burned-out leader cannot effectively lead anyone.

Author Victoria Roos Olsson shares a personal story of her own burnout. Hired to turn around a department, she was determined to succeed quickly. She began working longer and longer hours, arriving at the office before dawn and neglecting her health. Her mantra was to push through, but her body eventually revolted. She ended up with a sharp pain in her eye that turned out to be a symptom of exhaustion, leading to a diagnosis of pink eye, a sinus infection, and an ear infection. She realized her strategy of constant work was not leading to better results; it was destroying her. This experience forced her to work smarter, not harder. She learned to prioritize her "Big Rocks"—the most important tasks—and to manage her energy, not just her time. Leaders model behavior for their teams. By protecting their own well-being, they give their team permission to do the same, creating a more sustainable and healthy culture for everyone.

Narrator: The single most important message of Everyone Deserves a Great Manager is the call for leaders to shift from being the "genius" to being the "genius maker." True leadership isn't about having all the answers or being the most talented person in the room. It's about seeing, developing, and unleashing the potential in others. It’s about creating an environment where the entire team can become the best version of themselves.

The journey to becoming a great manager is not about mastering a single, secret technique. It's about the consistent application of these six critical practices. The book's ultimate challenge is a profound one: stop focusing on your own achievements and start focusing on the careers you can grow and the lives you can influence. After all, a leader's true legacy is not what they accomplish, but what they inspire others to accomplish.