MAXIMIZING ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE

International business consultant Behar-Courtois offers a management-centered guide to improving corporate effectiveness.

In his nonfiction debut, the author presents a method for diagnosing organizational flaws and implementing practices to remedy them. The book concentrates on performance coaching, pointing out that it’s not a “one-and-done” process, but rather about “weaving performance coaching into the fabric of the organization’s culture and development strategy.” The important thing, he stresses, is not to emphasize coaching for coaching’s sake, but rather to give meaning to the process by aligning it with the company’s goals. In chapters enriched by bulleted, numbered points and other helpful visuals, Behar-Courtois covers a wide range of management-related topics, such as teambuilding, diversity initiatives, employee turnover and retention, and embracing new technology. However, his focus returns steadily to performance coaching, which he views as a key element whose importance is undervalued: “It’s high time organizations stopped viewing it as just another overhyped, expensive fad,” he writes. “It’s a must-have for any company serious about achieving lasting success.” This is crucial to the “ripple effect” that he sees as extending outward from the process of nurturing employment talent. Behar-Courtois writes about all of this with clarity and energy, often employing no-nonsense language that steps neatly outside of familiar industry jargon: “These aren’t just fluff,” he writes, for instance, about some of his core principles, “they’re the real deal, the secret sauce to making change stick for the long haul.” He uses fictionalized examples to effectively flesh out his points and draws on his decades of experience to pair appropriate anecdotes to particular challenges. He points out, for example, that poor communication can derail a company’s best-laid plans; on this point, he practices what he preaches, laying out clear, unambiguous dictates for how organizations can change their current policies for the better.

A forceful and highly readable blueprint for addressing common corporate challenges.