WorkInspired: How to Build an Organization Where Everyone Loves to Work - Hardcover

Ain, Aron

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1260136175 ISBN 13: 9781260136173

Publisher: McGraw Hill, 2018

Synopsis

Axiom Business Book Award Silver Medalist in Leadership · Soundview Best Business Book
A “Highest Rated CEO” who has transformed his organization into a billion-dollar company and a “Top Place to Work” shows leaders how truly prioritizing employees isn’t just good for employees―it’s good for business. 
Imagine a company where everyone loves to work, where employees feel not just “satisfied” but truly cared for, respected, and energized. Think of the impact this would have on recruitment, retention, customer satisfaction, innovation, and overall performance. Aron Ain, the award-winning CEO of Kronos, a global provider of workforce management and human capital management cloud solutions, believes that anything is possible when people are inspired. By embracing employee development and engagement as a growth strategy, Ain transformed his company’s culture and built a billion-dollar business. This book takes leaders and managers inside Kronos’s highly admired WorkInspired culture, showing them the surprisingly simple rules they can follow to replicate that success. 
This inspiring guide reveals the best practices that have earned Kronos distinctions on coveted lists, such as Glassdoor’s 100 Best Places to Work, Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For, Forbes’s America’s Best Employers, and the Boston Globe’s Top Places to Work. These best practices include:
·overcommunicating and truth-telling·trusting your people (again and again) and keeping them safe·holding managers accountable for being great at what they do·allowing employees flexible schedules and open vacation time·challenging your people to put the company out of business with innovative products ·welcoming back boomerang employees·empowering the next generation workforce
Many executives talk about how “their people are their greatest asset.” Ain challenges leaders to “walk the talk” and put people first, whether they oversee a team of five or an organization of 500,000. When they do, employees won’t be the only ones who thank them. Customers and shareholders will, too. 
This is what it means to WorkInspired.

About this title

From the Back Cover

“[Ain] outlines the importance of communication, kindness, and encouraging the next generation.”―Boston Globe
“Kronos is a consistent and powerful growth engine. Now we learn its secret: putting people first, both because it’s the right thing to do and because it’s the path to long-term success. I deeply admire Aron Ain’s philosophy, and others will, too.”―Deval Patrick, Managing Director, Bain Capital, and former Governor of Massachusetts
“Employees want to work for companies that cherish values such as family, ethics, hard work, and philanthropy. When they find these organizations, employees feel inspired to deliver high levels of performance. Aron Ain takes you on a tour of a values-based corporate culture that you can develop within your own organization.” ―Robert Kraft, Chairman and CEO, The Kraft Group 
“Aron Ain’s WorkInspired is a valuable resource for any leader looking to build an organization rooted in employee engagement and a shared value system.”―Stephen A. Schwarzman, Chairman, CEO, and Co-Founder, Blackstone
“Many companies claim that ‘our people are our most valuable assets.’ But no business leader I know has done more to turn that old cliché into a strategic source for growth than Aron Ain of Kronos. In WorkInspired, Aron takes readers step-by-step through principles and practices that have helped Kronos win and grow―mainly by inspiring its own workers to realize their full potential and having each other’s backs. Kronos’s bottom-line success is proof positive that Ain’s commitment to creating a satisfying, challenging―and kind―work environment is a very hard-nosed business strategy indeed. WorkInspired shows us all how to execute it.”―Robert L. Reynolds, President and CEO, Putnam Investments and Great-West Financial 
“Aron Ain’s WorkInspired describes how Kronos has continued to reinvent itself by focusing on culture and mobilizing the power of its people. Ain succeeds in breaking down his approach to a series of powerful policies, programs, and leadership behaviors that many companies have overlooked. Required reading for anyone seeking to build a thriving and sustainable business in the digital economy.”―Shira Goodman, former CEO, Staples 
“Kronos has mastered ‘workforce innovation that works.’ Here, its inventive and imaginative CEO describes how he created one of the 100 best places to work, and shares the principles that leaders and managers need to create a high-functioning culture built on trust, transparency, collaboration, and innovation.”―David Wippman, President, Hamilton College
“WorkInspired is an essential guide for building a winning culture, and it all starts with one person―you! As Aron Ain knows, how managers and leaders treat people day-to-day matters. Ain provides tips and strategies that managers and leaders can put into practice right now, one informal conversation at a time. An enjoyable and compelling read.”―Steve Pagliuca, Co-Chairman, Bain Capital, and Managing Partner and Co-Owner, Boston Celtics 
 “If every manager nurtured their workforce the way Kronos does, the professional world would be a different place. Aron Ain gives his employees the opportunities and tools to succeed using a refreshing and enlightened approach. The result is sky-high employee engagement that attracts young people to Kronos. Read this important book and learn the secrets.”―Jacqueline Moloney, Chancellor, University of Massachusetts Lowell
“Aron Ain is a next-level leader―the kind who gets things done the right way by respecting people, giving them a vision to believe in, and creating a culture in which they can excel. In WorkInspired, he shares his unique approach with the world. I hope every leader or manager reads this book, and takes its lessons to heart.”―Eric Holcomb, Governor of Indiana  
“Read this useful book by Aron Ain, who provides the leadership behaviors that create an environment where people love their jobs. Many are amazingly simple, yet many leaders don’t do them! After WorkInspired, you will.”―Carlos Rodriguez, President and CEO, ADP
“How do you get a large organization to become as innovative and nimble as a startup? Aron Ain’s answer is to create ways to help your team succeed and spread a culture of innovation across the enterprise. His book delivers nuggets that apply to all managers.”―Erik Wexler, CEO, Providence St. Joseph Health–Southern California 
“With leadership, two things matter: A clear strategy, and the right culture. Aron Ain delivers on both fronts in this engaging and inspiring book. If you lead people, WorkInspired is a compelling blueprint for making this happen.” ―Steve Sadove, former Chair and CEO, Saks Inc.
“There are legions of motivational experts and consultants armed with their latest anecdotes to make the case for an engaged workplace. But rarely do you hear the whole story of what it takes to build and sustain an engaged workplace from the person who did it.  With WorkInspired, we have a long-tenured CEO letting us have a good look at what it really takes. Aron Ain has truly provided us with a gift . . . a must-read for anyone who wants to tap into the power of their people!”―Len Schlesinger, Baker Foundation Professor, Harvard Business School, and President Emeritus, Babson College 
“Kronos serves as a textbook example of how building a great culture builds phenomenal shareholder value. The model and lessons are so compelling that the story warrants a full book, not just a case study. Fortunately, Aron Ain has provided just that―a compelling and useful read for any leader or manager.”―Alec Ellison, Founder, Outvest Capital, and former Vice Chairman, Jefferies
“In this highly personal book, Aron Ain presents a refreshing new framework for driving Hall of Fame–level investment results, one that rests first and foremost on the behavior of individual leaders. As Ain compellingly demonstrates, the very personal qualities that make a leader outstanding as a spouse or parent are identical to those required to create and shape a high-trust, high-performance team culture. Ain’s book will be an inspiring and essential read for anyone seeking to become a whole-person leader.”―David R. Tunnell, Partner, Hellman & Friedman 
“Aron Ain shares a series of lessons on how leading organizations can excel, whether delivering exceptional patient care, producing great products, or delivering outstanding service. We all have a responsibility to create environments where people love to work. Thank you, Aron, for pointing the way.”―Kevin Tabb, President and CEO, Beth Israel Lahey Health
“Do the best leaders achieve success by genuinely caring about their employees? Aron Ain answers with an exuberant, ‘Yes!’ as he shares the extraordinary story of Kronos to show how to cultivate human capital to ensure your success. I’m happy to give WorkInspired my highest recommendation.”―Marshall Goldsmith, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Triggers
“I’ve become so enamored with Aron Ain and Kronos that I’m constantly telling other business leaders to be more like them. Through WorkInspired, Aron has now provided the road map. More happy employees and customers are sure to follow!”―Jay Ash, Secretary of Housing and Economic Development, State of Massachusetts
“Many people know about Kronos and its track record of outstanding business performance. They might not know about the company’s deep commitment to the communities that it serves, or its efforts to prepare college students for successful careers. As Aron Ain convincingly argues in WorkInspired, serving the community and building a culture that employees feel proud of is like jet fuel for organizations today, leading to a motivated, highly productive workforce and enhanced performance. I strongly encourage managers and leaders everywhere to read this insightful book.”  ―Marty Meehan, President, University of Massachusetts
“Tech companies come and go, but Kronos is still here, bigger and better than ever. Aron Ain’s marvelous book, WorkInspired, sheds valuable light on the Kronos success story, suggesting how organizations can make themselves sustainable, even in the most dynamic and competitive of markets. Every manager or leader who aspires to greatness will want to read this book and follow its lessons.” ―Mark Benjamin, CEO, Nuance Communications Inc. 
“Aron Ain has identified practical advice to help managers motivate employees. If leaders want to learn how to gain a strategic advantage from strong employees, they will find it in WorkInspired.”―John Prior, CEO, Needham & Company
“Ain’s playbook for building a high-performing workplace and culture pours forth in this endearing, entertaining narrative. His humble, authentic leadership style should be carefully studied by senior executives as a valuable case study worthy of emulation.”―Jeffrey Bussgang, Senior Lecturer, Harvard Business School, and General Partner, Flybridge Capital Partners 
“Kronos has grown steadily because it empowers its employees, who then deliver world-class products and services to its customers. This valuable book cues us all into the specific practices that truly put customers first.”―Ranjay Gulati, Jaime and Josefina Chua Tiampo Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School
“Aron Ain has built an organization that innovates while also staying true to its deeply ingrained, humanistic values. His is leadership with heart, and it deserves emulation. I hope employers not only read WorkInspired but apply its lessons.”―Laurie A. Leshin, President, Worcester Polytechnic Institute 
“To achieve long-term success, the best-run companies know you need a better people strategy. Kronos has one, and in this eminently useful book, Aron Ain shares it with the world. This book will be a must-read for all leaders―certainly at our portfolio companies. I give it my full recommendation.”―Chinh Chu, former Co-Chair, Private Equity Group, and former Senior Managing Director, Blackstone 
“Once in a while, a book like WorkInspired arrives with the power to truly transform organizations. Read it, and you’ll understand how compassion, family, respect, and service to others are essential to business success.”―Ronald Liebowitz, President, Brandeis University  
“Aron is a very special leader. Kronos’s success is exceptional and very exciting. In a very simple and accessible way, WorkInspired presents new approaches to engaging people within your organization. This book is full of practical ways to keep your staff at the center of your performance. This is the kind of reading that definitely inspires me!”―Satya-Christophe Menard, CEO, Global Education Market, Sodexo
“Aron Ain’s leadership style is personal and genuine. By sharing this highly successful approach to employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and business success, Aron offers a proven strategy in building an inspired workplace around the globe.”―Chris Anderson, President, Massachusetts High Technology Council
“Aron Ain is an inspiring figure in the technology space, not just because of what he’s achieved but how he’s achieved it. Likewise, Kronos is living proof that a company can achieve sustained results by living its ideals and making room for everyone to contribute. Read Ain’s book, and you’ll likely become a better manager or leader. You’ll also, I suspect, become a better person.”―Mohamad Ali, President and CEO, Carbonite
“In today’s intense battle for tech talent, Aron Ain provides an authentic people strategy for business success―one that has rocketed his company to the top of the charts as one of the best places to work, while doubling the business to over $1 billion. His book is a must-read for leaders and managers seeking to build their own cultures where people love to work and take pride in driving organizational success. Drawing on his four decades of experience, Aron skillfully weaves in examples to illustrate key principles, providing the reader with the insights and tools they need to ‘work inspired.’”―Tom Hopcroft, President and CEO, Mass Technology Leadership Council
“Aron Ain understands the critical relationship between happy employees and business success. His book lays out how to create environments where people can forge friendships, feel hopeful about the future, and do purposeful work. If you want simple, actionable ideas for how to transform your culture, get WorkInspired.” ―Annie McKee, Senior Fellow, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania, and author of How to Be Happy at Work
“In WorkInspired, Aron Ain reveals the secrets to building a company culture that celebrates people, cultivates managers, and creates a positive change. As evidence that Ain's advice is effective, Kronos has been named a Best Place to Work several times over. I always recommend people to work at Kronos, as I recommend people to read this book!”―Dan Schawbel, author of Back to Human, Promote Yourself, and Me 2.0
“Aron Ain is one of the most thoughtful leaders I’ve met. He understands that managing people is a privilege, that it takes courage, and that a culture that values management is the key to winning. WorkInspired is packed with new ideas from a leader who’s mastered the art of motivating employees.” ―Adam Bryant, creator of the New York Times “Corner Office” series on leadership, and Managing Director, Merryck & Co.

About the Author

Aron Ain is the CEO of Kronos, a global provider of workforce management and human capital management cloud solutions, which are used by more than 40 million people every day within more than 35,000 organizations in more than 100 countries. Ain has spent his entire career at Kronos, playing a role in nearly every functional department. He has received a significant amount of recognition for his leadership. He is a multiyear recipient of Glassdoor’s Highest Rated CEO honor, and has earned Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year award, the Mass Technology Leadership Council’s CEO of the Year award, and the inaugural Ray Stata Leadership and Innovation award by the Massachusetts High Technology Council. During his tenure as CEO, Kronos has been recognized for its innovative product offerings, and has been named a “Top Place to Work” in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, India, and China. Ain speaks often on engagement and people strategy, as well as on entrepreneurship and leading global organizations. 
Visit kronos.com

Edition details

• Publisher: McGraw Hill
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1260136175
• ISBN 13: 9781260136173
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272