1: A Few Things You Should Know About the "One Thing"
"Get me to the core": "If you dig into a subject deeply enough, what do you find?"
A lifetime of "why"s: "What drove this book?"
The tests for the "one thing": "Why are some explanations more powerful than others?"
One controlling insight: "What is the One Thing you need to know about happy marriage?"
Part I
The One Thing You Need to Know
Sustained Organizational Success
2: Managing and Leading: What's the Difference?
A vital distinction: "Are they different? Are they both important? Can you do both?"
A view from the middle: "What do great managers actually do and what talents do you need to do it?"
A view from the top: "What do great leaders actually do and what talents do you need to do it?"
3: The One Thing You Need to Know: Great Managing
The basics of good managing: "What skills will prevent you from failing as a manager?"
Great managers play chess: "What is the One Thing you need to know about great managing?"
A walk through a walgreens: "How does one truly great manager do it?"
Great managers are romantics: "What are the benefits of individualization?"
The three levers: "What are the three things you need to know about a person in order to manage him or her effectively?"
The most useful questions: "How can you identify these levers?"
4: The One Thing You Need to Know: Great Leading
A leader wins our loyalty: "What did Giuliani say to calm our fears?"
Five fears, five needs, one focus: "What are the universals of human nature?"
The points of clarity: "Where are your followers crying out for clarity?"
The disciplines of leadership: "How do the best leaders achieve this clarity?"
Part II: The One Thing You Need to Know Sustained Individual Success
5: The Twenty Percenters
Dave, Myrtle, and Tim: "What does sustained individual success look like?"
The early contenders: "What explanations seem like the One Thing, but aren't?"
What is sustained success?: "It's a broad term. How do we define it?"
6: The Three Main Contenders
Contender 1: "Find the right tactics and employ them."
Contender 2: "Find your flaws and fix them."
Contender 3: "Discover your strengths and cultivate them."
7: So, How Do You Sustain Success If...?
You're bored
You're unfulfilled
You're frustrated
You're drained
Conclusion: Intentional Imbalance
Acknowledgments
