Why is a horse trying to type on a computer? What's a scarecrow doing trying to lay eggs in the henhouse? You can find the answers to these questions and many more in Animals, Inc., The Gallup Organization's parable about the misguided management practices that are rampant within organizations today.

When Farmer Goode retires, his animals face a stark choice: get dispersed to petting zoos, or worse, the butcher shop -- or run the farm themselves. The animals choose to run the farm, and Mo the pig, their leader, decides that the Goode Farm could be just as good as any other business -- and must be run as such.

That's his first mistake. Like many managers, Mo is quickly swayed by the latest business fads and theories. He tries tirelessly to get the animals to focus on improving their weaknesses instead of making the most of their strengths -- case in point: the horse typing awkwardly on the computer. Mo issues employee, er, animal opinion surveys and creates elaborate management models. Nothing really works. Chaos ensues.

That is, until Mo begins to understand what even too many human managers fail to grasp: Everyone is happier and much more successful when they are in jobs that make the most of their natural talents.

Animals, Inc. will make you laugh out loud. And you'll quickly find that the animals' workplace trials and tribulations seem eerily familiar. But beneath the humor, there's a very serious lesson for organizations everywhere: If you're betting the farm on your success, make sure your employees are in roles in which they get to do what they do best every day. Just remember: If you ask your scarecrow to perform like a chicken, your business will lay an egg.

John C. Maxwell
From his book Winning With People

"One of the most insightful business books I have ever read -- and certainly the most hilarious! Animals, Inc. reveals all
of the misguided strategies companies pursue today, while offering brilliant alternatives. You'll laugh a lot -- and learn
a lot."

Mike Morrison
Dean
University of Toyota

"Kenneth Tucker and Vandana Allman have written an outrageously funny primer on how leaders and managers should drive growth and excellence in their organizations. Buy this very funny book, read it, and use it to develop your team."

Major General Ronald L. Johnson
Director of Military Programs
United States Army Corps of Engineers

" Animals, Inc. is a humorous -- but frightening and graphic -- portrayal of how we, in organizations, create so many of our own difficulties. Kenneth Tucker and Vandana Allman masterfully tell a story of what can happen in an organization when 'pop' theories about management get in the way of good common sense."

George F. Francis III
Senior Vice President Human Resources and Chief Administrative Officer
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

" Animals, Inc. really made me laugh! What a novel approach to understanding this basic truth about the workplace: Everyone goes home happier and with far more energy when they get to do what they do best every day."

Ann Oliver
Organizational Effectiveness Manager
Caterpillar Inc.

" Animals, Inc. is a great and lighthearted read. But its message to managers is very serious: Don't ignore your most compelling business problem -- how to put the right employees in the right jobs."

Shawn Dolley
CEO
Vision Chain, Inc.

Additional Insights

	Don't Be a Cat-and-Mouse Manager
	Business Lessons From the Barnyard
	How Do You Feel About Your Work?
	Mismanagement in the Henhouse

Book Excerpts

	Some "Goode" Management Advice
	The Scarecrow in the Henhouse
	The Key to Creating Complete Confusion
	An Animal's "Desirable Competencies"
	Mo's Mixed-Up Management Discoveries

Vandana Allman is a Principal Leadership Consultant for Gallup. She consults with Fortune 500 companies on how to build more successful organizations by improving their hiring and development strategies.