1001 Ways to Take Initiative at Work

by Bob Nelson

Book Overview

1001 WAYS to Take Initiative at Work is about managing up--about employees taking ownership of their jobs, whether it's an assistant working for a manager or a VP working for the CEO. Third in the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 076111405X
• Release Date: October 1999
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.1" x 0.6" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Quotes To Live By.

I bought this book a while ago with the intent of sitting down with my employees and reading some of the quotes in this book to them with the hope of inspiring them to initiate more. I never actually got around to doing that but I do think this book contains some good quotes that can be passed on to your employees. Some of my favorites are: "Every company is looking for the person who will go the extra mile." "Intelligence without initiative is a smart person who doesn't want to work." "Its not the boss's job to ask what you're working on and how its going. It's up to you to seek out the boss." "Complete tasks in a timely fashion. Don't rely on others to remind you of your commitments." "Initiative makes the difference between 'robots at work' and 'people at work.'" Granted, this book is filled with brief examples of initiation and many miscellaneous quotes from people in the workforce. Many of these quotes came from people on the internet but the bottom line is that they are common sense and if the average employee followed the advice given in the book, the jobs of their supervisorsFROM GRADUATION TO CORPORATION: THE PRACTICAL GUIDE TO CLIMBING THE CORPORATE LADDER ONE RUNG AT A TIME would be a lot easier.

I like the self-development side of it !

It was 1999, when I purchased this book... It has been waiting on my bookself patiently to be read since then - I mean till recently. Although I had look at it couple of times before, I had almost the same negative impression with the some other reviewers here. I thought it sounds dull and ordinary. However, my mind changed last weekend. As a person who temporarily depressed about his career expectations, I took the book from the shelf (you can't imagine the amount of dust it has!! just joking..) and I started to read "Part3: Your Career and Your Life" section of the book. I felt incredible good as there are lots of useful advise I can benefit, there are many people's sincere stories which I can appreciate and respect. Maybe it is not a perfect book and obviously not written for All time tigers (who want to win-win and win, create hard to believe success stories, then become CEO - till the next lay off and start the game again if any time and energy left!) but it can be a loyal friend of the its owner during all over his/her career. I think it is worth to buy and listen what Bob says...

Very Good Book, Many Fabulous Ideas for Workplace!

"1001 Ways to Take Initiative at Work" by Bob Nelson There are many good tips in this book, tips on how to best communicate with management, how to most efficiently work with co-workers and how to organize a work area for the most efficient and effective operation. There are also ideas on creativity and what the signs of an excellent business(a business running on all cylinders) are. Throughout the book there are helpful quotes from people who have succeeded in the business world, like: Robert Townsend former CEO for Avis, Larry Hohman, founder and chairman of WYNCOM, and Ross Perot, a1992 presidential candidate and chairman of the Perot Group. There are many others contributing to this book too. Perot said of leadership, "Leadership is empowering a group of people to successfully achieve a common goal. In order to do that, you get to tap their full potential, the motivators are the same things that get you or me excited and cause us to do outstanding work. That's the most important thing to remember, that most people who are part of the team are very much like he or she is. A successful leader is one who gives credit where credit is due." Robert Crandall, Chairman and President of American Airlines said, "Use leadership to empower others. Leadership is not about doing it all by yourself, but about involving other people. You build a sense of teamwork by a participatory process of management." Former President of the University of California, David Gardner, says: "To put one's ego aside, to listen, to do whatever is necessary to achieve the common good in a given situation, is a formidable challenge, but the advantages of the empowering style of leadership are considerable." The former CEO of Avis Corporation, Robert Townsend, says to be a good leader is to be a good problem solver. He notes five tips for attacking problems most successfully. 1. Define the problem. 2. Gather as much data as you can 3. Consider alternate solutions 4. Pick the best solution 5. Apply the best solution Townsend also notes that a proactive leader cannot be good at these steps without initiative. He states, "Initiative is important in the workplace because it shows the manager that you are ready to take on more responsibility and make more important decisions. If you do it well, it shows that you can learn, take on more responsibilities and know how to properly advise your staff on important issues." Townsend says a good employee is always looking for more efficient ways to do his/her job. Having a "To Do" list to start each day and to start with the most organized as possible work space are excellent ways to start. Executive Peter Drucker is quoted in his book "Leader of the Future" as saying real leaders do not start out with the question "What do I want?"...they start out with the question, "What needs to be done?" Other good questions to ask are: "What can I do to make a difference?" , "Wha

Solid and Sensible

This is Nelson's third "1001" anthology of checklists, anecdotes, commentaries, mini-case studies, quotations, etc. Previously, he suggested how to energize employees and then reward those who deserve to be rewarded. In this book, he shifts his attention to discussing "You and Your Job", "You and Others", and "Your Career and Your Life." Although very little in this book could be described as "cutting edge thinking" on self-motivation, Nelson has done a brilliant job of organizing the material from various sources which he duly acknowledges. Some assert that one of any leader's major responsibilities is to inspire others. I agree. More specifically, to inspire others to motivate themselves. I am convinced that only individuals can motivate themselves. Nelson seems to agree: "This book is designed to help inspire and lead you on your journey [ie to taking action to get something done at work without waiting for your boss to tell you what to do and how to do it]. In it you will find many real-life examples that can encourage you to take charge, and practical tools and advice for helping you better yourself and the place where you work." Who will derive the greatest benefit from this book? I suggest two categories: Those who are about to embark on a business career, and, those whose business career (thus far) has been unfulfilling. Unless and until either reader assumes full responsibility for making career decisions, and then assumes full responsibility for the consequences of those decisions, no book will be of much value. Pogo once said that "We have met the enemy and he is us." Most limits are self-inflicted. How easy it is to blame others when our efforts prove inadequate. Nelson suggests a practical alternative: Self-initiative. Easier said than done. How to do it? Read the book. Then take the initiative to act upon those suggestions which are appropriate to your own needs, interests, circumstances, and objectives in your work environment.Many of the same suggestions can also help you to take appropriate initiatives in your personal life. For whatever reasons, others do not rate this book as highly as I do. Fair enough. As indicated, I think that Nelson has again written a thoughtful, lucid, and coherent book on a subject of wide and deep relevance. Check it out. Judge its value for yourself. Perhaps you will then share my high regard for Nelson's latest contribution to our understanding of human potentiality. As Coach Darrell Royal once observed, "potential" means "you ain't done it yet" but that is not to say that you can't.