Please Don't Just Do What I Tell You, Do What Needs to Be Done: Every Employee's Guide

Rating:
Summary: Not so thrilled
Review: As we recruit new employees, or challenge ourselves, we seek a very special trait -- initiative. How do we discover those, who will think for themselves? How can each of us become more proactive and less reactive? Up until now, initiative was the result of passion, dedication and courage. Now, we have a handbook -- "Don't Just Do What I Tell You! Do What Needs To Be Done."

In the spirit of "The One Minute Manager" and "Who Moved My Cheese" this book is short and simple - an easy afternoon read. It delivers quality perspectives on how to empower individuals and entire workforces. The layout is in logical chapters or sections, like "Do Something Different Now" and "Realize Your Potential". Contained in each chapter are simple concepts on how to demonstrate more initiative with examples of how individuals succeeded by being more proactive. The results are credible and interesting stories in support of a of one objective, otherwise known as the 'Ultimate Expectation', "Always Do What Needs To Be Done Without Waiting To Be Asked." True, some of the concepts are pure commons sense. For the most part this handbook creates new structure around an important value. It demonstrates that we are not born with initiative. We must acquire it through experience and through this excellent handbook. Take the intitiative and read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Handbook For Initiative
Review: As we recruit new employees, or challenge ourselves, we seek a very special trait -- initiative. How do we discover those, who will think for themselves? How can each of us become more proactive and less reactive? Up until now, initiative was the result of passion, dedication and courage. Now, we have a handbook -- "Don't Just Do What I Tell You! Do What Needs To Be Done."

In the spirit of "The One Minute Manager" and "Who Moved My Cheese" this book is short and simple - an easy afternoon read. It delivers quality perspectives on how to empower individuals and entire workforces. The layout is in logical chapters or sections, like "Do Something Different Now" and "Realize Your Potential". Contained in each chapter are simple concepts on how to demonstrate more initiative with examples of how individuals succeeded by being more proactive. The results are credible and interesting stories in support of a of one objective, otherwise known as the 'Ultimate Expectation', "Always Do What Needs To Be Done Without Waiting To Be Asked." True, some of the concepts are pure commons sense. For the most part this handbook creates new structure around an important value. It demonstrates that we are not born with initiative. We must acquire it through experience and through this excellent handbook. Take the intitiative and read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Encouraging a good employee to be a great employee
Review: Bob Nelson doesn't pull any punches, and he says what every employer has always wanted to say, but couldn't quite find the right words. I am purchasing a copy of this book for each of my departments. It will be required reading for all employees. It drives me crazy when an employee is asked to do something and the first thing out of his/her mouth is, "but I don't know how." Fine, you don't know how, but you are an intelligent human being whom I hired, and you can learn. I love the person who doesn't have a clue, but takes on the task, thinks things through, asks questions, and gets the job done. Stagnation is boring, and it's not long before it starts to stink. This books gives employees great ideas to keep from being anything but stagnate. If they work for me, they know actions speak louder than words, and the right actions will take them places. Employers, be sure to read the book. As a companion, read "First, Break All the Rules" by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton, Ph.D. With these books, you will have the tools to make your organization soar.

Rating:
Summary: Pro-active thinking!
Review: Bob Nelson has assembled a quick reading book on popular business concepts and situations facing a regular employee. He offers suggestions on becoming more pro-active than re-active to situations that arise through out many different careers. Nelson also gives examples of true story scenarios in which a person took a chance or challenged an idea and was later promoted for it. He talks about successes and also failures in careers in which people either sat on the sidelines or got in the game. This book most can probably read in a day as it is under 100 pages and reads very fast. It has quick chapters and a lot of useful insight.

Rating:
Summary: Pro-active thinking!
Review: Bob Nelson has assembled a quick reading book on popular business concepts and situations facing a regular employee. He offers suggestions on becoming more pro-active than re-active to situations that arise through out many different careers. Nelson also gives examples of true story scenarios in which a person took a chance or challenged an idea and was later promoted for it. He talks about successes and also failures in careers in which people either sat on the sidelines or got in the game. This book most can probably read in a day as it is under 100 pages and reads very fast. It has quick chapters and a lot of useful insight.

Rating:
Summary: informative, inspirational
Review: Bob Nelson has done it again! This popular, best-selling author of such books as "1001 Ways to Reward Employees" and "1001Ways to Take Initiative at Work" has created another valuable tool for the corporate world.

This book is not written for management, though it would be wise for managers to read it.
The readers will be employees, who will absorb a meaningful message about their role in the work environment. It's a vital message that most employees never hear. The audience that will benefit most is new employees. In fact, it would be a good reading for high school and college seniors about to embark on their careers.

The core of Nelson's message is that employees have responsibilities and opportunities far beyond what's delineated in their job description. Each and every worker should use his/her own best judgment and effort to do what needs to be done for the organization to be successful. The book presents this concept as the "Ultimate Expectation"-a message every employee needs to hear, but one that few employers explicitly state.

Employers are eager to have people on their team who take initiative, to take independent action to do what needs to be done for the organization to succeed. Why is this kind of worker so scarce? Because management has not conveyed to its employees that they are expected to take initiative; they don't have to wait to be told what to do. This message will resonate well with today's younger employees . . . if they're given permission or encouraged. Managers who don't know how to express or reinforce this concept now have a tool with this book.

After an introduction to the concept and an explanation of the "Ultimate Expectation," Nelson presents Simple Strategies and Techniques." To give you a sense for the straightforward content of this book, here are some of the topics under the headings Think, Act, and Persevere. Under Think: Make Your Job More Difficult, Ask Silly Questions, and Don't Be a Complainer. Under Prepare, topics include Collect Your Own Data, Develop Options and a Plan of Action, and Shoot Holes in Your Own Plan.

Under Act, topics include Speak Up to Have Influence, Volunteer for Difficult Assignments, and Be a Person Who Makes Things Happen. The section on Persevere includes Persist When Obstacles Arise, and Learn to Enjoy Those Things That Others Hate to Do.

The next section of the book addresses what holds us back from high achievement: fear, frustration, and failure. Fear includes "I might make a mistake" and "I'm afraid of being fired." Frustration includes "I don't have the authority" and "I don't have the support." "I took initiative once and made a mistake" and "Someone keeps blocking my efforts" comprise part of the Failure section. A concluding chapter encourages readers to realize their potential.

The book is deceivingly small, with wide margins and extra space between lines. The open format is wisely less intimidating for the reader, making the book easy to use. That's a good selling point for this kind of a volume, which is useless if it isn't read. Buy this book now for your employees. Include it in the materials given to new hires in the orientation process. Grab the advantage over your competition by using this book to stimulate initiative and high performance. It pays!

Rating:
Summary: Not so thrilled
Review: I was a bit disappointed after reading the book because I thought the author was giving 'general advice' rather than 'specific tips'. I would rather recommend 'The Administrative Assistant' (Crisp Publications)

Rating:
Summary: Taking the initiative
Review: Mr. Nelson offers advice and ideas in the book that I never thought about before. Before reading this book I was afraid to step out of line on anything, taking the initiative on a few issues has helped me in my job, hopefully to get a promotion. Also check out the book Rat Race Relaxer: Your Potential & The Maze of Life.

Rating:
Summary: Initiative + Timing = Promotion
Review: This is a very easy to read book full of examples of how people were able to make headway on the corporate ladder by showing initiative, waiting until the timing was right, and even disobeying superiors.

Through a string of specific examples from which generalized ideas are formed, this book explains how you can be an empowered employee with a driving force that will not only bring you job satisfaction, but can help you turn even a doldrum job into an opportunity for success.

The ideas, such as "be a person that makes things happen" can apply to any job, you just have to think about how it can apply to you.

Rating:
Summary: This is the next "Who moved my cheese"!
Review: This is the handbook that EVERY employee should read. It reveiws the basics of what every manager wished every employee, new or old, would know and retain. It says the unsaid. It's also a good reminder for the manger too. If my kids were of working age I'd make them (OK bribe them) to read it! It's an easy read of one-half to one hour.