1001 Ways to Take Initiative at Work
- Book Review,
by Bob Nelson
Amazon.com
In 1001 Ways to Take Initiative at Work, Bob Nelson applies the formula behind his two previous books, 1001 Ways to Energize Employees and 1001 Ways to Reward Employees, and shows how any employee can advance his or her career by taking action, questioning authority, and thinking "outside the box." The book is filled with hundreds of stories about how workers, through simple initiatives, have made a difference at their companies--from the familiar story about the origins of Post-Its at 3M to how a Home Depot store manager helped a customer in a wheelchair. These stories are flanked by dozens of sidebars filled with short prescriptions for bettering the workplace and one's career (e.g., "Tactics for Influencing Others," "Don't Settle for Just Good Enough"). For Nelson, the key to fostering initiative is getting past the roadblocks that inhibits creativity. He cites a UCLA study that showed that by the "age five we engage in creative tasks 98 times a day, laugh 113 times, and ask questions 65 times. By the age of 44, however, the numbers shrink to 2 creative tasks a day, 11 laughs, and 6 questions." If your professional aspirations center on just getting by, then take a pass on this one. Those looking for practical career advice, however, would do well to give 1001 Ways to Take Initiative at Work a good look. --Harry C. Edwards
Book Description
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 1001 Ways series by bestselling business writer Bob Nelson, whose 1001 Ways to Reward Employees and 1001 Ways to Energize Employees have over 900,000 copies in print, TAKE INITIATIVE is the first management book for employees. Weaving together case studies, examples, quotes, research highlights, and the author's own "Tool Box" of management techniques and exercises, this practical handbook will show every reader how to develop self-leadership, set goals, create learning opportunities, take risks, build a team, sell ideas, and work both within and outside the larger organization. Taking initiative is about a former secretary at Johnsonville Foods who originated and now runs the company's thriving mail-order business. It's about a technical writer who created Xerox's popular "webmaster" website. And it's about you. As Bob Nelson proves, employees have much more power than they think--taking initiative is how to harness that power and reap its rewards. By the bestselling author of 1001 Ways to Reward Employees and 1001 Ways to Energize Employees, with over 900,000 copies in print.
From the Back Cover
"Bob Nelson has done it again! In this practical, timely book, he describes what employees can do to take more initiative in any job. Any exmployee (and supervistor, manager or owner) will find this book of enormous value!" - Dr. Dean Spitzer, senior consultant, IBM Corporation, and author of SuperMotivation "Bob Nelson's book shows how employees who take initiative not only create value for their organizations, but for themselves personally and professionally." - Dieter Huckestein, President, Hotel Division, Hilton Hotels Corporation Whether you're an entry-level assistant or a VP working with the CEO, there's only one person responsible for your career--you. And here to help you realize your potential for success is management guru Bob Nelson, besteslling author of the 1001 Ways series. A unique motivational manual, 1001 Ways to Take Initiative at Work brings together hundreds of real-life examples, advice from business leaders, and the author's own techniques and exercises to show readers how to draw on inner creativity, develop self-leadership, set goals, take risks, and sell ideas. "The biggest mistake you can make in life is to think you work for somebody else." -- Bob Nelson TAKE ACTION--Elaine Crawford, a secretary at Johnsonville Foods, discovers an overlooked market segment, figures out how to reach it, pushers her idea through, and now runs a $3 million mail-order department. QUESTION AUTHORITY--Feeling that the corporation is poorly managed, IBM programmer Jay Elliot writes a 20-page detailed letter to chairman Tom Watson, Jr.--and his career skyrockets. THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX--Frustrated by bookmarks athat keep falling out of his hymnal on Sundays, 3M engineer Art Fry creates the Post-It, today a $300 million business. TRUST YOUR INTUITION--While still an administrative assistant at Zerox, Joanne Griffin senses opportunity in a project no one wants, directs a team to implement it, and is today a corporate Vice President of Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
About the Author
In addition to writing the national bestselling 1001 Ways to Reward Employees and 1001 Ways to Energize Employees, Bob Nelson is founder of Nelson Motivation, Inc., in San Diego, California.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Introduction to Part I Employees who make the personal decision to strive for something more than just the status quo are the lifeblood of every successful organization today. Taking initiative is a key ingredient in making improvements at work, dealing with change, and providing customers with service that is far beyond their expectations. Initiative is personal: the individual controls when, where, and how much initiative to take on the job. Even though its impact may be felt throughout an organization, initiative starts with the employee--and what he or she can do on a daily basis. In a recent online survey by iVillage.com, employees were asked, "What is most important for getting ahead in the workplace?" Of the 7,760 people who cast their votes, 55 percent said that "initiative" is most important, followed by "inspiration" (17 percent), "intelligence" (16 percent), and "political savvy" (12 percent). (Comments about initiative taken from this survey are presented throughout this book.) Although employees often recognize the importance of taking initiative, they may be hesitant to do so. Part I provides both ideas and inspiration for taking initiative on the job to overcome obstacles--real or perceived--that may be holding you back. The chapters that follow provide a detailed overview of how you can take initiative, and in the process make a difference where you work. Whether it's tapping your inner creativity, taking needed action on a persistent problem, capitalizing on opportunities as they become available, or thinking up ways to improve your current work environment, the act of taking initiative will undoubtedly reenergize you, in addition to making your job much better and your organization more efficient and effective. By taking initiative, all employees can elevate their visibility within an organization and greatly improve their chances for recognition, learning, growth, pay raises, bonuses, and advancement for good performance. By focusing on what you can rather than can't do, and emphasizing possibilities in your own sphere of influence, you'll increase your chances to not only have greater impact at work but develop your skills on a local basis before you apply them to a wider arena and obtain more lasting changes in your department, division, or organization.
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