Workarounds That Work: How to Conquer Anything That Stands in Your Way at Work

by Bishop, Russell; Allen, David

• ISBN13: 9780071752039
• ISBN10: 007175203X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-01-05
• Publisher: McGraw Hill

Summary

Master the Art of the Workaround toBoost Your Productivity!"With the variety of challenges leaders face every day, Russell Bishop has hit on an amazinglysimple and highly effective solution: the 'workaround.' This is a brilliant approach tofacing day-to-day business challenges, and it works!" Marshall Goldsmith, world-renowned executive coach and author of theNew York TimesbestsellersMojoandWhat Got You Here Won't Get You There"If you want to succeed big, there is no substitute for sticking your neck out. Russell Bishopshows how to do it without getting your head chopped off.Workarounds That Workofferspractical, down-to-earth advice on overcoming obstacles on the jobboth big and small. It'sa must-read for anyone trying to navigate the bumpy road of the modern workplace." Arianna Huffington, cofounder and editor-in-chief, the Huffington Post"Workarounds That Worktackles one problem area after another, busting myths and givingpractical advice along the way." Dave Logan, professor at the Marshall School of Business at USC and bestsellingcoauthor ofTribal Leadership"Workarounds That Workgoes where none of the other productivity books gointo the messy,icky, hard-to-control stuff that we all face every single day. You'll finish this book with a freshtake on how to think about productivity and at least a half-dozen new ways to get things done." Les McKeown,Wall Street JournalandUSA Todaybestselling author ofPredictable SuccessAbout the Book:You've experienced the frustration dozensof times: you need approval on a project,but a key sign-off person is out of town; a productis on a crash schedule, but you're missingan important detail; you need to move aheadin a process, but company rules cause delays.What you need is a workaround.InWorkarounds That Work, Russell Bishopan expert in personal and organization transformationteaches the art of the workaround:a method for accomplishing a task or goalwhen the normal process isn't producing thedesired results. Workarounds help you breakthrough the tasks and systems that keep youfrom the important stuff. They even help youbring lasting change to your organization bydoing away with frustrating institutional inefficienciesonce and for all.Workarounds aren't only about getting thingsdone. They're about getting the right thingsdone. To ratchet up productivity, your organizationneeds someone who will ask the bigquestions, such as: How can our systemsfrom operationalinfrastructures to management processesbe more efficient and effective? Do we make the most of our talent? Do our teams work in isolation whencollaboration would be more useful? Are we wasting time, placing blame, andfighting fires when we couldinstead be fixing problems? Is our direction clear, aligned,and focused?Are you ready to be that personthe one who gets things done, no matter what?Workarounds That Workexplains how toidentify problems that make workaroundsnecessary and then create the best solutionavailablewithout sacrificing quality ordoing a less-than-stellar job.With Bishop's strategies at your disposal, youcan conquer anything that stands in your wayat workeven when it seems like your organization'sculture is pitted against what youknow is best for it.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. vii
Acknowledgments	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
It All Starts with You	p. 13
Getting the Right Things Done	p. 25
Misaligned Leadership and Unclear Direction	p. 39
How You Frame the Problem Is the Problem	p. 49
Communication and Action	p. 63
Accountability and Response-Ability	p. 73
Breakdowns Between Silos	p. 83
When Cultures Clash	p. 97
Death by Decision: Stop Deciding and Start Choosing	p. 111
Moving Beyond Consensus	p. 125
Are You a Corporate Firefighter?	p. 135
When the Best and Brightest Are Wrong	p. 143
Making the Most of Meetings	p. 151
The E-Mail Avalanche	p. 169
When Process Gets in the Way	p. 185
Overcoming Criticism, Complaints, and Resistance	p. 201
Multitasking Our Way to Oblivion	p. 221
Conclusion: Workarounds Get Things Done	p. 235
Index	p. 239
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