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Summary

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.

Author Biography

Bob Nelson, Ph.D., is the president of Nelson Motivation, Inc., a management training and consulting company. He has written numerous books on management and business skills, including the bestselling 1001 Ways series (1001 Ways to Reward Employees, 1001 Ways to Energize Employees, 1001 Ways to Take Initiative at Work) and Managing for Dummies. He lives in San Diego, California.

Foreword	p. vii
Preface	p. xiii
You and Your Job	p. 1
Thinking Outside the Box	p. 3
Be Your Own Boss: Seeing the Big Picture	p. 8
Toolbox: Unleashing Employee Innovation and Creativity	p. 15
Take Action Now! Personal Attributes for Initiative	p. 17
Doing Your Homework	p. 19
Be Your Own Boss: Learn from Your Mistakes	p. 21
Toolbox: Systematic Problem Solving	p. 25
Take Action Now! Identifying Your Organization's Culture, Values, and Norms	p. 27
Taking Action/Capitalizing on Opportunities	p. 28
Be Your Own Boss: Taking Responsibility for Your Actions	p. 30
Toolbox: Attitude and Balance Are Important to Taking Action	p. 37
Take Action Now! Tips for Being in Charge	p. 46
Making Improvements	p. 47
Be Your Own Boss: How to Make Suggestions Count	p. 49
Toolbox: Selling Your Ideas to Others	p. 54
Perseverance and Persistence	p. 63
Be Your Own Boss: Choosing Your Peaks and Valleys	p. 65
Toolbox: Managing Your Time	p. 68
Take Action Now! Persistence Pays Off	p. 72
You and Others	p. 73
Leadership and Influence	p. 75
Toolbox: The Five Sources of Power and How to Use Them	p. 77
Be Your Own Boss: What Makes a Leader?	p. 79
Take Action Now! Leaders Influence Actions	p. 88
Communication/Networking	p. 89
Be Your Own Boss: How to Get Others to Help You	p. 93
Toolbox: How to Have Influence in Meetings	p. 96
Take Action Now! Communication and Networking Tips	p. 100
Managing Up	p. 101
Be Your Own Boss: How to Say No: A Story	p. 104
Take Action Now! Secrets to Managing Up	p. 112
Working in Teams	p. 113
Be Your Own Boss: Deciding What's Important	p. 116
Toolbox: Empowering Teams	p. 118
Take Action Now! Tips for Teamwork	p. 124
Above and Beyond	p. 125
Be Your Own Boss: Putting Yourself in Your Customer's Shoes	p. 128
Toolbox: Naive Listening	p. 138
Take Action Now! Delivering Above and Beyond Service	p. 146
Your Career and Your Life	p. 147
Taking Charge of Your Career	p. 149
Be Your Own Boss: How to Improve Your Marketability	p. 152
Toolbox: Networking Made Easy	p. 156
Toolbox: How to Ask for a Raise	p. 160
Take Action Now! Planning for Advancement	p. 176
Learning and Education	p. 177
Be Your Own Boss: Deciding Your Career's Work	p. 181
Toolbox: Ten Great Ways to Learn at Work	p. 182
Take Action Now! Life-Long Learning	p. 186
Developing Skills on the Job	p. 187
Be Your Own Boss: Expressing Your Opportunity Interest	p. 190
Toolbox: Cultivating a Mentor	p. 192
Overcoming Obstacles	p. 194
Be Your Own Boss: Seeing Challenges as Opportunities	p. 195
Toolbox: Balancing Work and Family	p. 196
Take Action Now! Strategies for Taking Initiative	p. 203
Career Options	p. 204
Be Your Own Boss: Constantly Search for Your Next Job	p. 207
Toolbox: Simplifying Your Life	p. 210
Take Action Now! Unlimited Opportunity	p. 215
Appendixes	p. 219
Index to Innovators	p. 221
Index to Featured Companies	p. 224
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

Supplemental Materials

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Excerpts

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.

Excerpted from 1001 Ways to Take Initiative at Work by Bob Nelson
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