Customer Reviews

Deadline Busting: How to be a Star Performer in Your Organization

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I really enjoyed the core message of this book. While the deadline busting practices are simple and direct, they are not limited to meeting deadlines. They could be thought of a a great philosphy for managing life. And they're not recommendations for those committed to living life as circumstantial and overwhelming - a victim's view.

If you're committed to living life as an invention, resulting in differences made and promises honored, this book lays out a set of principles by which to navigate. Were this the typical operating mode of our companies, the world would be a very different place indeed.

Our individual ability to produce goes with us from job to job throughout our careers. If we master the principles offered in this book throughout that journey we will indeed author extraordinary results and enjoy real success and admiration.

This is an excellent read for someone at any level of their career. I had the good fortune to read and practice many of the tips and guidance provided throughout the book at an early stage in my career. It has had a profoundly positive impact on my abilty to execute in the work place and excel at a level I had not known possible.

Not only does the book teach very practical skills and tactics regarding the art of execution, but it also challenges the reader to take a personal look at his or her committment to being responsible and accountable. Many people wallow through a work day or career "thinking" they are doing the right things to be effective at work. Deadline Busting is not time management, it is not Organization 101, nor is it the feel-good story of the week; it is a combination of very real, hard skills put into one source - it is what real work is all about. Ultimately the book teaches the reader that it is alone the level of committment and personal responsibility that one applies to these daily activities that truly impacts a person's abilty to perform, have inlfuence and maintain integrity in his or her organization or personal life. Dare to be different than the person sitting next to you at work, dare to take responsibilty for yourself, dare to get out of your comfort zone and really DO something about your career.

The Fords have apparently taken every great course known to man and woman on producing results. They've listed all the tips I've ever heard of and then some. I'm 68 years old and very productive and it was valuable for me to read about some of the things I've learned along the way and then stopped using or forgot. The book is a real contribution to me.

Each of these tips could forward a project manager. It would be a dream for any of us to work for or with a person that practiced at least half of these distinctions.

I intend to give the book to many of my financial planning clients as value added. This is a winner!

Les Traband

This book is an excellent tool that will improve your effectiveness, not only in your career, but with anyone you come in contact with in your personal life. It is a quick and easy read, but packed full of meaningful pointers.

In my past 10 years in the corporate world, I have found that while many of these tips may seem to be common sense, very few people practice them. The correct way to describe these pointers would be that they all make great sense, but are far from common in the workplace.

As I continue to advance in my career, this book will remain close to me as a reference and I will continue to encourage my colleagues and direct reports to utilize the tips. You are probably already doing some of them and the others will take some time to master, but are broken into easy to understand tips, so practicing 2 or 3 a week is easy.

I am a great fan of Ford and Ford and promise that you won't be dissatisfied with this book.

When reading a book/article written by professors, a reader is looking for content with deep thought. Obviously, this book does not belong to this category. It simply gathers some commone-sense tips and rephrases them, which any internet user can google them in a few hours.
The title is also misleading. There is no way one can become a star perfomer by just following those tips. Call it "become a good performer" might be more accurate.

From a pair whose philosophical position states that there is no such thing as a star performer, this is an ironic title to be selling. Margot Lester's article "Meet Your Deadlines with These Tips" on Monster.com gives us a couple examples, and perhaps a little insight into why, in their world, it doesn't take anything exceptional to "be a star":

Create and Maintain a Due List of All Deadlines
Plan and Schedule Your Work
Negotiate Due Dates
Learn to Say No [to unreasonable deadlines]
Ask for Help

None are especially ground breaking. Lester also cites their final and seeming favorite, "give no excuses." If you didn't do it (and the others) when your mother told you, you don't need this book to start now.