Getting It Done: How to Lead When You're Not in Charge [Paperback]

Roger Fisher (Author), Alan Sharp (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 5, 1999

Let's face it. In this chaotic world of teams, matrix management, and horizontal organizations, it's tougher than ever to get things done. How do you lead when you're not the one in charge? How can you be effective when joint action is needed? You need an edge in order to reach solutions and effectively work with others.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Does it seem that good ideas go nowhere at your company? That meetings are often a waste of time? That nobody seems to be in charge? Roger Fisher (the coauthor of the bestselling book Getting to Yes) and Alan Sharp tackle, in their book Getting It Done, the inertia that afflicts many groups. The authors advance the idea of lateral leadership as a means of breaking apart the logjams that inhibit effective collaboration in organizations. Lateral leadership consists of five elements: clarifying the purpose of what you're trying to accomplish; understanding how to harness the power of organized thought; learning how to integrate thinking with doing; getting yourself and your team engaged; and, finally, learning how to give feedback on what's been accomplished. This is a practical guide to solving common workplace woes that will relieve the frustrations that many of us experience everyday and at the same time help us to stand out as leaders. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Profound lessons made simple by one of the world's great teachers." -- -- Ronald A. Heifetz, author of Leadership Without Easy Answers

"This book is must reading for those seeking to maximize their contribution to the constructive work of the world." -- -- Charles T. Munger, vice chairman, Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

"Improving the way we work with others requires changing both their habits and our own. Getting It DONE shows how to produce the kind of joint behavior that produces results." -- Robert B. Cialdini, author of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

"Negotiation master Roger Fisher has done it again. Getting It DONE is a highly useful, clear, no-nonsense guide to successful persuasion and influence. It should become the best friend to managers, professionals, and ambitious working people everywhere." -- Rosabeth Moss Kanter, author of World Class and Rosabeth Moss Kanter on the Frontiers of Management

"Profound lessons made simple by one of the world's great teachers." -- Ronald A. Heifetz, author of Leadership Without Easy Answers

"This book is must reading for those seeking to maximize their contribution to the constructive work of the world." -- Charles I. Munger, vice chairman, Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

"This timely, practical, skill-based book beautifully answers the typical seminar complaint, `This is good, but the person who really needs it is not here.' It'll inspire you with the power of example, clear thinking, and the tools to pull off successful, sustainable collaboration with or without formal authority." -- Dr. Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

"To get the work done today, you must be able to collaborate. Roger Fisher and Alan Sharp have provided the best road map that I have seen for collaborating, navigating, and leading your way through ambiguity and unclear lines of authority." -- Philip J. Harkins, president and CEO, Linkage Incorporated

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: HarperBusiness (May 5, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0887309585
• ISBN-13: 978-0887309588
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #232,199 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Roger Fisher teaches negotiation at Harvard Law School. He frequently appears on television as a negotiations expert and is the director of the Harvard Negotiation Project.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

75 of 78 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid Advice for the Most Common Business Problem, May 12, 2000

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 110,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Getting It Done: How to Lead When You're Not in Charge (Hardcover)

Whenever I meet with bright, motivated business people who want to improve the world, they always complain about others in their organizations who will not cooperate in a change process. Get those reluctant people on board the progress train, and the more positive future will soon arrive. Almost never do these complainers realize that their own habits, perspective, and behavior are contributing to delaying the progress by making others oppose the initiative.

Getting It Done is a wonderful book for helping each of us see ourselves as part of the problem and part of the solution in situations when many people must cooperate. That's a first in my experience.

The book builds on that valuable perspective by suggesting what skills we each need to improve, and how we can implement a process that will lead to genuine, effective progress. That is very critical, because most improvements occur because someone has designed an effective process to ease their implementation. In new areas, by definition, there is seldom such a process. My suggestion is that you try this one if you have no other.

I also liked the way the authors went on to generalize about how lateral leadership (influencing peers) provides lessons for when you are the boss. The same lessons apply here as well. Influencing people through genuine involvement leads to both better solutions and to better implementation.

If you only read and learn to apply one book this year, Getting It Done should be that book. My reasoning is simple. If you cannot help those you work with to make successful collaborations, you and everyone around you will always operate at a low level of effectiveness. Also, your work day will be filled with stress, conflict, pressure, too much to do, and worry. That's not the way you want to live. Getting It Done can help you develop the skills to get the benefits of how all of us know and can do more than any one of us. When you are able to get that benefit from being in an enterprise, life becomes very interesting, rewarding, and meaningful. You will also feel good about living closer to your potential as a person.

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why do people not listen to good ideas?, June 17, 2002

By 

Armando "(Armando L. Franco C.)" (Ensenada, Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Getting It Done: How to Lead When You're Not in Charge (Paperback)

Somebody told me once: "Never talk about a problem without giving a solution". After reading this book, I think it should be: "without inviting others to improve a solution you have drafted".

The ideas presented in this book do a great deal to improve communication and gain support. I have reread some of my old memos, and now understand why people did not like them, even if they clearly explained the situation and proposed a solution. I used not to invite people to think with me.

I have applied many of the topics to my every day life, specially at work, and it's given results. I mostly try to invite others to participate in the process, and remember that all ideas can be improved.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book on teamwork... and much more, March 18, 2002

By 

Jav - See all my reviews

This review is from: Getting It Done: How to Lead When You're Not in Charge (Paperback)

This book gave me more than I spected whenI bought it.
I was looking for some guidelines on good teamwork behavior, and I didn't got just that but far more usefull insight on plain work.

Reagarding working with others, the best part is the Feedbck chapter. You'll never give advice to a team mate in the same way after you had read this book. Everybody know someone that "takes advice the wron way", well you'll learn that maybe you and everybo else are giving advice in the wrong way.

Besides this particulary well covered subject, the author explains very usefull techniques to improove not only group workin but personal efficiency. All of this is ilustrated with down to earth examples and exercises.

I read the first edition almost one year ago, and I keep going back to it as if it was reference book, and in some way it is