Getting Things Done When You Are Not in Charge [Hardcover]

Geoffrey M. Bellman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1992

Whether you are a manager, administrator, professional or supervisor, you are not in Your job supports the decisions and goals of other people. You may often feel powerless to get things done and frustrated in your daily battles with the organisation. But the truth is that you are not nearly as powerless as you may feel. In this book, Geoffrey Bellman explores the many ways you can get things done and accomplish your own goals while supporting others' work. He shows how to: Empower yourself and others Effectively lead change in the organisation Build solid working relationships Develop positive political skills at work Establish patterns of success. Take risks wisely, set priorities, and get results. Discover greater meaning and fulfilment in your work. At the same time this book also: Presents powerful insights on leadership, teamwork, empowerment, organisational politics, and organisational change. Provides refreshing ways to think of your internal 'customers". Shows how to be more effective in enlisting key players in change, consulting internally, earning the respect of management, and doing more with less. Offers a wealth of practical approaches to use in your daily work. Encourages you to take the initiative for positive change and discover personal meaning in your work.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Addressing middle management in a fiercely competitive, status- and title-oriented business world, consultant Bellman demonstrates how "support" professionals of all kinds, while serving their higher-echelon "internal" customers, can fulfill their own potential for professional and personal development beyond just "earning a living." In this updated version of The Quest for Staff Leadership , the author--using eye-catching headings and short, easily grasped concepts--contrasts the role of management and that of support personnel, while also providing lists of goals, rules, steps to success, rewards and means of self-evaluation. Bellman also offers support professionals advice on how they can increase their level of responsibility and influence from that of gofer or research assistant to that of strategist, even approaching policy-making. 15,000 first printing; paperback rights to Fireside; BOMC, QPB and Fortune Book Club alternates.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Written for support professionals working in large organizations, this book provides practical suggestions for initiating change within the corporation. These suggestions are grounded in a model for change that supports the leadership efforts of managers, administrators, and supervisors who do not possess positional power. Challenging support professionals to take the lead in making contributions that benefit not only the organization but themselves, Bellman includes self-assessment questions for determining the role of work in one's life. He places particular emphasis on the relationship between support professionals and their internal customers as a means of effecting change. A timely and well-written book; recommended for business and management collections.
- Jane M. Kathman, Coll. of St. Benedict Lib., St. Joseph, Minn.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Prima Lifestyles; 1st edition (September 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1881052028
• ISBN-13: 978-1881052029
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #978,429 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Over forty years, I've seen organizations and work from many angles. I've been a corporate manager, struggling with life in the middle of that muddle; my first book, THE QUEST FOR STAFF LEADERSHIP, grew out of that. My years as a consultant resulted in THE CONSULTANTS CALLING. My decades long love/hate relationship with organizations was put between the covers of THE BEAUTY OF THE BEAST: BREATHING NEW LIFE INTO ORGANIZATIONS. Watching my clients (and myself)aspire to greatness within companies controlled by others-not-me led to GETTING THINGS DONE WHEN YOU ARE NOT IN CHARGE. And along the way I was living my own life, leading to YOUR SIGNATURE PATH: GAINING NEW PERSPECTIVES ON LIFE AND WORK.

My most recent book, EXTRAORDINARY GROUPS: HOW ORDINARY TEAMS ACHIEVE AMAZING RESULTS, was written with consultant and friend, Kathleen Ryan. We share a fascination with teams, families, committees, crews, and groups that perform beyond everyone's expectations. What allows that to happen??? We decided to find out, interviewed people from sixty quite different groups, and came to conclusions that surprised even us! All of this--and what to do about it--is explored in EXTRAORDINARY GROUPS.

Like many of us, I do my best work when I have a chance to step back and reflect before taking action. My books come out of reflection. My writing process begins with a conversation between myself and my screen, capturing my current fascinations. No outline, no subject really, just reflecting and writing to myself. This results in 200-300 hundred pages before my writing energy is spent. Then, I print it out and read it for the first time. What am I talking about??? I'm usually surprised at how many useless and useful thoughts I can generate. The useful thoughts provide bones for the skeletal structure on my thinking; it usually just emerges. I often don't know what "animal" these bones will form. And, of course, some bones are missing and some I have too many of. I begin to be intentional about what I'm creating, and am still five or six drafts away from what reaches you.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this book!, October 23, 1999

By 

Billbowie (Elk Grove, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Getting Things Done When You Are Not in Charge (Paperback)

Believe it or not this is the most used management book on my shelf. As I have progressed in my career, I have discovered that "being in charge" is a myth. Even at the apex of an organization you are beholden to someone if not more "bosses". So regardless of your place within your organization this book provides pratical tips on improving your effectiveness. Of particular value and insight are the comparison of leadership and management, the concept of counterdependence, and the internal and external customer discussion. I have shared this information and it has been well received by collegues, at management retreats and with university professors. At less than half the price of the typical soft cover management book you may consider purchasing two. One for you and one to share.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Winning Title!, February 12, 2001

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Getting Things Done When You Are Not in Charge (Paperback)

Geoffrey M. Bellman provides strategies that support personnel can use to bring about positive change in their organizations. A comprehensive table of contents allows you to go directly to the area of the book that most interests you. In fact, the author designed the book to be read in pieces and many topics stand on their own in manageable chunks. This alone makes the book a useful tool for people who are interested in "leading from the middle." The informal writing style and the many useful lists make these ideas accessible to readers who lack formal business training, and thus are likelier to work in support roles. Bellman believes that instead of complaining about your lack of power, you should build your power and get things done. We at getAbstract.com recommend this book to anyone who isn't CEO (yet).

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!, February 9, 2000

By 

Ferdinand Van Heerden "www.kinaesthetic.biz" (Nottingham, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Getting Things Done When You Are Not in Charge (Paperback)

If I take all of the management books I have read from my time at University till now and stack them up they may form a balance with this brilliant book. The wisdom, down to earth style and practical insight is not just uncommon, it is extrodinary. This book has done more to help me in different management situations than any other. The structured approach to tackling life as a manager is a solid base which leaves enough room for personal style and growth. Anyone who does not read this is at a disadvantage.