Customer Reviews

Please Don't Just Do What I Tell You, Do What Needs to Be Done: Every Employee's Guide to Making Work More Rewarding

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Bob Nelson has done it again! This popular, best-selling author of such books as "1001 Ways to Reward Employees" and "1001Ways to Take Initiative at Work" has created another valuable tool for the corporate world.

This book is not written for management, though it would be wise for managers to read it.
The readers will be employees, who will absorb a meaningful message about their role in the work environment. It's a vital message that most employees never hear. The audience that will benefit most is new employees. In fact, it would be a good reading for high school and college seniors about to embark on their careers.

The core of Nelson's message is that employees have responsibilities and opportunities far beyond what's delineated in their job description. Each and every worker should use his/her own best judgment and effort to do what needs to be done for the organization to be successful. The book presents this concept as the "Ultimate Expectation"-a message every employee needs to hear, but one that few employers explicitly state.

Employers are eager to have people on their team who take initiative, to take independent action to do what needs to be done for the organization to succeed. Why is this kind of worker so scarce? Because management has not conveyed to its employees that they are expected to take initiative; they don't have to wait to be told what to do. This message will resonate well with today's younger employees . . . if they're given permission or encouraged. Managers who don't know how to express or reinforce this concept now have a tool with this book.

After an introduction to the concept and an explanation of the "Ultimate Expectation," Nelson presents Simple Strategies and Techniques." To give you a sense for the straightforward content of this book, here are some of the topics under the headings Think, Act, and Persevere. Under Think: Make Your Job More Difficult, Ask Silly Questions, and Don't Be a Complainer. Under Prepare, topics include Collect Your Own Data, Develop Options and a Plan of Action, and Shoot Holes in Your Own Plan.

Under Act, topics include Speak Up to Have Influence, Volunteer for Difficult Assignments, and Be a Person Who Makes Things Happen. The section on Persevere includes Persist When Obstacles Arise, and Learn to Enjoy Those Things That Others Hate to Do.

The next section of the book addresses what holds us back from high achievement: fear, frustration, and failure. Fear includes "I might make a mistake" and "I'm afraid of being fired." Frustration includes "I don't have the authority" and "I don't have the support." "I took initiative once and made a mistake" and "Someone keeps blocking my efforts" comprise part of the Failure section. A concluding chapter encourages readers to realize their potential.

The book is deceivingly small, with wide margins and extra space between lines. The open format is wisely less intimidating for the reader, making the book easy to use. That's a good selling point for this kind of a volume, which is useless if it isn't read. Buy this book now for your employees. Include it in the materials given to new hires in the orientation process. Grab the advantage over your competition by using this book to stimulate initiative and high performance. It pays!

As we recruit new employees, or challenge ourselves, we seek a very special trait -- initiative. How do we discover those, who will think for themselves? How can each of us become more proactive and less reactive? Up until now, initiative was the result of passion, dedication and courage. Now, we have a handbook -- "Don't Just Do What I Tell You! Do What Needs To Be Done."

In the spirit of "The One Minute Manager" and "Who Moved My Cheese" this book is short and simple - an easy afternoon read. It delivers quality perspectives on how to empower individuals and entire workforces. The layout is in logical chapters or sections, like "Do Something Different Now" and "Realize Your Potential". Contained in each chapter are simple concepts on how to demonstrate more initiative with examples of how individuals succeeded by being more proactive. The results are credible and interesting stories in support of a of one objective, otherwise known as the 'Ultimate Expectation', "Always Do What Needs To Be Done Without Waiting To Be Asked." True, some of the concepts are pure commons sense. For the most part this handbook creates new structure around an important value. It demonstrates that we are not born with initiative. We must acquire it through experience and through this excellent handbook. Take the intitiative and read this book.

Bob Nelson doesn't pull any punches, and he says what every employer has always wanted to say, but couldn't quite find the right words. I am purchasing a copy of this book for each of my departments. It will be required reading for all employees. It drives me crazy when an employee is asked to do something and the first thing out of his/her mouth is, "but I don't know how." Fine, you don't know how, but you are an intelligent human being whom I hired, and you can learn. I love the person who doesn't have a clue, but takes on the task, thinks things through, asks questions, and gets the job done. Stagnation is boring, and it's not long before it starts to stink. This books gives employees great ideas to keep from being anything but stagnate. If they work for me, they know actions speak louder than words, and the right actions will take them places. Employers, be sure to read the book. As a companion, read "First, Break All the Rules" by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton, Ph.D. With these books, you will have the tools to make your organization soar.

Bob Nelson has assembled a quick reading book on popular business concepts and situations facing a regular employee. He offers suggestions on becoming more pro-active than re-active to situations that arise through out many different careers. Nelson also gives examples of true story scenarios in which a person took a chance or challenged an idea and was later promoted for it. He talks about successes and also failures in careers in which people either sat on the sidelines or got in the game. This book most can probably read in a day as it is under 100 pages and reads very fast. It has quick chapters and a lot of useful insight.

This is a very easy to read book full of examples of how people were able to make headway on the corporate ladder by showing initiative, waiting until the timing was right, and even disobeying superiors.

Through a string of specific examples from which generalized ideas are formed, this book explains how you can be an empowered employee with a driving force that will not only bring you job satisfaction, but can help you turn even a doldrum job into an opportunity for success.

The ideas, such as "be a person that makes things happen" can apply to any job, you just have to think about how it can apply to you.

This is the handbook that EVERY employee should read. It reveiws the basics of what every manager wished every employee, new or old, would know and retain. It says the unsaid. It's also a good reminder for the manger too. If my kids were of working age I'd make them (OK bribe them) to read it! It's an easy read of one-half to one hour.

Corporate employees must contend with downsizing, scarce jobs and scarcer benefits. In today's virtual corporations, a handful of employees do the work that many people used to do. To survive, make yourself an irreplaceable employee. That's the short, sweet, familiar point (and the only message, given the book's brevity) that Bob Nelson conveys in this simple but clear manual for long-term employment survival. Take the initiative, assume responsibility, know your job better than anybody else and fulfill your supervisor's expectations - even the unspoken ones. Become indispensable: it's here in a nutshell. We find that Nelson provides valuable tips on being a proactive employee and, for fun, illustrates them with some bright little stories.

I use this book when training both supervisors and employees. In these tough economic times, supervisors do not have time or energy to give instructions over and over to employees. They need employees who are self motivated, take intiative, continue to learn and grow, and will follow up without being told or asked to do so. Bob Nelson did a fabulous job in this book of outlining how employees can do this and why they should want to. He also did an excellent job of reminding supervisors to reward employees and how to reward them for taking initiative.

I recommend this short and easy read for all office staff. It is a great tool to use for a facilitated discussion or training as a team.

If you work full time, you spend at least a third of your day in the workplace. Shouldn't you make the most of it? Especially in today's economy when we may be required to stay in a job longer then we would like. What's the best action to take? Make the job more rewarding.

This book contains logical, no nonsense advice on how to turn the job around and make it a success. This book is also a feel good moment for employees when so many books are for managers.

"Employees know best how to do their jobs." Were truer words ever spoken? Many companies are talking about the need for today's leaders to empower their employees. This book will get the empowered employee started on the path to success.

Why should managers read it? Managers are instrumental in changing the environment to make employees want to do well.

Basic and obvious tips, worth reading just to remind you how things should be execute by proactive employees. Do not expect revolutionary ideas or unbelievable findings from this book. Three stars out of five.