You Don't Have to Do It Alone: How to Involve Others to Get Things Done [Paperback]

Richard H Axelrod (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 9, 2004

Most people in organizations tend to manage projects either as realists or humanists. You Don't Have to Do It Alone brings together the practical view of the realist and the people-oriented view of the humanist, combining the best of both approaches into one role: the "Pragmatic Involver." Covering everything from solving a nagging long-term problem at work that could save a company millions of dollars, to launching a community movement to improve local schools, the book shows how involving others in a project while maintaining one's focus on the nuts-and-bolts details can make big things happen. Using the authors' six major questions - each of which is explored in detail - You Don't Have to Do It Alone shows how success can be attained in a project on any scale, from redesigning a manufacturing process at a paper mill to creating an effective youth center.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dick Axelrod is a founder of, and principal in, The Axelrod Group, Inc., a consulting firm that pioneered the use of employee-involvement to effect large-scale organizational change. Emily Axelrod is also a founder of, and principal in, The Axelrod Group, Inc., which she created with her husband. Julie Beedon is the CEO of VISTA Consulting Team Ltd., a consulting firm that pioneered large-scale involvement in Europe. The firm currently has a reputation of being the premier organization in Europe to go to for education and consulting assistance in the area of Large Scale and Whole System Involvement. Robert Jacobs is currently President of Robert W. Jacobs Consulting, Inc., a global consulting firm dedicated to supporting organizations in achieving fast, sustainable, organization-wide change. For the past 19 years, he has worked as both coach and consultant to leaders, middle managers and front line with clients including Ford, Marriott, Corning, the U.S. Forest Service, EPA and the City of New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers (September 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157675278X
• ISBN-13: 978-1576752784
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,094,214 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dick Axelrod co founded The Axelrod Group, Inc., a consulting firm that pioneered the use of employee involvement to effect large scale organizational change. He now brings more than thirty-five years of consulting and teaching experience to this work, with clients including Boeing, Coca-Cola, Harley Davidson, Hewlett-Packard, Kaiser Permanente and the National Health Service in the UK. Dick is faculty in Columbia University's Professional Program in Organization Development and the University of Chicago's Leadership Arts Program. He also serves on the board of Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Dick authored Terms of Engagement: Changing the Way We Change Organizations, and co authored You Don't Have to Do It Alone: How to Involve Others to Get Things Done, which the New York Times called "the best of the current crop of books on this subject." His latest e-book is How to Get People to Care About What You Find Important. Dick is a long suffering Chicago Cub's fan.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best little book you could ever buy, September 9, 2004

By 

Mrs. A. M. Brooks (England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: You Don't Have to Do It Alone: How to Involve Others to Get Things Done (Paperback)

This book is a `must have' for anyone who involves others in projects or is even thinking of involving anyone else. Its content is applicable to organisations, voluntary groups, youth groups, neighbourhood/local authority groups and even your sports club.

The content simply takes you through the process of involvement answering all the questions you were thinking but afraid to ask out loud. It begins with what sort of involvement do you need, how do I know who to include, how do I invite people, once invited how do I keep them involved and then how do I finish the job.

The `checklist' at the end is a gold mine.

Thankfully it's written in jargon free language and is small enough to always have in or on your desk where you can refer back to it often.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars About "We" instead of "Me", October 13, 2004

By 

R. Thomas (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: You Don't Have to Do It Alone: How to Involve Others to Get Things Done (Paperback)

You Don't Have To Do It Alone is a book complex in its simplicity and deceptive in its honesty. You will find it a very accessible and readable addition to your management library - the one on your desk, not packed away on the shelf. The authors weave together a bit of Maslow in basic human understanding with John Lockeian higher ideals, wrapped in a healthy dose of Tom Sawyer practicality. With this book, you will get your fence painted.

At the start, the book may seem like an introductory primer for someone newly thrown into a management role. In fact, it is one of those rare 101 introductions that a new manager should find immediately useful, but also in full reading, experienced managers will come to deepen their appreciation for the complexities of human nature. You will better understand the profound commitment and strong values it takes to truly believe in people, and how to remain true to those values while operating in the pressures of daily activities.

You Don't Have To Do It Alone presents very useful tools for organizing and managing the interaction of people in business, civic and community activities. It underscores that those tools only work when they are applied by managers who believe that working together is a good and necessary thing. Read this book all the way through. It's a modest demand on your time, and the authors do create a tapestry of human interactions that reveals itself best in a full read. Reading the beginning overview alone will do no more for you than reading a theater program and then not going to the performance. A full reading will get you to the later chapter on meeting management that is a little book within a little book. The gems of wisdom in chapter six may the beginning of a future publication for the authors.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sound Advice - Great tips and Checklists, September 28, 2004

By 

T. J. Gardner - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: You Don't Have to Do It Alone: How to Involve Others to Get Things Done (Paperback)

To Involve others or not. Who to involve. What do I need from them. These and other questions about involvement, when taken thoughtfully into consideration, can make all the difference between success or failure of a project. This book provides a framework for thinking through each step of an involvement process from the identified need through to execution.

For 25 years, I have led dozens of workplace teams on subjects ranging from equipment reliability to quality to organization design. I have coached kid's soccer. I have served on boards and committees of parent booster clubs, school advisory boards, and community theatre organizations. Now, through the careful collaboration of these four authors, comes a book, a methodology, that explains in a logical, complete way how to lead collaborative efforts. If I only knew then what I learned in this book!

Although we may frequently consider how to involve people, we don't always appreciate the importance of thinking about who to involve and when to involve them. Along with checklists to help you along each of these important considerations, there is helpful material on keeping people involved, keeping the process moving, and a very nice chapter on meeting planning.

Whether you are new to discovering the power of involvement, or a seasoned veteran who is looking for additional coaching and tips, this book offers sound advice in all aspects of the topic.