Machiavelli Lives

“Who knows what evil lies in the hearts of men?” (The Shadow)

HOT READS FOR THE PRACTITIONER

Title: Getting Work Done

Competencies: managing self, self-development, achievement orientation

Who benefits: any employee

Consultant Usage: coaching, career development, training courses in time management and personal productivity

What’s it about? Machiavelli lives.  If you have been reading my colleague Ken Nowack’s posts on competent jerk bosses, you probably already knew that.  Someone should write a book called Bosses And Other Obstacles to Getting Work Done.  

Today’s review is all about getting work done.  This 6-month old book is Workarounds That Work: How to Conquer Anything That Stands in Your Way at Work.  If that isn’t a Machiavellian title, I don’t know what is.  The title captured me.  The title also scared me.  Ten years ago we introduced to “Truthiness”.  Now have we “Jerkiness”?

I was thoroughly prepared to dislike this book and write a scathing review.  Eat my words!

This book is a gem about a topic that I had not seen in management publications before.  And the author’s gentleness and proceed-with-caution approach is anything but Machiavellian.  The book is easy, even fun, to read.  The stories and quotes are marvelous.  And as a bonus, you learn about the first ever computer bug!

Before proceeding further, let’s let the author define a “workaround”: “… a method for accomplishing a task or goal when the normal process or method isn’t producing the desired results”.  Not that any of us have ever experienced processes or methods that weren’t working properly!

This book helps explain the difference between an organization’s vision and its execution (lack thereof).

It’s about practical solutions that are not taught in corporate training courses. 

What really “sells” the book is the author clearly stating two firm premises: (1) blaming others for an obstacle is NOT an option; and, (2) the most likely first workaround may be you!  YOU have to begin with looking at your own thinking or mental approaches to work.  You have to be accountable and hold yourself responsible for the results you get (or don’t).  No blaming, no “shoulding”, no complaining. 

Start with the question “What could I do that would make a difference that requires no one’s permission other than my own?”

It is about just doing your job or doing the ultimate job.  It is about silos, conflicting priorities, bureaucratic internal processes, meaningless meetings, slow decision-making processes and other obstacles that challenge us daily. 

But he reminds us that it is rare that any person, team or organization sits around plotting against us.  It is just the situation that we are in.  We are here.  We want to get to there.  How do we practically and responsibly get to “there”?  That’s what the book is all about. 

Catch you later.
[tags]workarounds, responsibility, accountability, managing self, achievement orientation, envisia, envisia learning, bill bradley, william bradley, bradley[/tags]

Bill Bradley

Bill Bradley (mostly) retired after 35 years in organizational consulting, training and management development. During those years he worked internally with seven organizations and trained and consulted externally with more than 90 large and small businesses, government agencies, hospitals and schools.