Bruce Tulgan is a bestselling author, an adviser to business leaders all over the world, and a sought-after keynote speaker. Since 1995, Tulgan has worked with tens of thousands of leaders and managers in hundreds of organizations, ranging from Aetna to Walmart and from the US Army to the YMCA. He lectures at the Yale Graduate School of Management, as well as other academic institutions. Tulgan's books include the updated and expanded edition of Not Everyone Gets a Trophy and the bestselling It's Okay to Be the Boss. He is the Founder and Chairman of RainmakerThinking, Inc., and he lives in New Haven, CT.
For nearly three decades, Bruce Tulgan, bestselling author and founder of Rainmaker Thinking, has followed the latest developments in the workplace through several long-term organizational studies: on generational shifts in the workplace, best practices for leading and managing others effectively, and techniques for optimizing performance.
Today, more than ever, we all want to be viewed as an indispensable go-to person. However, in this new world of work, getting things done is more complex than ever. Collaborating with an increasing number of people leads us to being overwhelmed and prone to burnout. How can we win influence, tackle overcommitment, get the right things done, and become indispensable?
Based on the insights from his research, Tulgan reveals what truly sets go-to people apart, how they think, and what they do, in THE ART OF BEING INDISPENSABLE WORK:
--They understand the peculiar mathematics of real influence. Go-to people make the right decisions and get the right things done. Over time, they get a reputation for delivering, or having good reasons when they decline something. By doing the right thing for the long term, they add value to everything they do. As a result, colleagues want to do things for them, make good use of their time, and contribute to their success. That’s real influence.
--They lead from wherever they are. Today, many of us are constantly being asked to do things by people who aren't our boss, and where we must ask things of others who don't report to us. Go-to people know what’s required and what’s allowed—up and down the chain of command—is the secret to success.
--They know when to say no and how to say yes. The secret to saying yes is to ensure the project is set up for success with a concrete plan—a clear sequence of events and ownership of next steps.
--They work smart. Go-to people identify what they do best and what they want to be known for.
--They finish what they start. Go-to people understand that the way to win is to complete projects so they can take on new ones. The secret to handling a long list of responsibilities and projects is to focus on one thing at a time. Tulgan recommends keeping a to-do list and scheduling time for each task, instead of toggling back and forth between them all.
--They get better and better at working together. Relationships are key. By focusing on getting work done, the work will go better. When the work goes better, the relationship will go better. Go-to people celebrate success with a supersonic thank-you.
--They promote go-to-ism. Go-to people find other indispensable people throughout the organization and build new go-to people whenever there’s a chance to do so. That way, if they can’t say yes, they can recommend someone else who can help.
Nearly a century ago, Dale Carnegie's classic How to Win Friends and Influence People propelled millions of readers up the ladder of success. In this new world of work, Tulgan provides the must-read guidebook for achieving real influence and learning to thrive.