A Bias for Action: How Effective Managers Harness Their Willpower, Achieve Results, and Stop Wasting Time Review

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(More customer reviews)I was an avid fan of Harvard Business School Press (HBSP), and their brand of management summaries and knowledge. However, over the years, I've become disillusioned with the HBSP editoral style and model of publishing management/general business books.
Funny how many of their titles are written by Harvard Business School professors. Basically, the professors -- Olympian guardians of all management ideas and "know-how" -- are writing books telling practicing managers (middle to senior level) how to maximize their leadership styles and their corporate profits.
Anyhow, I believe that HBSP has recently released a rather improved book, "A Bias for Action," written by Heike Bruch and Sumantra Ghoshal. It strives to explain the idea that effective managers aren't necessarily busy managers. Busy managers being those who find comfort in just being active, without a vision or long-term goal for their group or team. It asks the question: what can we do as a managerial class to become more effective and focused?
What really shines through (and caught my attention) is the book's underlying theme that willpower is a major force for success. Willpower, to the authors, is a combination of energy and focus. There are several traps/pitfalls that are outlined:Trap of overwhelming demands
Trap of unbearable constraints
Trap of unexplored choices

What I've found most favorable is the authors' strategy of finding a goal and protecting your intentions. Inevitable setbacks will occur. Great managers and leaders know how to deflect that and concentrate on the positive energy by thinking about past successes, envisioning the goal, controlling your confidence, or talking with a mentor.
The latter half of the book deals with CEO-level management and how they can program their organizations to exhibit the environment that enable managers to become "purpose-driven." Depending on your role in the organization, this half may not be too useful.

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The High-Tech Personal Efficiency Program: Organizing Your Electronic Resources to Maximize Your Time and Efficiency Review

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(More customer reviews)If you already have Gleeson's "The Personal Efficiency Program : How to Get Organized to Do More Work in Less Time," don't buy this. It has pretty much the same information. It's not "high-tech" at all. Most of the book is like a Computer 101 class. I'm quite disappointed, since I was looking for ways to organize my electronic resources, NOT "how do I create a folder in Win95."

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"Maybe you think you know about time management. Unless you've read Kerry Gleeson's High-Tech PEP, you don't. This book contains a key. It unexpectedly opens up a whole world--where suddenly you can think clearly and accomplish things you never thought possible." --Duncan Maxwell Anderson Senior Editor, Success magazine "With simple, straightforward tips, [Gleeson] explains how to exploit technology as a personal information management tool.. This book offers concrete suggestions for getting our information lives in order. As Gleeson says, 'Do it now!'" --Dr. Franklin Becker, Professor and Director International Workplace Studies Program, Cornell University and Partner, @Work Consulting Group LLC "As a result of PEP, I was able to reduce my workweek hours from 70 to 40, and still achieve the same results.. I have been very pleased." --Dr. Richard Bax, Head of Clinical Research SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals "Productivity through the effective use of technology and work process improvement is the key to success in the corporate world globally. PEP is the enabler." --Ed Carr, Senior Vice President of Administration Steelcase, Inc. Make Electronic Gadgets Dance to your Tune--Do More Work in Less Time. Adapted from Kerry Gleeson's internationally acclaimed Personal Efficiency Program (PEP), The High-Tech Personal Efficiency Program shows you how to apply the low-tech principles of PEP to your high-tech environment--e-mail, groupware, the World Wide Web, cell phones, beepers, and more. The easy-to-learn system Gleeson describes has already enabled hundreds of thousands of businesspeople worldwide to reduce job stress, increase productivity, and find more time to smell the roses. Why not you?

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The Personal Efficiency Program: How to Get Organized to Do More Work in Less Time Review

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(More customer reviews)The Personal Efficiency Program is exactly that, a program to help you get organized and stay organized so that you can get more done in less time. The overriding theme is to do things now and don't put them off. The book covers all the bases for organization from developing a routine, planning processes, following through, managing and maintaining. The area that it does not cover is the psychological factors in getting things done. For example, one of the books that I read noted that one of the problems with a "to-do" type list is that we tend to look at it and do the easiest or most fun things first. So, as a result our reward for completing one of the items on our "to-do" list is that we get a less desireable and more difficult task to do next. Rearranging the "to-do" list so that you do the most difficult and least fun things first you set yourself up for success because as a reward for doing the difficult item you get a less difficult item or more fun item to do. I know it is just playing games, but it does affect how well people get their "to-do" list completed. I wish that he had included research like that in the book in addition to all of the good ideas for organizing and keeping track of things.
This book is designed solely for the work environment and getting things organized and done at work. Still many of the items can be applied at home too. It is a good book and a good read with a program that works if you implement and practice it.

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