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Great on the Job
A much-needed "people skills" primer and master class in all facets of workplace communication Do you know how to ask for help at work without sounding dumb? Do you know how to get valuable and useful feedback from your colleagues? Have you mastered your professional elevator pitch so that every time you meet someone, they remember and are impressed by you? If you answered "no" to any of these questions, you need Great on the Job.
In 2008, Jodi Glickman launched Great on the Job, a communications consulting firm whose distinguished client list includes Harvard Business School, Wharton, The Stern School of Business, Merrill Lynch, and Citigroup. Now, Glickman's three-step training program is available in book form for the first time. With case studies, micro strategies, and example language, readers will learn communication skills that can be practiced and implemented immediately. In today's economy, it's not typically the smartest, hardest working or most technically savvy who succeed. Instead, the ability to communicate well is often the most important precursor to success in the workplace. So whether you're a star performer or a struggling novice, Great on the Job will give you the building blocks you need for every conversation you'll have at work.
In 2008, Jodi Glickman launched Great on the Job, a communications consulting firm whose distinguished client list includes Harvard Business School, Wharton, The Stern School of Business, Merrill Lynch, and Citigroup. Now, Glickman's three-step training program is available in book form for the first time. With case studies, micro strategies, and example language, readers will learn communication skills that can be practiced and implemented immediately. In today's economy, it's not typically the smartest, hardest working or most technically savvy who succeed. Instead, the ability to communicate well is often the most important precursor to success in the workplace. So whether you're a star performer or a struggling novice, Great on the Job will give you the building blocks you need for every conversation you'll have at work.
304 pages, Paperback
First published May 10, 2011
112 people are currently reading
648 people want to read
About the author
Jodi Glickman
2 books3 followersJodi Glickman is the founder of Great on the Job, LLC. She previously worked in the investment banking division at Goldman Sachs and was a policy analyst at the Environmental Protection Agency. She holds a B.S. in Social Policy from Northwestern University and an M.B.A. from the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University."
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
March 31, 2014
Sadly, I only enjoyed the last chapter of the book on perfecting your elevator pitch. The rest of the book was very basic and targeted towards new graduates.
January 17, 2018
All the stuff they don't teach you in school, but should.
These skills aren't necessarily the kind your parents would've taught you, either. There's a difference, for example, between polite personal phone calls and polite, effective BUSINESS calls. Glickman provides scripts with examples for all kinds of corporate situations that are potential pitfalls. These are divided into five parts: "The Basics," "Move Up the Learning Curve," "Stay Out of Trouble," "Raise a Red Flag," and "Sell Yourself." With the exception of that last part -- nearly everybody in the workforce has at least heard of the elevator speech -- a lot of this information will be new to even seasoned employees, and if you're anything like me, you'll wish somebody had handed you this book years ago.
White-collar work, you see, turns on a language that many cross-class and cross-cultural folks never learn to speak. If you want to succeed, you've got to learn to master this language. I've started practicing the skills Glickman outlines here, and am pleased to be getting results. "Raise a Red Flag" is especially useful if you have to break bad news, because there's a way to do it that makes you come off smelling like a rose (hint: it partially involves already having suggestions for fixing the problem in hand -- even if your solutions are rejected, you look like a person who can think and problem-solve, not like somebody waiting for an authority figure to clean up your messes). Cheat sheets in the back summarize the main points, so you can peek at these before writing an e-mail, walking into your appraisal, or introducing yourself to somebody in the C-Suite at the company holiday party (yes, you really should, and Glickman will teach you how).
A good gift for new graduates and a must-add for business and workforce development collections, Glickman's text is not going out of style anytime soon. Recommended for all libraries, mandatory for those mentioned above.
These skills aren't necessarily the kind your parents would've taught you, either. There's a difference, for example, between polite personal phone calls and polite, effective BUSINESS calls. Glickman provides scripts with examples for all kinds of corporate situations that are potential pitfalls. These are divided into five parts: "The Basics," "Move Up the Learning Curve," "Stay Out of Trouble," "Raise a Red Flag," and "Sell Yourself." With the exception of that last part -- nearly everybody in the workforce has at least heard of the elevator speech -- a lot of this information will be new to even seasoned employees, and if you're anything like me, you'll wish somebody had handed you this book years ago.
White-collar work, you see, turns on a language that many cross-class and cross-cultural folks never learn to speak. If you want to succeed, you've got to learn to master this language. I've started practicing the skills Glickman outlines here, and am pleased to be getting results. "Raise a Red Flag" is especially useful if you have to break bad news, because there's a way to do it that makes you come off smelling like a rose (hint: it partially involves already having suggestions for fixing the problem in hand -- even if your solutions are rejected, you look like a person who can think and problem-solve, not like somebody waiting for an authority figure to clean up your messes). Cheat sheets in the back summarize the main points, so you can peek at these before writing an e-mail, walking into your appraisal, or introducing yourself to somebody in the C-Suite at the company holiday party (yes, you really should, and Glickman will teach you how).
A good gift for new graduates and a must-add for business and workforce development collections, Glickman's text is not going out of style anytime soon. Recommended for all libraries, mandatory for those mentioned above.
May 20, 2021
Glickman provides a set of simple formulas for acing commonplace workplace communications. These formulas gave me a mental framework that I can apply to nearly any situation with better results than whatever it was I did before reading this book.
It would be easy to dismiss this book as too introductory, that if you’ve worked for a few years its lessons are obvious or common sense. But I constantly see people communicating ineffectively. After swallowing my pride and admitting I still have a lot to learn about workplace communication (and communication in general), I got a LOT out of this.
It would be easy to dismiss this book as too introductory, that if you’ve worked for a few years its lessons are obvious or common sense. But I constantly see people communicating ineffectively. After swallowing my pride and admitting I still have a lot to learn about workplace communication (and communication in general), I got a LOT out of this.
April 15, 2024
I had started reading this back in 2017 or 2018 and then stopped for some reason. I remember liking it and finding the content relatable. A few weeks back, I felt I should revisit this book.
After having finished it, I am grateful to my sister who initially gave it to me. I think this is something that can help people who are starting their careers. Though I have worked for over 10 years now, I am finding many of the frameworks mentioned quite helpful.
Overall, this is one of the rare non-fiction reads for me this year. Now I feel I need to read a few more books like this one.
After having finished it, I am grateful to my sister who initially gave it to me. I think this is something that can help people who are starting their careers. Though I have worked for over 10 years now, I am finding many of the frameworks mentioned quite helpful.
Overall, this is one of the rare non-fiction reads for me this year. Now I feel I need to read a few more books like this one.
March 27, 2018
Wonderful Read for Any Professional
This was a wonderful read so many helpful tips. Proper and clear communication is vital no matter who or where you work for in any profession and it is a shame that many do not even have the basics covered on how to do so. After reading this book, I feel confident in approaching multiple situations that before I was not fully aware in how to handle.
This was a wonderful read so many helpful tips. Proper and clear communication is vital no matter who or where you work for in any profession and it is a shame that many do not even have the basics covered on how to do so. After reading this book, I feel confident in approaching multiple situations that before I was not fully aware in how to handle.
January 5, 2018
Perfect for entry level/early career professionals or people entering in to a more corporate environment for the first time. But it's also a really great tool for managers of those groups of employees. The content helps to articulate the skills that you may take for granted but need to coach your team on, and provides very clear frameworks to help set expectations with your team.
February 21, 2022
If you are new to the corporate world and/or went to school and started your career anywhere else than North America (much different communication styles) - this book is for you! I wish I have read it 5 years ago. Now it does seem a bit common knowledge to me, but I will wholeheartedly recommend it to any newcomer or fresh graduate for sure!
May 9, 2020
Some tips are pretty useful. Some parts are repetitive with a purpose to make readers remember the key point better. I'm glad to find myself having good-office-tip thoughts pop up when I was faced with similar situations after reading the books.
February 22, 2023
Great information provided from the perspective of a new graduate. However, it is extremely bloated and repetitive. It does not need to be 200+ pages, probably could be more like 50 pages and get many of the same points across.
June 19, 2017
Good for a recent college grad who has had no white-collar job training.
April 1, 2020
I did find one or two good points, but 98% of the book is geared toward interns or new associates. Found it too basic.
Currently reading
February 2, 2022a
June 15, 2024
Evidently I read this in the past year but I don't remember much about it.
July 17, 2016
This book has terrific, real life examples and responses that showcases the communication techniques. Similar to other reviewers, I think the communication skills in this book may be too basic for seasoned professionals but perfect for interns and other people just starting their careers.
Some great takeaways
The basics
- Don't ask "how can I help" rather present some options on specifically what you can do.
- Aggressively manage workload and to ask for high exposure assignments.
- Manage expectations by prioritising to do list (ask for timing/urgency), be transparent about workload, communicate action plan, and ask for confirmation/feedback. When that's not enough it's time to push back which involves highlighting the issue/problem, state rationale, and propose a solution. Figure out the required time before committing to anything. Remember to close the loop when it comes to communication (confirm receipt and give proposed timing/promise)
- Ask for help in a smart way. Be proactive, ask for resources/guidance, and request feedback/offer milestones. When issues come up halfway through the project, focus on the 2 goals of demonstrating progress and show what you think should move the ball forward. Start with what you know, state your intended direction and ask for feedback/confirmation. Spread your questions and when asking a junior, focus the question on a specific area that s/he is more familiar with.
- Feedback should be asked for/offered off-line and behind closed doors. The 2 goals are teh make the feedback as useful as possible for you (ask for a specific aspect) and as easy as possible on the person giving the feedback (ask ahead of time and around their schedule). During the conversation, ask for concrete ways to improve, say thank you and wait, digest and revisit.
- In answering questions you don't know, start with what you know, state what you don't and close with how you will figure it out. If you are not 100% sure, put a "soft stake" in the ground, "hedge" to give yourself an opportunity to back down from the position and ask for an opportunity to double check.
When things don't go as planned
- When raising a red flag, highlight the issue as early as possible, state the facts related to the issue and propose a solution. When asking for time off, cover your bases and get buy in to make sure it will work out.
- If you have missed a deadline, use an approach similar to answering questions you don't know. This is starting what's been completed, what's still outstanding and how the task will be finished.
- If you have missed the boat, explain your approach, acknowledge feedback and offer revised action plan.
- If you dropped the ball, apologise, state the rationale and get to it ASAP.
- If you disagree with the assessment, acknowledge alternative opinion, respectfully disagree and state your position.
Selling yourself and crafting your elevator pitch can make a huge difference.
- The Impresser (for a meeting with the boss): Punchline (most important/relevant recent accomplishment), the backstory (what brought you to this position) and forward momentum (what are you excited about going forward)?
- The Convincer (for meeting new colleagues): punchline (who you are), the backstory (what bought you here) and connect the dots (why does this career switch make sense).
- The Opportunist (looking for a new career opportunity): punchline (your destination), backstory (what you've been doing) and forward momentum (next steps).
- The Natural (making a career switch): punchline (your destination), backstory (skill based) and connect the dots (why is this a logical next step)
- The Linear Career Path: punchline, backstory, and key differentiator (notable accomplishment, unique/transformative experience, lifelong passion)
Some great takeaways
The basics
- Don't ask "how can I help" rather present some options on specifically what you can do.
- Aggressively manage workload and to ask for high exposure assignments.
- Manage expectations by prioritising to do list (ask for timing/urgency), be transparent about workload, communicate action plan, and ask for confirmation/feedback. When that's not enough it's time to push back which involves highlighting the issue/problem, state rationale, and propose a solution. Figure out the required time before committing to anything. Remember to close the loop when it comes to communication (confirm receipt and give proposed timing/promise)
- Ask for help in a smart way. Be proactive, ask for resources/guidance, and request feedback/offer milestones. When issues come up halfway through the project, focus on the 2 goals of demonstrating progress and show what you think should move the ball forward. Start with what you know, state your intended direction and ask for feedback/confirmation. Spread your questions and when asking a junior, focus the question on a specific area that s/he is more familiar with.
- Feedback should be asked for/offered off-line and behind closed doors. The 2 goals are teh make the feedback as useful as possible for you (ask for a specific aspect) and as easy as possible on the person giving the feedback (ask ahead of time and around their schedule). During the conversation, ask for concrete ways to improve, say thank you and wait, digest and revisit.
- In answering questions you don't know, start with what you know, state what you don't and close with how you will figure it out. If you are not 100% sure, put a "soft stake" in the ground, "hedge" to give yourself an opportunity to back down from the position and ask for an opportunity to double check.
When things don't go as planned
- When raising a red flag, highlight the issue as early as possible, state the facts related to the issue and propose a solution. When asking for time off, cover your bases and get buy in to make sure it will work out.
- If you have missed a deadline, use an approach similar to answering questions you don't know. This is starting what's been completed, what's still outstanding and how the task will be finished.
- If you have missed the boat, explain your approach, acknowledge feedback and offer revised action plan.
- If you dropped the ball, apologise, state the rationale and get to it ASAP.
- If you disagree with the assessment, acknowledge alternative opinion, respectfully disagree and state your position.
Selling yourself and crafting your elevator pitch can make a huge difference.
- The Impresser (for a meeting with the boss): Punchline (most important/relevant recent accomplishment), the backstory (what brought you to this position) and forward momentum (what are you excited about going forward)?
- The Convincer (for meeting new colleagues): punchline (who you are), the backstory (what bought you here) and connect the dots (why does this career switch make sense).
- The Opportunist (looking for a new career opportunity): punchline (your destination), backstory (what you've been doing) and forward momentum (next steps).
- The Natural (making a career switch): punchline (your destination), backstory (skill based) and connect the dots (why is this a logical next step)
- The Linear Career Path: punchline, backstory, and key differentiator (notable accomplishment, unique/transformative experience, lifelong passion)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 11, 2015
This is probably one of the worst audio-book experiences I've had, and oddly, I'm not sure why. Part of it, perhaps, is that from my perspective, the author over-sold herself in the beginning (Ok, ok - you know what you're talking about - can we please start the book now?). I also felt that some parts were a bit obvious. While covering the obvious might be good for people missing some of the basics of professional human interaction, it wasn't right for me. I found myself not looking forward to listening (and I love listening to audio books), and found myself bored and drifting.
The book might work better for me at a different time in my life, but at this point, it just missed the mark. If you are having some issues with interoffice communication and relationships with clients and co-workers, I would nonetheless still recommend this book.
The book might work better for me at a different time in my life, but at this point, it just missed the mark. If you are having some issues with interoffice communication and relationships with clients and co-workers, I would nonetheless still recommend this book.
June 30, 2014
Not what I was expecting. I got this book for free at a conference three years ago, and I hadn't gotten around to reading it until now. I'm starting a new job this week, so I thought, what the hey, let me finally read this thing. I expected some tips on how to be a better worker, be better organized, etc, but apparently, the key to being a better worker is communicating. I think I was doing that well enough in my previous jobs and internships, and the book confirmed it. I don't want to say it was a waste of time reading it because it was a good refresher, but it's definitely better read by someone just out of college and getting into the workforce for the first time.
December 18, 2013
The problem I had with this book that it shifted between either too general or too specific information. By too general I mean something like writing through two pages about things like the fact that you need to keep learning at all times. Or that you need to help your coworkers. By too specific I mean describing someone's situation at job and how he/she resolved the problem.
The most interesting information author could have written lies in between very specific and very general information.
The most interesting information author could have written lies in between very specific and very general information.
November 23, 2023
This book is packed with very useful tips on success. There is a lot to takeaway and probably requires more than one read. Originally I had this as 4 stars, but after reading other books I realize how much this one stands above others. I would definitely recommend this book to those looking to level up their career.
Read
July 21, 2012Started off with some useful tips but then quickly got into scenarios that are only really that helpful if you work in a giant US style corporation, which I don't. As usual with this sort of thing will take what I think suits me and totally ignore the rest.
June 12, 2013
I wish I read this 8 years ago when I first came to the US to work. It would help a lot for someone wanting to thrive in America corporate culture as it gives you great tips to guide your communication style. I wouldn't recommend for someone who has many years of working experience already.
May 21, 2016
Started a new job and saw this book at the library so I checked it out. Once I began reading I realized why the author called it a 'primer' it would be an excellent book for someone just starting their career or returning to the workforce but not a 'seasoned employee'.
Currently reading
October 3, 2011introduction: ok
1. how to say hello: good advice
1. how to say hello: good advice
December 31, 2011
Great for recent grads, but not seasoned professionals
August 31, 2016
I'm a dork...
July 26, 2012
Especially the last chapter contains some good tips and tricks on your personal pitch!
April 5, 2012
Fairly straight-forward stuff... if only we could always remember to be so clear in communicating!
July 11, 2018
An excellent book. Will most likely read it again in the future. Highly recommend it.
May 24, 2017
Younger people can extract value from this book. It is about your communication skills and that IS IMPORTANT in every aspect of life.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews