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Faster, Smarter, Higher
Faster, Smarter, Higher by Utkarsh Rai
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First published April 1, 2016
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63 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 2, 2017
Rushed through the book to get a cursory glance and noted the really important points. otherwise, this book is
very Generic. Its target audience is managers, But author has added few chapters to include beginners also.
full of career advise. Too much fluff and repetition. Read a summary. That would suffice.
very Generic. Its target audience is managers, But author has added few chapters to include beginners also.
full of career advise. Too much fluff and repetition. Read a summary. That would suffice.
December 22, 2021
It's a great book to understand how to manage key relationships (including relationship with self) in the organisation at all levels. Utkarsh Rai has really done a great job by structuring this book in 51 bullet points which makes it easier and interesting to finish. Last chapter is a bonus and it gives good finish to the book.
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August 23, 2016Let's accept it! Everyone goes so a career thrash in one form or the other. IT IS A FACT! When people join a company as freshers, they are enthusiastic, full of energy aspiring to achieve everything under the sky! But, only a few, if any at all, cross the ocean that is dirty, filled with politics and full of frustrations, to have a successful career. And for those of us who find it difficult to cross this ocean and sometimes even getting drowned and lost, Utkarsh Rai brings "Faster, Smarter, Higher - Managing Your Career"!
With eight superb chapters and overall 51 sub-chapters, he has covered everything that it takes to have a successful career. I think most of us will be able to understand the problems that we face every day. They are quite obvious - monotonous work, getting visibility, management issues, managing peers, performance management etc., I must appreciate Mr.Rai for the way that he has presented this - the problem and what can we do about it - because, many times even though the problems are quite obvious, the question we ask ourselves is "So what? I still cannot do anything about it!"
There is a famous saying that "fixing any problem must start with fixing yourself". Rai starts his book with "Managing Self" which is the very essence of this mantra. Presented in a humorous way, this start will give you momentum and set the pace for the rest of the book. The sub-chapters like "You, the brand" gives much confidence that "Yeah, I am also a victim of this, but, I can fix it!. Managers are one important topic in any organization - it is no secret. The chapter "Managing your Manager" gives an impressive overview of how if you understand your manager can help you win your career greatly. No one can exist for long in a career path alone! It is always a team work! Even when you think you are the one executing, it is always your team that completes the cycle for any product. And, if you are a manager with direct reports under you, then managing the team is of utmost importance. Without encouraging and maintaining harmony in your team and knowing what your team is really capable of, what they really want, your career as a manager will be a disaster. Chapter 3 presents this neatly.
A competition is good inside a team, but if that competition turns out to be jealous, any organization will perish. "Managing Your Peers" chapter gives you the dynamics of managing peers. It is not always and not only your manager, but your manager's manager is also very important in your career. It is a very important relationship that has to be maintained well without which you will not be able to raise your concerns properly and in a timely manner. It is absolutely necessary to digest this chapter to avoid our usual whining.
I am not sure if "Managing Manager' Peers" applies to everyone. Usually, it applies to slightly higher levels. So, it did not impress me a lot. Yet, I took it as a good FYI! How to manage everyone not covered so far is a good chapter. It stresses on the fact that you are not independent. If you have previously read "Seven Habits of Highly Successful People" by Stephen Covey, you will be able to appreciate how he explained moving from dependent to independent to interdependent. That’s the same thing the chapter "Managing Others" covers! And, final chapter is a must read for everyone, even if you skip other chapters - it talks about the value that you add and how you can extend your value to have a great career.
In essence, it is not really working hard that matters in any organization, but working smarter (yeah, we have all heard that multiple times)! But, it is with great examples, analogies that Mr. Rai explain this very concept that makes this book a different one and helpful one! Whether you are starting your career or midway through it, this book should stay at your desk or cube so when you feel down sometimes in your career, you know it is there to help you!
Buy from https://www.flipkart.com/faster-smart...
With eight superb chapters and overall 51 sub-chapters, he has covered everything that it takes to have a successful career. I think most of us will be able to understand the problems that we face every day. They are quite obvious - monotonous work, getting visibility, management issues, managing peers, performance management etc., I must appreciate Mr.Rai for the way that he has presented this - the problem and what can we do about it - because, many times even though the problems are quite obvious, the question we ask ourselves is "So what? I still cannot do anything about it!"
There is a famous saying that "fixing any problem must start with fixing yourself". Rai starts his book with "Managing Self" which is the very essence of this mantra. Presented in a humorous way, this start will give you momentum and set the pace for the rest of the book. The sub-chapters like "You, the brand" gives much confidence that "Yeah, I am also a victim of this, but, I can fix it!. Managers are one important topic in any organization - it is no secret. The chapter "Managing your Manager" gives an impressive overview of how if you understand your manager can help you win your career greatly. No one can exist for long in a career path alone! It is always a team work! Even when you think you are the one executing, it is always your team that completes the cycle for any product. And, if you are a manager with direct reports under you, then managing the team is of utmost importance. Without encouraging and maintaining harmony in your team and knowing what your team is really capable of, what they really want, your career as a manager will be a disaster. Chapter 3 presents this neatly.
A competition is good inside a team, but if that competition turns out to be jealous, any organization will perish. "Managing Your Peers" chapter gives you the dynamics of managing peers. It is not always and not only your manager, but your manager's manager is also very important in your career. It is a very important relationship that has to be maintained well without which you will not be able to raise your concerns properly and in a timely manner. It is absolutely necessary to digest this chapter to avoid our usual whining.
I am not sure if "Managing Manager' Peers" applies to everyone. Usually, it applies to slightly higher levels. So, it did not impress me a lot. Yet, I took it as a good FYI! How to manage everyone not covered so far is a good chapter. It stresses on the fact that you are not independent. If you have previously read "Seven Habits of Highly Successful People" by Stephen Covey, you will be able to appreciate how he explained moving from dependent to independent to interdependent. That’s the same thing the chapter "Managing Others" covers! And, final chapter is a must read for everyone, even if you skip other chapters - it talks about the value that you add and how you can extend your value to have a great career.
In essence, it is not really working hard that matters in any organization, but working smarter (yeah, we have all heard that multiple times)! But, it is with great examples, analogies that Mr. Rai explain this very concept that makes this book a different one and helpful one! Whether you are starting your career or midway through it, this book should stay at your desk or cube so when you feel down sometimes in your career, you know it is there to help you!
Buy from https://www.flipkart.com/faster-smart...
July 27, 2016
This book came to me through the Flipkart Review Program, and it came at a very appropriate time. I am at a point in my career where my thoughts often go towards issues of growth and managing relationships at work. At a point like this, getting perspectives from someone who has seen much more of these situations can be very helpful in realigning your compass. This book is pretty much a compilation of all such conversations that you can have with your seniors, mentors, well-wishers, and anyone who has good advice to offer. I mean if the book can boast a quote from Narayana Murthy on the cover, it is certainly good enough for me.
The book is structured in a way that it covers every relationship step by step. Some of the things might come across as very obvious which could put off certain readers but it is this very aspect that makes this book worth a read because it takes what should be obvious and starts adding certain insights from the writer that ultimately bring more clarity to the reader. At the same time, it does start talking about many situations that might be awkward, sometimes uncomfortable, or even to the extent of becoming too intense for the workplace. The conversation it enables offers several ways to be tactful and to somehow see one through the sticky situation.
Overall I would say that it is a pleasant read, quite necessary for someone who feels his footing isn't too strong in managing relationships, and full of strategies that I'd be happy to fall back on, over time.
The book is structured in a way that it covers every relationship step by step. Some of the things might come across as very obvious which could put off certain readers but it is this very aspect that makes this book worth a read because it takes what should be obvious and starts adding certain insights from the writer that ultimately bring more clarity to the reader. At the same time, it does start talking about many situations that might be awkward, sometimes uncomfortable, or even to the extent of becoming too intense for the workplace. The conversation it enables offers several ways to be tactful and to somehow see one through the sticky situation.
Overall I would say that it is a pleasant read, quite necessary for someone who feels his footing isn't too strong in managing relationships, and full of strategies that I'd be happy to fall back on, over time.
August 4, 2016
Utkarsh provides brilliant and practical solutions to everyday struggles of millennials working in a corporate culture through this book. Although, the work advises given aren't backed by theories or stats, it still doesn't meltdown the core focus of this book i.e. to shower corporate workers with profound wisdom.
The book presents 51 situations that most of the people in their early to mid-career stages will go through in IT industry in particular, and any other corporate worker in general. And with each situation detailed out, it presents a "What Can You Do" section as a guiding light. The simplistic and matter-of-fact approach of the book gives you enough time to read it once and ponder over it multiple times.
With his previous book: "101 Office Myths and Realities", Utkarsh had given out a causal analysis of office functioning. And with his latest book, he presents some of the most pragmatic situations and how they can be handled, across the career span.
The book presents 51 situations that most of the people in their early to mid-career stages will go through in IT industry in particular, and any other corporate worker in general. And with each situation detailed out, it presents a "What Can You Do" section as a guiding light. The simplistic and matter-of-fact approach of the book gives you enough time to read it once and ponder over it multiple times.
With his previous book: "101 Office Myths and Realities", Utkarsh had given out a causal analysis of office functioning. And with his latest book, he presents some of the most pragmatic situations and how they can be handled, across the career span.
September 16, 2016
This book helps in organizing and managing a successful career. Almost everyone who wish to rise high in their career depend on expertise on subjective matter and not on their skill. from Experts to managers, from employees to entrepreneur-it targets everyone. Though beginners who are stepping into professional world can be most benefited by the book, if implement and practice all what it talks about.
In this era of competition, we all face different professional threats. For different layers of corporate and social corpse, different challenges are faced. This book helps in overcoming issues and fighting fears. The insights given in the book helps one to excel one's career to new heights.
In this era of competition, we all face different professional threats. For different layers of corporate and social corpse, different challenges are faced. This book helps in overcoming issues and fighting fears. The insights given in the book helps one to excel one's career to new heights.
December 21, 2016
This book is like having a professional manager at your beck and call! A junior employee often has more questions, and not enough time for his / her manager to answer them all patiently. In this book, Utkarsh has poured his entire professional experience, and knowing him personally, I think it comes across as a great managerial perspective.
I would strongly recommend this book for all young professionals and a great way to benefit from the book would be to read it over time - not chapter by chapter par se, but take each of the 51 topics, maybe even randomly and mull over it, apply those ideas and retrospect and find what works for them. The book promises to be a good companion for at least a couple years in the journey of an individual contributor.
I would strongly recommend this book for all young professionals and a great way to benefit from the book would be to read it over time - not chapter by chapter par se, but take each of the 51 topics, maybe even randomly and mull over it, apply those ideas and retrospect and find what works for them. The book promises to be a good companion for at least a couple years in the journey of an individual contributor.
June 5, 2019
Utkarsh Rai must have named it as 'Pocket guide for every employee in corporate.' We all undergo a lot of pressure and difficult times in your work life. He has simplified them and written it in such a way that I could realize where I did it right and where I can make a mistake. I felt I read this book lot earlier so I could have done much better. Not too late though atleast I can be a good manager to my employees. Thank you Utkarsh Rai for this book.
May 5, 2016
Faster, Smarter, Higher: Managing Your Career.
It is a very well written book by Mr. Utkarsh Rai. It tells how one should manage his relations with others in workplace. I'll try to incorporate some tips given in this book.
It is a very well written book by Mr. Utkarsh Rai. It tells how one should manage his relations with others in workplace. I'll try to incorporate some tips given in this book.
September 15, 2016
3.5 / 5
A simple guide , nice quotes and well organized way to boost your professional growth.
A simple guide , nice quotes and well organized way to boost your professional growth.
April 14, 2017
With Hardworking, how we all need to smartly hone our skills to maintain key relationships in our professional life is all in detail mentioned in this book. Scenario and hierarchy wise author mentioned how to manage all situations.. if you are a sport and need technical insight on management handling, get this essential therapy book. Cheers !!!
November 20, 2016
Excellent Book.
I recommend this work to all working professionals since this will help them shape thier careers immensely. You cannot afford to miss it.
I recommend this work to all working professionals since this will help them shape thier careers immensely. You cannot afford to miss it.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews