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1001 Ways to Take Initiative at Work
1001 WAYS to Take Initiative at Work is about managing up--about employees taking ownership of their jobs, whether it's an assistant working for a manager or a VP working for the CEO. Third in the 1001 Ways series by bestselling business writer Bob Nelson, whose 1001 Ways to Reward Employees and 1001 Ways to Energize Employees have over 900,000 copies in print, TAKE INITIATIVE is the first management book for employees. Weaving together case studies, examples, quotes, research highlights, and the author's own "Tool Box" of management techniques and exercises, this practical handbook will show every reader how to develop self-leadership, set goals, create learning opportunities, take risks, build a team, sell ideas, and work both within and outside the larger organization. Taking initiative is about a former secretary at Johnsonville Foods who originated and now runs the company's thriving mail-order business. It's about a technical writer who created Xerox's popular "webmaster" website. And it's about you. As Bob Nelson proves, employees have much more power than they think--taking initiative is how to harness that power and reap its rewards. By the bestselling author of 1001 Ways to Reward Employees and 1001 Ways to Energize Employees, with over 900,000 copies in print.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
13 people are currently reading
148 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 10, 2018
This was a book handed out to employees at the workplace, but I didn't read it immediately as my bookshelves were already bulging with books handed out to employees at the workplace. Since it doesn't seem as though the leaders ever read these things themselves (if they can read at all), most employees just file these away in the hopes they won't be quizzed on them in later performance reviews.
I probably would have done the same if it hadn't been for one of those butt-kissing co-workers who would begin each meeting with something from this book. The rest of us would look at each other and then, sigh, go try to find the volume so we could also look as though we knew what was going on. Thanks to the butt-kisser, I actually enjoyed the book and then started buying it and handing it out to my new employees. Yes, we not only become our parents, we also become our managers.
Throughout the pages there are "toolboxes" which provide some assistance, such as having the correct attitude and balance. Taking breaks, for instance, as in actually utilizing all of your piled-up vacation days and not to feel guilty about doing so. How to ask for a raise (always fun). How to be an "intrapreneur" has the following:
1. Come to work each day willing to be fired.
2. Ask for forgiveness rather than permission.
3. Do any task to make your dream, regardless of your job description.
4. Follow your intuition about people and build a team of the best.
I took #4 to heart and built the very best team on the planet. Made my life easier. Which is why I liked this book.
Book Season = Year Round (follow your bliss)
I probably would have done the same if it hadn't been for one of those butt-kissing co-workers who would begin each meeting with something from this book. The rest of us would look at each other and then, sigh, go try to find the volume so we could also look as though we knew what was going on. Thanks to the butt-kisser, I actually enjoyed the book and then started buying it and handing it out to my new employees. Yes, we not only become our parents, we also become our managers.
Throughout the pages there are "toolboxes" which provide some assistance, such as having the correct attitude and balance. Taking breaks, for instance, as in actually utilizing all of your piled-up vacation days and not to feel guilty about doing so. How to ask for a raise (always fun). How to be an "intrapreneur" has the following:
1. Come to work each day willing to be fired.
2. Ask for forgiveness rather than permission.
3. Do any task to make your dream, regardless of your job description.
4. Follow your intuition about people and build a team of the best.
I took #4 to heart and built the very best team on the planet. Made my life easier. Which is why I liked this book.
Book Season = Year Round (follow your bliss)
October 17, 2012
About Dr. Bob Nelson
Dr. Nelson is known for creative ways of motivating and rewarding his hard working employees. He has a special knowledge of understanding what can and cannot motivate a given employee. He is also an expert in employee performance, engagement, and recognition and is currently the president of Nelson Motivation Inc. Nelson Motivation Inc. is a company that is currently located in San Diego, California. Nelson and his company specialize in helping organizations improve their management skills, programs and systems. Nelson has had the opportunity to work with 80 percent of the current fortune 500 companies in America. He has also applied his skill set internationally by working in up to 6 continents during this professional career. Nelson is also a co-founder of Recognition Professional International, or RPI, which is the only professional association at the forefront of workforce recognition. The RPI works through its sole focus on recognition innovations and education as a systematic method for improvements in the work place. (http://www.recognition.org/) Nelson also had the opportunity to work with Dr. Ken Blanchard for a ten year spam during his professional career.
Dr. Nelson has sold more than 4 million copies of his books titled 1501 Ways to Reward Your Employees, The 1001 Rewards & Recognition Field book, 1001 Ways to take Initiative at Work and a few more. They have been translated into 37 different languages to broaden Nelson’s audience to over-seas. He has also had the opportunity to appear on TV shows such as 60 Minutes, and appear on the television stations such as CNN, MSNBC, CNBC and PBS to share his knowledge. His accomplishments also include being published in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Business Week.
Nelson has his MBA in organizational behavior from UC Berkley as well as his PhD in management from Claremont Graduate University in Los Angeles. His most recent project includes the website mentioned below. On this website Nelson shares previous presentations he has made on various topics surrounding Keynotes & Training to shape the motivation of current employees.
http://www.drbobnelson.com/services/k...
Major Points
The book I chose to further investigate for this project from Dr. Bob Nelson was a book titled “1001 Ways to take Initiative in the Workplace”. In this book Nelson takes some time to explain and further discus ways an employee can be proactive and take initiative throughout a routine workday.
The first major point that is discussed in the book entitled “1001 Ways to Take Initiative at Work” is becoming creative in the workplace, which I believe is important in a day to day routine. As stated in the book “You can’t make a difference without doing things differently.” A daily routine can cause an employee to become stuck in daily habits, thinking of tasks the same way and accomplishing different goals with the same mind-set. The book also discusses that an employee should work to become creative in taking initiative at work. The more creative an employee is with taking initiative the more likely it will be that their supervisor, manager or director will notice the effort being made. Nelson offers three activities that can help you be more creative brainstorming, paring it down and lateral thinking.
The purpose of brainstorming is to develop as many ideas as possible and not to critique, analyses, or discuss. This activity can create what you might think are silly ideas at the time but could spark better and innovative ideas after further discussion. Nelson also offered the activity of “Pare it down” which doesn’t mean you have to create something new, this option suggests taking a process that is already in place and adding or subtracting necessary tasks specific to your goal. Lateral thinking is a term that Nelson refers to as not always thinking of things logically. He offers that the obvious answer is not always the best option and the correct answer is not always easy to come up with. It is also suggested that the employee is proactive in doing research about a task at hand. By being proactive an employee would ideally hope that the management would notice they have “done their homework” and is proactive and enthusiastic about any given job. The more knowledge an employee has about a situation the more confidence the management will have in their ability to complete the task. Some of the information you would want to consider having is background information on the project as well as potential solutions to problems or lessons learned in the past. An employee might also want to anticipate potential risks as well as solutions to these potential problems for the project and present how they will be handles in the future. By taking initiative and gathering this information an employee will be left with priceless knowledge moving forward.
Other options for employees to show their initiative at work that are presented by Nelson are to take action and capitalize on opportunities presented to them. When opportunities arise at work Nelson offers that an employee should go above and beyond minimal expectations, help others, and take risk by being creative. The book also teaches us to always have clear goals and how to make our goals effective. Nelson suggests that the most important thing we can do is put our goals in writing so we can visualize them. By being able to visualize our goals we will be able to link our goals with ways to accomplish small tasks and long term visions as well as goals. Then finally Nelson adds not to forget to review our progress and once we accomplish our goal we should reward ourselves.
If an employee would like to advance in the company every tasks that is assigned by management should have the proper research done up front, visual goals and ways to accomplish each task. The goals as well as the due date of each goal should be taken seriously in order to show that the path to accomplish each task decided on by the group is effective. Confidence will be gained by the individual employee as well as members of any group he or she is working with.
Another way to advance in a company is by questioning. By questioning processes an employee can show that they are taking the initiative to think outside the box and continuing to try to improve current processes. One aspect of questioning that is discussed in the book is that sometimes, as uncomfortable as it is, authority is the source that needs to be questioned. Nelson makes sure to emphasize that the authority in a company should be questions in a polite manner. A good leader will have the best interest of the group in mind and if approached correctly the ideas of any proactive employee taking initiative on a task could shape the outcome of a project.
Nelson also offered five meeting “don’ts” which I thought was very useful information in the book. The five meeting “don’ts” are activities that that the leader of any group should consider before any meeting. They include:
1. Don’t not invite people that don’t need to be there
2. Don’t meet without an agenda
3. Don’t start late
4. Don’t get off subject
5. Don’t tolerate excessive interruptions
Briefly Nelson explains why each of the above mentioned “Don’ts” will affect the productivity of a meeting. If someone does not need to be there then do not invite them. This will only add confusion and unnecessary input. Always have an agenda for the meeting so that you know what you would like to accomplish. Start on time so that all participates can get started and end on time, be effective with the time for the meeting. Leadership is encouraged by Nelson to stay on subject and follow the agenda closely. Leaders are also prompted not to tolerate excessive interruptions; this will cause the meeting to get off track. Also excessive interruptions that lead to a leader getting off track will not set a good example for the bigger group.
The last big section in the book is about an employees’ career and life. Nelson suggests a healthy work / life balance for all working professionals. He also states an employee that is too career-focused will become burnt out and this is not healthy for the emotional of physical well-being of the employee. Nelson suggests that we should learn from our mistakes both in our career and personal lives. By learning from our mistakes in life and career we will be constantly increasing our value to the company and leadership. However, Nelson does add that we learn not only from our own path but also though the path and previous encounters of others. By taking initiative and looking into lessons learned by other professionals we can sometimes avoiding making the same mistakes twice and alter how we attack a given task within our career as well as our personal lives.
This book is full of great ways to take initiative at work. It really helped me to think proactively about tasks that I receive now in school which will prepare me for bigger projects I will receive in the future as a business professional. Bob Nelson is a guru of initiation and I’m happy I had the opportunity to further research him and his many writings on this subject. I plan to further research Dr. Bob Nelson’s teaching by reading some of his other books before I graduate college in an effort to become more prepared for my job when I enter the workforce.
How I would Apply These Ideas
Personally, I appreciate Nelson’s idea of thinking outside the box because I’m not a big fan of doing the same things over and over. I usually make it a point to get creative with alternative ideas. By getting creative I come to find that not only do I spark my inner thoughts, but also the thoughts of the people around me. By using the tool of brainstorming that Nelson offers I come up with many different ideas which can be very creative. I can, then, apply these creative ideas to the task at hand and provide myself with a path to accomplish a goal.
Another idea I think is important and I would like to apply is his suggestion of “doing your homework”. Personally I have the opportunity to do this in college when I am working on a group project. Before we have our first meeting I have the opportunity to research the project by looking up what exactly we will need to accomplish, what we will need to accomplish the end goal, and brainstorm ideas of how we will get all this information. My ideas can then be presented to the group as part of the agenda that was made for the meeting so that we can get started on the right foot. It will also be critical that I “do my homework” post-college when interviewing for jobs. I will need to have information about the company I am interviewing with, the person I am interviewing with as well as having answers prepared for the interviewer when asked what qualities I have to offer for the job. By having this information available I will have the opportunity to impress leadership with my initiative right away. I will also use Nelson’s advice of taking action and capitalizing on opportunities in school and also in my job. I will try and go above and beyond expectations with the projects I hand in. At work I will go above and beyond by cleaning up the weights in the gym and keeping the equipment clean as well as proactively having workouts ready for clients.
Dr. Nelson also explains how important it is to balance your career and your personal life. I will definitely use this because I want to become successful in life but I also want to have fulfillment in other aspect, such as family and fun. An employee must realize that a professional career is not the only thing that will leave an individual fulfilled. An employee should work hard at work but also appreciate time away from work with family and friends. I plan to do this by working hard and taking time to enjoy my success. Nelson also makes it a point that we understand how to lead a group, from reading this book I understand that as a leader in the workplace it would be my responsibility to listen and value all opinions of the group members.
I really enjoyed reading this book with so many great lessons. I will be able to apply the lessons to work as well as school. Dr. Nelson is an intelligent man with many great ideas. I plan on starting to use some of his advice right away. I expect my grades at school to improve through proactive research and look to get a promotion at work by the end of next semester. Through completing this project I have gained a lot of useful tips and tools for my future.
Work Sited
Nelson, Bob. 1001 Ways to Take Initiative at Work. New York: Workman, 1999. Print
Nelson, Bob, Dr. "Keynotes & Training." |Â Dr. Bob Nelson. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. .
Dr. Nelson is known for creative ways of motivating and rewarding his hard working employees. He has a special knowledge of understanding what can and cannot motivate a given employee. He is also an expert in employee performance, engagement, and recognition and is currently the president of Nelson Motivation Inc. Nelson Motivation Inc. is a company that is currently located in San Diego, California. Nelson and his company specialize in helping organizations improve their management skills, programs and systems. Nelson has had the opportunity to work with 80 percent of the current fortune 500 companies in America. He has also applied his skill set internationally by working in up to 6 continents during this professional career. Nelson is also a co-founder of Recognition Professional International, or RPI, which is the only professional association at the forefront of workforce recognition. The RPI works through its sole focus on recognition innovations and education as a systematic method for improvements in the work place. (http://www.recognition.org/) Nelson also had the opportunity to work with Dr. Ken Blanchard for a ten year spam during his professional career.
Dr. Nelson has sold more than 4 million copies of his books titled 1501 Ways to Reward Your Employees, The 1001 Rewards & Recognition Field book, 1001 Ways to take Initiative at Work and a few more. They have been translated into 37 different languages to broaden Nelson’s audience to over-seas. He has also had the opportunity to appear on TV shows such as 60 Minutes, and appear on the television stations such as CNN, MSNBC, CNBC and PBS to share his knowledge. His accomplishments also include being published in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Business Week.
Nelson has his MBA in organizational behavior from UC Berkley as well as his PhD in management from Claremont Graduate University in Los Angeles. His most recent project includes the website mentioned below. On this website Nelson shares previous presentations he has made on various topics surrounding Keynotes & Training to shape the motivation of current employees.
http://www.drbobnelson.com/services/k...
Major Points
The book I chose to further investigate for this project from Dr. Bob Nelson was a book titled “1001 Ways to take Initiative in the Workplace”. In this book Nelson takes some time to explain and further discus ways an employee can be proactive and take initiative throughout a routine workday.
The first major point that is discussed in the book entitled “1001 Ways to Take Initiative at Work” is becoming creative in the workplace, which I believe is important in a day to day routine. As stated in the book “You can’t make a difference without doing things differently.” A daily routine can cause an employee to become stuck in daily habits, thinking of tasks the same way and accomplishing different goals with the same mind-set. The book also discusses that an employee should work to become creative in taking initiative at work. The more creative an employee is with taking initiative the more likely it will be that their supervisor, manager or director will notice the effort being made. Nelson offers three activities that can help you be more creative brainstorming, paring it down and lateral thinking.
The purpose of brainstorming is to develop as many ideas as possible and not to critique, analyses, or discuss. This activity can create what you might think are silly ideas at the time but could spark better and innovative ideas after further discussion. Nelson also offered the activity of “Pare it down” which doesn’t mean you have to create something new, this option suggests taking a process that is already in place and adding or subtracting necessary tasks specific to your goal. Lateral thinking is a term that Nelson refers to as not always thinking of things logically. He offers that the obvious answer is not always the best option and the correct answer is not always easy to come up with. It is also suggested that the employee is proactive in doing research about a task at hand. By being proactive an employee would ideally hope that the management would notice they have “done their homework” and is proactive and enthusiastic about any given job. The more knowledge an employee has about a situation the more confidence the management will have in their ability to complete the task. Some of the information you would want to consider having is background information on the project as well as potential solutions to problems or lessons learned in the past. An employee might also want to anticipate potential risks as well as solutions to these potential problems for the project and present how they will be handles in the future. By taking initiative and gathering this information an employee will be left with priceless knowledge moving forward.
Other options for employees to show their initiative at work that are presented by Nelson are to take action and capitalize on opportunities presented to them. When opportunities arise at work Nelson offers that an employee should go above and beyond minimal expectations, help others, and take risk by being creative. The book also teaches us to always have clear goals and how to make our goals effective. Nelson suggests that the most important thing we can do is put our goals in writing so we can visualize them. By being able to visualize our goals we will be able to link our goals with ways to accomplish small tasks and long term visions as well as goals. Then finally Nelson adds not to forget to review our progress and once we accomplish our goal we should reward ourselves.
If an employee would like to advance in the company every tasks that is assigned by management should have the proper research done up front, visual goals and ways to accomplish each task. The goals as well as the due date of each goal should be taken seriously in order to show that the path to accomplish each task decided on by the group is effective. Confidence will be gained by the individual employee as well as members of any group he or she is working with.
Another way to advance in a company is by questioning. By questioning processes an employee can show that they are taking the initiative to think outside the box and continuing to try to improve current processes. One aspect of questioning that is discussed in the book is that sometimes, as uncomfortable as it is, authority is the source that needs to be questioned. Nelson makes sure to emphasize that the authority in a company should be questions in a polite manner. A good leader will have the best interest of the group in mind and if approached correctly the ideas of any proactive employee taking initiative on a task could shape the outcome of a project.
Nelson also offered five meeting “don’ts” which I thought was very useful information in the book. The five meeting “don’ts” are activities that that the leader of any group should consider before any meeting. They include:
1. Don’t not invite people that don’t need to be there
2. Don’t meet without an agenda
3. Don’t start late
4. Don’t get off subject
5. Don’t tolerate excessive interruptions
Briefly Nelson explains why each of the above mentioned “Don’ts” will affect the productivity of a meeting. If someone does not need to be there then do not invite them. This will only add confusion and unnecessary input. Always have an agenda for the meeting so that you know what you would like to accomplish. Start on time so that all participates can get started and end on time, be effective with the time for the meeting. Leadership is encouraged by Nelson to stay on subject and follow the agenda closely. Leaders are also prompted not to tolerate excessive interruptions; this will cause the meeting to get off track. Also excessive interruptions that lead to a leader getting off track will not set a good example for the bigger group.
The last big section in the book is about an employees’ career and life. Nelson suggests a healthy work / life balance for all working professionals. He also states an employee that is too career-focused will become burnt out and this is not healthy for the emotional of physical well-being of the employee. Nelson suggests that we should learn from our mistakes both in our career and personal lives. By learning from our mistakes in life and career we will be constantly increasing our value to the company and leadership. However, Nelson does add that we learn not only from our own path but also though the path and previous encounters of others. By taking initiative and looking into lessons learned by other professionals we can sometimes avoiding making the same mistakes twice and alter how we attack a given task within our career as well as our personal lives.
This book is full of great ways to take initiative at work. It really helped me to think proactively about tasks that I receive now in school which will prepare me for bigger projects I will receive in the future as a business professional. Bob Nelson is a guru of initiation and I’m happy I had the opportunity to further research him and his many writings on this subject. I plan to further research Dr. Bob Nelson’s teaching by reading some of his other books before I graduate college in an effort to become more prepared for my job when I enter the workforce.
How I would Apply These Ideas
Personally, I appreciate Nelson’s idea of thinking outside the box because I’m not a big fan of doing the same things over and over. I usually make it a point to get creative with alternative ideas. By getting creative I come to find that not only do I spark my inner thoughts, but also the thoughts of the people around me. By using the tool of brainstorming that Nelson offers I come up with many different ideas which can be very creative. I can, then, apply these creative ideas to the task at hand and provide myself with a path to accomplish a goal.
Another idea I think is important and I would like to apply is his suggestion of “doing your homework”. Personally I have the opportunity to do this in college when I am working on a group project. Before we have our first meeting I have the opportunity to research the project by looking up what exactly we will need to accomplish, what we will need to accomplish the end goal, and brainstorm ideas of how we will get all this information. My ideas can then be presented to the group as part of the agenda that was made for the meeting so that we can get started on the right foot. It will also be critical that I “do my homework” post-college when interviewing for jobs. I will need to have information about the company I am interviewing with, the person I am interviewing with as well as having answers prepared for the interviewer when asked what qualities I have to offer for the job. By having this information available I will have the opportunity to impress leadership with my initiative right away. I will also use Nelson’s advice of taking action and capitalizing on opportunities in school and also in my job. I will try and go above and beyond expectations with the projects I hand in. At work I will go above and beyond by cleaning up the weights in the gym and keeping the equipment clean as well as proactively having workouts ready for clients.
Dr. Nelson also explains how important it is to balance your career and your personal life. I will definitely use this because I want to become successful in life but I also want to have fulfillment in other aspect, such as family and fun. An employee must realize that a professional career is not the only thing that will leave an individual fulfilled. An employee should work hard at work but also appreciate time away from work with family and friends. I plan to do this by working hard and taking time to enjoy my success. Nelson also makes it a point that we understand how to lead a group, from reading this book I understand that as a leader in the workplace it would be my responsibility to listen and value all opinions of the group members.
I really enjoyed reading this book with so many great lessons. I will be able to apply the lessons to work as well as school. Dr. Nelson is an intelligent man with many great ideas. I plan on starting to use some of his advice right away. I expect my grades at school to improve through proactive research and look to get a promotion at work by the end of next semester. Through completing this project I have gained a lot of useful tips and tools for my future.
Work Sited
Nelson, Bob. 1001 Ways to Take Initiative at Work. New York: Workman, 1999. Print
Nelson, Bob, Dr. "Keynotes & Training." |Â Dr. Bob Nelson. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. .
January 25, 2020
Easy to read bit by bit. You also need to be a bit selective about putting the initiatives to work.
February 20, 2017
Here is what went percolating in my noggin as I read and took notes:
1 What are my long-term work goals? Be like that one successful woman at FB, be a quiet genius like Tran?
2 What are the roadblocks to achieving these goals?
a. Ed & training in I.D.
b. Lack of long-held position in field
3 What skills do i need to move ahead?
4 What are the current I.D. trends?
CISCO Specific
INITIATIVE
• I am committed to continuous learning
• PARTICIPANT vs SPECTATOR
• P=acting and taking on responsibility in during the event but also being autonomous in actions and carrying out tasks before and after it. As a participant, I improved the process and I was excited to make this contribution
• S=early in role
• Learning about Cisco’s objective. After I wanted to see how I fit in as a part of that objective, culture, and values this big picture helps me take initiative where I need to in CPS and the lateral as well as cross-functional relationships in it.
1 What are my long-term work goals? Be like that one successful woman at FB, be a quiet genius like Tran?
2 What are the roadblocks to achieving these goals?
a. Ed & training in I.D.
b. Lack of long-held position in field
3 What skills do i need to move ahead?
4 What are the current I.D. trends?
CISCO Specific
INITIATIVE
• I am committed to continuous learning
• PARTICIPANT vs SPECTATOR
• P=acting and taking on responsibility in during the event but also being autonomous in actions and carrying out tasks before and after it. As a participant, I improved the process and I was excited to make this contribution
• S=early in role
• Learning about Cisco’s objective. After I wanted to see how I fit in as a part of that objective, culture, and values this big picture helps me take initiative where I need to in CPS and the lateral as well as cross-functional relationships in it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2013
If you fancying some inspiration or want to get some additional tips and tricks into how to use your noggin, stop by this excellent read by Bob Nelson. It's a clear and concise and very readable self-help guide to initiative that uses a combination of theoretical knowledge, inspiring quotes alongside the bulk of the book that provides case studies whether others have prospered.
August 14, 2012
Very useful and based on real life experience.
March 21, 2015
Great tips to enhance your skills in leadership. it is motivating and fantastic.
March 29, 2013
A must-read book on career development.
October 4, 2018
Finns bra knep i boken men man måste läsa för mkt ointressant mellan att de bra sakerna kommer.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews