What do you think?
Rate this book
Super Competent: The Six Keys to Perform at Your Productive Best
To be successful in the business world and reach your full potential in life, it's not enough to be simply competent. Our modern, super-competitive world is full of opportunities for the go-getter, but to take advantage of them, it's essential to become "SuperCompetent." The SuperCompetent person is one that companies fight to get, fight to keep, nurture as team players, and see as future leaders in their business growth.
But SuperCompetence isn't something you're born with-it's something that you can learn, no matter where your strengths lie or what industry you work in. In SuperCompetent, productivity expert Laura Stack identifies the behaviors that build leadership skills, boost organizational efficiency, and blast high potential producers to the top of their fields. With Stack's Six Keys, you'll be able to consistently improve your performance, develop the confidence that will propel you forward, and achieve breakthrough results in your career.
With worksheets and quizzes that help you evaluate your performance at every stage, and invaluable resources for further information, you'll be able to integrate the Six Keys of SuperCompetence into your daily, weekly, and lifetime business practices. From the sales floor to the conference room, from board meetings to informal networking events, SuperCompetent enables you to build your focus, manage your resources, and maximize your ability to deliver at every level.
But SuperCompetence isn't something you're born with-it's something that you can learn, no matter where your strengths lie or what industry you work in. In SuperCompetent, productivity expert Laura Stack identifies the behaviors that build leadership skills, boost organizational efficiency, and blast high potential producers to the top of their fields. With Stack's Six Keys, you'll be able to consistently improve your performance, develop the confidence that will propel you forward, and achieve breakthrough results in your career.
With worksheets and quizzes that help you evaluate your performance at every stage, and invaluable resources for further information, you'll be able to integrate the Six Keys of SuperCompetence into your daily, weekly, and lifetime business practices. From the sales floor to the conference room, from board meetings to informal networking events, SuperCompetent enables you to build your focus, manage your resources, and maximize your ability to deliver at every level.
253 pages, Hardcover
First published August 9, 2010
4 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
Laura Stack
117 books27 followersLaura Stack, MBA, CSP, CPAE, is best known by her moniker “The Productivity Pro®.” Stack is an award-winning keynote speaker, bestselling author, and noted authority on sales, leadership, and team productivity. She is the President & CEO of The Productivity Pro, Inc., a boutique consulting firm helping leaders increase workplace performance in high-stress environments.
For over 30 years, Laura Stack’s keynote speeches and seminars have helped associations and Fortune 1000 corporations improve output, increase speed in execution, and save time in the office. She is a high-energy, high-content speaker, who educates, entertains, and motivates professionals to deliver bottom-line results. Stack is a member of the prestigious CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame, which has fewer than 200 members worldwide). She has earned the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation from the National Speakers Association, of which she was its president in 2011-2012.
Laura Stack is the bestselling author of nine books published by Random House, Wiley, and Berrett-Koehler, including her newest, The Dangerous Truth About Today’s Marijuana: Johnny Stack’s Life and Death Story (Freiling, July 2021). Her books have been published in more than 20 foreign editions, and she is a featured columnist for the American Business Journal, LinkedIn, Time Management, and Productive magazines. Stack has produced more than 50 online productivity training programs.
Laura Stack has been featured nationally on the CBS Early Show, CNN, NPR, Bloomberg, the New York Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur, and Forbes magazine. Stack has been a spokesperson for Fellowes, Microsoft, 3M, Skillsoft, Office Depot, Day-Timer, and Xerox. Her client list includes top Fortune 500 companies, including Starbucks, Wal-Mart, Aramark, Bank of America, GM, Wells Fargo, and Time Warner, plus government agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service, the United States Air Force Academy, the Census Bureau, the U.S. Senate, and the Department of Defense.
For over 30 years, Laura Stack’s keynote speeches and seminars have helped associations and Fortune 1000 corporations improve output, increase speed in execution, and save time in the office. She is a high-energy, high-content speaker, who educates, entertains, and motivates professionals to deliver bottom-line results. Stack is a member of the prestigious CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame, which has fewer than 200 members worldwide). She has earned the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation from the National Speakers Association, of which she was its president in 2011-2012.
Laura Stack is the bestselling author of nine books published by Random House, Wiley, and Berrett-Koehler, including her newest, The Dangerous Truth About Today’s Marijuana: Johnny Stack’s Life and Death Story (Freiling, July 2021). Her books have been published in more than 20 foreign editions, and she is a featured columnist for the American Business Journal, LinkedIn, Time Management, and Productive magazines. Stack has produced more than 50 online productivity training programs.
Laura Stack has been featured nationally on the CBS Early Show, CNN, NPR, Bloomberg, the New York Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur, and Forbes magazine. Stack has been a spokesperson for Fellowes, Microsoft, 3M, Skillsoft, Office Depot, Day-Timer, and Xerox. Her client list includes top Fortune 500 companies, including Starbucks, Wal-Mart, Aramark, Bank of America, GM, Wells Fargo, and Time Warner, plus government agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service, the United States Air Force Academy, the Census Bureau, the U.S. Senate, and the Department of Defense.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 5, 2012
The main premise of the book as Laura best describes it is summarized as: "Success will come to those who can accomplish more in less time and consistently perform at their productive best. The people who achieve their fullest potential are not simply competent; they're SuperCompetent." The book then goes on to outline the main areas that SuperCompetents excel in:
"SuperCompetent people are better in the following areas than everyone else:
Key 1: Activity - SuperCompetent people are driven by intense focus on priorities and have a clear sense of direction. Value determines priority; priority determines goals; and goals determine activities.
Key2: Availability - SuperCompetent people control their schedules, so they can make time for important activities. They know they can't be available to everyone every day, so they learn how to control their time and protect it.
Key3: Attention - SuperCompetent people are masters of focus and concentration. They develop the ability to pay attention to the task at hand and tune out distractions that aren't related to their activities.
Key 4: Accessibility - SuperCompetent people are well organized. They have systems in place to find what they want when they want it and can quickly locate the information needed to support their activities.
Key 5: Accountability - SuperCompetent people possess self-discipline and self-control. They eliminate time wasters, strive for constant improvement, and don't blame other people when things go wrong.
Key 6: Attitude - SuperCompetent people get the requisite skills and training when they lack ability. They have the motivation, drive, and can=do positivity to make things happen. They're proactive, decisive, and fast."
A very direct, practical and direct book. It includes personal assessments and action planning worksheet.
On a closing note, an organization related concept presented in this book that I found particularly helpful is:
"To effectively organize your time, you need several different types of lists. Daily to-do list. Essentially your daily plan or marching orders, this list captures everything you truly intend to get done today...A daily to-do list is the first thing you see in the morning and the last thing you see before leaving the office. It keeps you focused and on-target throughout the day. Master to-do list. This is a running list of everything you need or want to do. Think of it as your memory list; you need one for work and one for personal items. Every time you think of something you need to do, capture it on your master to-do list...A master to-do list is an ongoing list to keep track of things you might want to do someday that aren't ready to move to your daily to-do list."
"SuperCompetent people are better in the following areas than everyone else:
Key 1: Activity - SuperCompetent people are driven by intense focus on priorities and have a clear sense of direction. Value determines priority; priority determines goals; and goals determine activities.
Key2: Availability - SuperCompetent people control their schedules, so they can make time for important activities. They know they can't be available to everyone every day, so they learn how to control their time and protect it.
Key3: Attention - SuperCompetent people are masters of focus and concentration. They develop the ability to pay attention to the task at hand and tune out distractions that aren't related to their activities.
Key 4: Accessibility - SuperCompetent people are well organized. They have systems in place to find what they want when they want it and can quickly locate the information needed to support their activities.
Key 5: Accountability - SuperCompetent people possess self-discipline and self-control. They eliminate time wasters, strive for constant improvement, and don't blame other people when things go wrong.
Key 6: Attitude - SuperCompetent people get the requisite skills and training when they lack ability. They have the motivation, drive, and can=do positivity to make things happen. They're proactive, decisive, and fast."
A very direct, practical and direct book. It includes personal assessments and action planning worksheet.
On a closing note, an organization related concept presented in this book that I found particularly helpful is:
"To effectively organize your time, you need several different types of lists. Daily to-do list. Essentially your daily plan or marching orders, this list captures everything you truly intend to get done today...A daily to-do list is the first thing you see in the morning and the last thing you see before leaving the office. It keeps you focused and on-target throughout the day. Master to-do list. This is a running list of everything you need or want to do. Think of it as your memory list; you need one for work and one for personal items. Every time you think of something you need to do, capture it on your master to-do list...A master to-do list is an ongoing list to keep track of things you might want to do someday that aren't ready to move to your daily to-do list."
March 24, 2020
Regardless of your level of awareness of behaviours conducive to productivity, this book will be helpful. Some of the ideas shared in this book will definitely be groundbreaking. Nonetheless, if you are looking for a compelling read from cover to back, this is not it. It’s informative, very structured, and contains a few anecdotes that drive home certain important points. If you are looking for a read that gives you insights, this is it.
December 13, 2010
I skimmed most of this, found it to be mostly a re-hash of advice. I took the quiz at the beginning and paid most attention to the two chapters I scored low in. I liked that it was easily skimmed; however I didn't pick up a tip I could implement and that is the reason for 2 vs 3 stars.
December 30, 2014
There were only a few useful snippets. The first 4+ hours of the audio was driving me nuts as it was too much about Outlook and as a Mac user I don't use Outlook!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews