Time Tactics of Very Successful People by B. Eugene Griessman

Time Tactics of Very Successful People by B. Eugene Griessman (Jun 1, 1994)

Firnando Chau Review



About the Book:-
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (June 1, 1994)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0070246440
ISBN-13: 978-0070246447


From getAbstract.com

• How to get a handle on your time
• How to improve your efficiency
• How to learn to say “no.”

If B. Eugene Griessman wanted a good subtitle for this book of time-saving tactics, he could use, "Time waits for no one." He offers many common-sense pointers on how to avoid wasting your time - and how to keep others from wasting it, too. It’s eye-opening to realize and calculate the value and importance of every hour, even your leisure time. People in all walks of life - students, stay-at-home parents, business leaders, teachers, self-employed workers - can glean ideas for using time effectively from this book. If you are a procrastinator, this book will encourage you to "do it now." While some of the suggestions here may seem too simplistic to those who already employ some time-management tactics, getabstract.com recommends this book for inveterate - if inadvertent - time-wasters. You know who you are.

About the author

B. Eugene Griessman, Ph.D., is a noted author, speaker, professor, media personality, and corporation consultant. He is author and producer of the one-man play, Lincoln Live. Greissman has taught at many universities including the College of William and Mary, Auburn University, Georgia Tech, and the University of Islamabad in Pakistan. He has written six books, including the award-winning, The Achievement Factors.

Book Review © Dr. Terry J. van der Werff, CMC


We each are given 24 hours a day.  How we use them separates the successful individuals from those who are not.


Fear not!  This is not a time management system with rules to follow.  Rather, it is a collection of time tactics, practical tips that save seconds, minutes, and hours to give you extra time to invest as you please, richly illustrated with examples and vignettes from real life.  These time tactics come from Griessman's lifelong study of the behavior of highly successful people and how they allocate and use their time to achieve so much.


The tactics are ultimately based on two premises.  First, successful people have sharply focussed goals they seek to achieve.  They rank their priorities and put them in writing.  Second, they are always conscious of the value of time and invest it only where it can help them reach the goals they have set.


The chapter titles give you a flavor of the topics covered:
Get a handle on your time
Get organized
Increase your efficiency
Shortcuts
Find hidden time
Learn to focus
Pace yourself
Avoid procrastinatio
Avoid time-wasting activities
Don't let others waste your time
Enlist others to save you time
Invest time to save time
Plan ahead
Use technology that works
Balancing work, family, and social life


Not all the tactics will be equally applicable to you.  Indeed, some are even contradictory.  Pick and choose what works for you.  Here are some that have proven particularly effective for me:
* Consider your time more valuable that anyone else's.
* Set priorities.
* Ask yourself: "Will doing this help me reach some important goal in my life?"
* Schedule a specific time for each task on your to-do list, just as you would a meeting.
* Highlight and annotate what you read, for easy reference later.
* Use templates for routine correspondence and customize them appropriately.
* Have something to do while you wait.
* Ask yourself: "Is there an easier way to do this?"
* Create routines to tap into the rhythm of work.
* Don't just do it now - finish it now!
* Know when to cut your losses and stop investing your time.
* Sometimes good enough is good enough.
* Be decisive.
* Don't adopt other people's monkeys.
* Tip in advance.
* Learn to let some things go.
* Become an expert.
* Think it through, then follow through.
* Handle a piece of paper once or put it into a specific file for later action.
* Have a plan B.
* If it's not worth doing, be sure not to do it!
* Give yourself prime time.


About the Book


A new approach to time management focusing on how highly successful people get their work done without sacrificing the life they live.


This entertaining volume has what no other time management book has: insights on how to manage time from high achievers such as Malcolm Forbes, Jr., Ted Turner, Sandra Day, Dr. Johnnetta Cole, and Home Depot CEO Bernie Marcus. Dr. B. Eugene Griessman has interviewed hundreds of contemporary peak performers (and researched dozens of historical high achievers) to unearth the secrets of their success. He presents their time management tactics in short "Bites" designed to inspire today's time-starved reader whether they're over worked managers, working moms, entrepreneurs on the go, or even newly unemployed people who must suddenly learn to structure their own time.


About the Author


Dr. Gene Griessman - writer, speaker, university professor, Emmy-award winning producer - has written a gem of a book to help you be more effective and efficient.


McGraw-Hill authors represent the leading experts in their fields and are dedicated to improving the lives, careers, and interests of readers worldwide

First, Break all the Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman

Hardcover: 255 pages

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1 edition (May 5, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684852861
• ISBN-13: 978-0684852867

• 
  

Amazon.com Review

Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman expose the fallacies of standard management thinking in First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently. In seven chapters, the two consultants for the Gallup Organization debunk some dearly held notions about management, such as "treat people as you like to be treated"; "people are capable of almost anything"; and "a manager's role is diminishing in today's economy." "Great managers are revolutionaries," the authors write. "This book will take you inside the minds of these managers to explain why they have toppled conventional wisdom and reveal the new truths they have forged in its place."The authors have culled their observations from more than 80,000 interviews conducted by Gallup during the past 25 years. Quoting leaders such as basketball coach Phil Jackson, Buckingham and Coffman outline "four keys" to becoming an excellent manager: Finding the right fit for employees, focusing on strengths of employees, defining the right results, and selecting staff for talent--not just knowledge and skills. First, Break All the Rules offers specific techniques for helping people perform better on the job. For instance, the authors show ways to structure a trial period for a new worker and how to create a pay plan that rewards people for their expertise instead of how fast they climb the company ladder. "The point is to focus people toward performance," they write. "The manager is, and should be, totally responsible for this." Written in plain English and well organized, this book tells you exactly how to improve as a supervisor. --Dan Ring

From Booklist

The authors, both management consultants for the Gallup Organization, use the company's study of 80,000 managers in 400 companies to reach the conclusion that a company that lacks great frontline managers will bleed talent, no matter how attractive the compensation packages and training opportunities. With this in mind, they sought the answers to the follow-up questions: "How do great managers find, focus and keep talented employees." Using case studies, diagrams, and excerpts from interviews, Buckingham and Coffman guide us through their findings that discipline, focus, trust, and, most important, willingness to treat each employee as an individual are the overall secrets for turning talent into lasting performance. The book concludes with suggestions on how to become a great manager, including ideas for interviewing for talent, how to develop a performance management routine, and how to get the best performance from talented employees. Although this is clearly an infomercial for the Gallup Organization, it nevertheless offers thoughtful advice on the essential task of developing excellent managers. Mary Whaley

Review

Harriet Johnson Brackey Miami Herald Finally, something definitive about what makes for a great workplace. -- Review

Product Description

The greatest managers in the world seem to have little in common. They differ in sex, age, and race. They employ vastly different styles and focus on different goals. Yet despite their differences, great managers share one common trait: They do not hesitate to break virtually every rule held sacred by conventional wisdom. They do not believe that, with enough training, a person can achieve anything he sets his mind to. They do not try to help people overcome their weaknesses. They consistently disregard the golden rule. And, yes, they even play favorites. This amazing book explains why.


Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman of the Gallup Organization present the remarkable findings of their massive in-depth study of great managers across a wide variety of situations. Some were in leadership positions. Others were front-line supervisors. Some were in Fortune 500 companies; others were key players in small, entrepreneurial companies. Whatever their situations, the managers who ultimately became the focus of Gallup's research were invariably those who excelled at turning each employee's talent into performance.


In today's tight labor markets, companies compete to find and keep the best employees, using pay, benefits, promotions, and training. But these well-intentioned efforts often miss the mark. The front-line manager is the key to attracting and retaining talented employees. No matter how generous its pay or how renowned its training, the company that lacks great front-line managers will suffer. Buckingham and Coffman explain how the best managers select an employee for talent rather than for skills or experience; how they set expectations for him or her -- they define the right outcomes rather than the right steps; how they motivate people -- they build on each person's unique strengths rather than trying to fix his weaknesses; and, finally, how great managers develop people -- they find the right fit for each person, not the next rung on the ladder. And perhaps most important, this research -- which initially generated thousands of different survey questions on the subject of employee opinion -- finally produced the twelve simple questions that work to distinguish the strongest departments of a company from all the rest. This book is the first to present this essential measuring stick and to prove the link between employee opinions and productivity, profit, customer satisfaction, and the rate of turnover.
There are vital performance and career lessons here for managers at every level, and, best of all, the book shows you how to apply them to your own situation.

About the Author

Marcus Buckingham is the leader of The Gallup Organization's twenty-year effort to identify the core characteristics of great managers and great workplaces. He is also a senior lecturer in Gallup's Leadership Institute.

Entrepreneurs Are Made Not Born by Lloyd E. Shefsky

• Paperback: 205 pages
• Publisher: Glencoe/Mcgraw-Hill (June 11, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070577234
• ISBN-13: 978-0070577237

• Firnando Chau Review
• About the Author
• Lloyd E. Shefsky has served as a Director of Commtouch since October 2003. He is a Clinical Professor of Entrepreneurship and Co-Director of the Center for Family Enterprises at the Kellogg School of Management and has taught in several countries. In 1970, he founded the Chicago law firm, Shefsky & Froelich Ltd., where has been Of Counsel since 1996. Since 1981 he has represented the Government of Israel throughout the Midwestern U.S. For nearly forty years he has represented hundreds of entrepreneurs and their companies, and during the past twenty-five years, such representation has included numerous Israeli companies with U.S. operations. Mr. Shefsky authored Entrepreneurs Are Made Not Born, which was translated into five foreign languages. He received his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School, a B.S.C. from De Paul University (accounting), is a member of the Illinois and Florida Bars, and has a CPA certificate in Illinois.

From Publishers Weekly

The premise here is that anyone can learn to be an entrepreneur. Shefsky, founder of a law firm counseling start-up businesses, interviewed hundreds of entrepreneurs for this work. Citing dozens of firms, such as Federal Express, Microsoft, McDonald's, Mary Kay Cosmetics and Mrs. Fields Cookies, the author analyzes the psychology and temperament of their innovators and explains such vital factors as financing, a firm business plan, confidentiality, risk acceptance, a distinctive presence, tradition busting and choosing the right partner. Shefsky's often humorous staccato exposition is peppered with anecdotes and later leavened by more deliberate reflections on workaholism, fear of failure, rule breaking and other concepts. This is a book would-be entrepreneurs can profit from. Major ad/promo; Fortune Book Club, Business Week Book Club and Newbridge Executive Program alternates; author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Shefsky, a lawyer specializing in entrepreneurship, uses inspirational vignettes to illustrate how people can take an idea or skill and parlay it into their own business. The emphasis here is on the psychological aspects of going into business (developing self-confidence, overcoming fear of failure, etc.) and short on the how-to aspects of running a business. There is little in the way of guidance on raising money or writing a business plan, for example. Shefsky provides the stories of numerous entrepreneurs (both famous and otherwise) and shows how they overcame barriers (such as initial failure) to follow their dreams and prosper. There is a tendency to view all business failure as a precursor to later prosperity (which may not always be true), but many readers are sure to be motivated by the book's message of success. For public libraries.
M. Uri Toch, P.L. of Cincinnati & Hamilton Cty.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Imagine lawyer Shefsky as your very own cheerleader, egging you on to open a business. Don't, however, expect much in the way of practicalities from him because what he provides are chapters of wisdom and encouragement based on interviews with more than 200 entrepreneurs, from Rich Melman of Chicago's Lettuce Entertain You restaurants to the examples of Federal Express and Mrs. Fields. He literally attacks all the traditional excuses for not starting a business, advises on such psychological barriers as dealing with past failures and breaking rules, and shares sleep and diet formulas and ideas for choosing partners and business formats. Is work more fun than fun? Will you do whatever it takes? Then, for starters, peruse this zealot's easy-reading guide to controlling your destiny. Barbara Jacobs --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

Many Americans want to join the ranks of the successful entrepreneurs. They'd love to pick the brains of self-made moguls, and now they can-in this treasure chest of how-to wisdom from 200 magnates and "intrapreneurs" such as Ben Cohen (Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream), Fred Smith (Federal Express) and Debbi Field (Mrs. Field's Cookies). Going far beyond mere biography, entrepreneurial expert Lloyd E. Shefsky draws from each interviewee's experiences to develop targeted lessons in entrepreneurship. Not just for fledgling and current entrepreneurs, this fascinating book will also appeal to venture capitalists, bankers, accountants, lawyers, and everyone who must understand entrepreneurs to deal with them better.

From the Back Cover

Top praise for this unique inside look at the winning secrets of successful entrepreneurship: A great reference guide that I wish had been available when I started my business back in 1951!-Lillian Vernon, Founder and Chief Executive Officer Lillian Vernon Corporation. What a boost to the entrepreneurial spirit! After reading Entrepreneurs Are made Not Born, those who have hesitated will be inspired to make their dream a reality.-Jay Pritzker, Hyatt Hotels. Excellent book-a must read.-Peter J. Shea, CEO, Entrepreneur Magazine. Shefsky really understands entrepreneurs-Must reading for anyone who wants to be an entrepreneur, and especially for those who finance, work with, or study entrepreneurs.-Don Jacobs, Dean, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.

Table of Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
1 A Simple Way to Understand Entrepreneurship
2 Begin with a Dream
3 Dream Drawers
4 Excuses You Use Not to Be an Entrepreneur
5 Myths That Stop You
6 Fear of Failure
7 The Trap of the Attractive Track
8 Risk
9 The Entrepreneur's Work Ethic
10 Entrepreneurs Are Mavericks Who Start Stampedes
11 Rules You Gotta Break
12 Dealing with Past Failure
13 Prepare for the Opportunity
14 Drive and Energy
15 Entrepreneurs Are Leaders
16 You Have What It Takes
17 Chase the Dream - Not the Rainbow
18 When to Stop Dreaming
Index

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Product Description

Many Americans want to join the ranks of the successful entrepreneurs. They'd love to pick the brains of self-made moguls, and now they can-in this treasure chest of how-to wisdom from 200 magnates and "intrapreneurs" such as Ben Cohen (Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream), Fred Smith (Federal Express) and Debbi Field (Mrs. Field's Cookies). Going far beyond mere biography, entrepreneurial expert Lloyd E. Shefsky draws from each interviewee's experiences to develop targeted lessons in entrepreneurship. Not just for fledgling and current entrepreneurs, this fascinating book will also appeal to venture capitalists, bankers, accountants, lawyers, and everyone who must understand entrepreneurs to deal with them better.

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Chapter 2 Begin with a Dream

2.1. A Special Kind of Dream

2.2. I See It; Why Can't You?

- Point of Information - Angels and Allies

2.3. Is Your Dream Gold or Fool's Gold?

2.4. When Desire Precedes Passion

2.5. If You Don't Buy Your Dream, You Can't Sell it

- Profile - Pop: The Twilight Years of a Blue-Collar Visionary

- Point of Information - Your Backers and That Fast Shuffle: Pie on the Sly