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How to Succeed in Business Without Working So Damn Hard

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How to Succeed in Business Without Working So Damn Hard

Rethinking the Rules, Reinventing the Game

Warner Books,

15 min read
10 take-aways
Text available

What's inside?

Relax. Stop rushing around. Get creative. It turns out that you can succeed in business and have a life at the same time. What a concept.

Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

If you still think you have to hammer yourself to get ahead, stop doing two things at once and listen to Robert J. Kriegel. The author, an expert in human performance and the psychology of change, says most people work too strenuously at a frantic pace that generates stress and reduces performance. You can perform better if you work smarter, even at 80% or 90% of your current buzz. If you’ve read human potential success books, some of this will sound familiar, but Kriegel focuses on becoming successful while having a full personal life. He quotes managers and employees, and outlines exactly what you should do. You’re on your own figuring out what a 90% effort amounts to, but if you’re a mid-level manager or executive who likes Kriegel’s idea of winning-by-easing-up, getAbstract.com recommends that you somehow find the time to read his book.

Summary

The Advantages of Working Less

Are you working too hard? Do you show the classic symptoms of overwork: never seeming to be caught up, being irritable and short tempered, having little time for friends and family, feeling guilty when you’re not working and finding it hard to relax? Unfortunately, such overwork is a sign of the times and it leads to burnout, stress and lower productivity.

Ironically, a different strategy can be just as effective: reducing your work time and giving your job a "passionate 80%," to quote a mortgage broker who did exactly that. Instead of racing to open houses, sending out mailers and phoning prospects, he visited local Chambers of Commerce, identified companies that were moving to the area, contacted the firms’ human resource directors, got lists of people being transferred and reached out to them. He reinvented the game by working smarter. Yes, working harder still works, but it’s not the only way to succeed. You can realize your dreams without living a nightmare.

Most people don’t know the advantages of working less. Conventional wisdom insists that you must be very busy and work very hard to succeed. The result of this focus on...

About the Author

Robert J. Kriegel, Ph.D., is a former coach of both Olympic and professional athletes. Kriegel is the co-author of two business books, Sacred Cows Make the Best Burgers and If It Ain’t Broke...Break It! He was a commentator for National Public Radio’s Marketplace, served as a member of the California Governor’s Council and taught in Stanford University’s Executive Management Program.

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