Stuff I Wish I'd Known When I Started Working

Stuff I Wish I'd Known When I Started Working

by Fergus O'Connell
Released December 2014
Publisher(s): Capstone
ISBN: 9780857085702

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Book description

Don't learn the hard way—get work advice from some of the world's most successful people, all in one place!

Work is a tricky business—the politics, the workload, the career ladder. It can take years and years of battling away and learning through mistakes to fully get to grips with the dos and don'ts. What if you could fast track that process? Cut out all those years of learning the hard way and working it out for yourself? Enter Stuff I Wish I'd Known When I Started Working, the unique guide to making work work! Fergus O'Connell has had a wonderfully varied career spanning three decades, and in this book, he will teach you the things it takes others years to figure out. You'll also find nuggets of wisdom and invaluable career advice from some of the world's most successful people—people like Oprah Winfrey, J.K. Rowling, Steve Jobs, Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos.

Whether you're new to the workforce, changing roles, or just stuck in a professional rut, this book shows you what you need to know to get ahead. By learning from the common mistakes of others, you can avoid making those mistakes yourself—and possibly skip a few rungs on the corporate ladder.

  • Quickly learn what others have taken years to work out

  • Get nuggets of work wisdom from some of the world's most successful people

  • Learn how to get more done in less time, and stimulate your creativity

  • Aim high, and get where you're going faster

    • You'll spend the majority of your waking hours at work for the majority of your life. Make it time well spent. Learn how to be more effective, more accountable, more visible, and less afraid. If you want a seat on the bullet train to success, Stuff I Wish I'd Known When I Started Working provides the tips and tools you need. Buckle up.

    Table of contents

    1. So Why Did You Write the Book, Fergus?
    2. OK, So What’s the Plan?
    3. Aiming High – The only limits are the ones you set yourself
    4. Appreciating Life – It’s about how you see things
    5. Being More Productive – Why the answer is not 16-hour days
      1. Time management
      2. Working crazy hours
      3. Do less
      4. Keep it going
    6. Bosses – What they’re like and what they like
      1. Bosses make mistakes – ‘OMG there’s a surprise’
      2. Bosses like to have their problems solved
      3. Bosses have a tendency to be delusional
      4. Bosses like long hours
    7. Commitment and Perseverance – One gets you started, the other keeps you going
      1. Commitment
      2. Perseverance
    8. Common Sense – It’s not all that common but it’s a skill you can learn
      1. 1 Many things are simple
      2. 2 Know what you’re trying to do
      3. 3 There is always a sequence of events
      4. 4 Things don’t get done if people don’t do them
      5. 5 Things rarely turn out as expected
      6. 6 Things either are or they aren’t
      7. 7 Look at things from others’ points of view
    9. Communication – You gotta keep ‘em in the loop
      1. Make sure you communicate at the beginning of the project
      2. Make sure you communicate throughout the project
      3. Make sure you communicate the right thing
    10. Creativity – It’s not just for artists
      1. Notes
    11. Decision Making – Figure out the real issue and stop faffing
      1. 1 State the issue
      2. 2 Say what the ideal solution would be
      3. 3 Identify a range of solutions
      4. 4 Pick one
    12. Email – Step away from the computer!
    13. Failure – It’s good to fail
    14. Having a Purpose – Find something you like to do and you’ll never work a day in your life
      1. Find your passion
      2. See if you can make a living from it
    15. Keeping Your Business Going – Don’t run out of money
      1. Your customers better have money
      2. Premium pricing or be expensive
      3. Bad debts and getting stung
      4. The job’s not over until the money’s in the bank
      5. If you get into trouble
    16. Making the Sale – People don’t like to be sold to – but they love to buy
      1. People don’t buy what you sell, they buy what you believe
      2. Love your customers
      3. You gotta have daily targets
    17. Managing People – How our natural tendency to manage is often the opposite of what we ought to do
      1. One size doesn’t fit everybody
      2. What we ought to do versus our natural tendency
    18. Meetings – Just because everyone else goes doesn’t mean you have to
      1. Holding effective meetings
    19. Moving Up – Show you can do what you’re aiming for
      1. Getting a raise
      2. Getting promoted
    20. Negotiation – There must be something in the deal for everyone
      1. Think win/win
      2. 50/50 is good
      3. Splitting the difference is good
      4. Giving concessions is good
      5. Thinking outside the box is good
      6. Backing people into a corner is not good
      7. Gloating isn’t either
      8. Conflict/arguments are very bad
    21. Networking – Why you should never throw away a business card
      1. Start collecting business cards
      2. Start talking to people
      3. Have an online presence
      4. Start going to events
      5. Build a list
    22. Organizations – Why they’re not actually run by senior management
    23. Presentations – You don’t need to be led by PowerPoint
    24. Projects and Getting Stuff Done – Why you’re probably being mistaken for Santa Claus
      1. What’s in a plan?
      2. And so …
    25. Reports and Reporting – Why this is your chance to save some rainforest
    26. Starting Your Own Thing – Just get out there and see if people will buy it
    27. Epilogue
    28. References
    29. Acknowledgements
    30. About the Author
    31. About ETP, Fergus’s company
    32. Also by Fergus O’Connell
    33. You Can Contact Me
    34. Advert
    35. End User License Agreement

    Product information

    • Title: Stuff I Wish I'd Known When I Started Working
    • Author(s): Fergus O'Connell
    • Release date: December 2014
    • Publisher(s): Capstone
    • ISBN: 9780857085702