Book Summary: How Top Performers Do Less, Work Better, and Achieve More: The ‘Great at Work’ Guide

The book title says it all. This book will show you how to be great at work. Let’s dive right in 🤿

👀 The Book in 3 Sentences:

1. “Great at Work” is a practical guide to achieving extraordinary results in your job.😎
2. It teaches you to focus on what really matters, master your key skills, and build strong networks. 😏
3. with these strategies, you might just become the office superstar! 😝
   
   

⏩ Quick Summary:

Ladies and gentlemen, have you ever found yourself wondering what separates the top performers in any field from the rest of us mere mortals? Well, wonder no more because I’ve got the answer for you and it’s all thanks to the book “Great at Work” by Morten Hansen. This book is basically like a road map to success, and it’s so good it should come with a GPS.😝🤤🤤

So, what’s the secret to being a top performer? FOCUS. Yes, you heard that right. Instead of trying to do a million things at once and spreading yourself thin😥, top performers focus on the 20% of tasks that will lead to 80% of the results. It’s like a Choose Your Own Adventure book for your career.

But it’s not just about focus, it’s also about “deliberate practice.” This means you have to put in the work and actively try to improve. It’s like hitting the gym for your job, except instead of bulking up your biceps, you’re bulking up your skillset.

But it’s not just about working hard, it’s also about being open to feedback and reflecting on your work. It’s like getting a report card for your job, and instead of getting detention, you get to improve and kick butt.

 

🗿 Who Should Read it:

Those of you who is still working your 9-5 or 9-6 day job lor. Really, this will help you become boss faster. Or a high performer that always get your bonus and promotions.

 

😎 How the Book Changed Me

1. Improved my work productivity and satisfaction.
2. I asked for help more from my colleague instead of doing things solo most of the time. Leverage each other babeh 😙
3. Teamwork also improved, resulting in faster project execution for clients.

 

💡 The 3 main strategies outlined in “Great at Work”:

1. 🎯 Focus on fewer things: The book emphasizes that top performers focus on fewer things, but they do them extremely well. By reducing the number of things you work on, you can improve your focus and productivity. For example, imagine you’re a chef with a long list of menu items to prepare. You might be tempted to make everything, but by focusing on a select few dishes, you can ensure that they are prepared perfectly every time. 🍲🍔

2. 🚀 Master your key skills: Hansen argues that top performers don’t just work harder, they work smarter by mastering the key skills that matter most for their job. To become great at your job, you need to identify the key skills that matter most and then deliberately practice and improve those skills over time. For example, imagine you’re a musician who wants to improve your guitar skills. Instead of practicing every song in your repertoire, focus on the chords and techniques that you struggle with the most. 🎸🎶

3. 🤝 Build strong networks: Finally, the book stresses the importance of building strong networks to achieve great results in your work. Successful people rely on the support and collaboration of others, so it’s important to seek out diverse perspectives and invest in relationships over time. For example, imagine you’re a salesperson trying to close a big deal. By networking with colleagues in different departments, you can gain valuable insights and perspectives that help you close the sale. 🤝💰

 

❤️️ My Favorite Quote from the book:

1. “Doing less, but better, is the key to achieving more.”
2. “The greats don’t practice until they get it right. They practice until they can’t get it wrong.”
3. “Work is a team sport. No one achieves anything alone.”
4. “To become great at something, you need to be able to distinguish between what is truly essential and what is not.”
5. “Top performers are not born with extraordinary abilities. They achieve extraordinary results by working differently.”
6. “Good relationships and collaboration with others are the secret sauce of successful projects.”
7. “The key to success is to be selective, to do fewer things, and to go all in on those things we choose to do.”
8. “Investing in a few people and a few projects yields more than spreading your resources thinly.”
9. “Great performers do more of what they’re good at, and less of what they’re bad at.”
10. “The essence of focus is saying no to the wrong things.”
11. Might add a few more as I revisit this book in a later time 🤪

 

💥 Conclusion

So there you have it folks. Overall, “Great at Work” provides practical strategies and advice for achieving extraordinary results in your job. By focusing on fewer things, mastering key skills, and building strong networks, you can become great at what you do and achieve your professional goals. But don’t just take my word for it, pick up a copy of “Great at Work” and see for yourself lah. It’s like a self-help book for your career, with all the cheesy affirmations replaced by actual scientific research. 

Because… the last thing we want to happen to us at work is to be scolded by Gordon Ramsey (a.k.a Bosses) as an Idiot Sandwich. 🤣