Great at Work

How to work better and achieve more

Why do some people perform better than others at work? Great at work tells us how top performers simply work in a smarter way and they reveal the seven factors that allow us to reach high performances thanks to a series of useful tips that optimise and reinvent our way of working.

Try Premium for free and continue

Read in 14 min.

Listen in 17 min.

Many useful tips to:

Those looking for an empirical method based on solid research and statistical data to improve their daily performance at work.
Those curious to know the secrets of working "super stars".
Those looking for practical advice on learning how to work less and achieve more in order to live better lives.

The author of the book:

Morten T. Hansen is a professor of management at University of California, Berkeley. With Jim Collins he co-wrote the "New York Times" bestseller Great by Choice and is the author of the acclaimed Collaboration. Previously, he was a professor at Harvard Business School and at INSEAD (France). His academic work has won numerous prestigious prizes and he has been named one of the most influential thinkers in the world by "Thinkers50". Hansen was also manager of the Boston Consulting Group. Born and raised in Norway, he now lives in San Francisco with his wife and two children.

IDEA CHIAVE 1/10

7 Factors That Determine a Smarter Way of Working.

Why do some people work better than others? This question was the basis for a five-year study, supported by an unprecedented statistical analysis , carried out on more than 5000 managers and employees chosen from a wide range of jobs, functions and sectors. The answer overturns a widespread belief that to obtain great results it is necessary to have an innate talent, a lot of luck and above all, to work harder; this research has shown, on the contrary, that top performers don’t work more, but they work smarter.

The results of the research have brought to light seven practical requirements that explain their high-level performance.

Working smarter means applying these 7 essential factors:

Select a small series of priorities and concentrate your energy on those chosen areas (narrow down and deepen the scope of the work)
Focus on creating values, not only on reaching immediate objectives (targeting).
Avoid useless repetition and focus on training your abilities (quality of learning).
Look for roles that bring together your passion and a sense of purpose (internal motivation)
Use tactics to influence others in order to obtain their support (advocacy)
Get rid of superfluous meetings and ensure that those necessary provide intense and beneficial debate (strong teamwork)
Choose intersectoral projects with care and exclude the less productive ones (disciplined collaboration).

Try Premium for free and continue