Stuff I Wish I’d Known When I Started Working

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 fasterYou'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.

So Why Did You Write the Book, Fergus? viiOK, So What's the Plan? ixStuff I Wish I'd Known About. . .Aiming High - The only limits are the ones you set yourself 1Appreciating Life - It's about how you see things 9Being More Productive - Why the answer is not 16-hour days 15Bosses - What they're like and what they like 25Commitment and Perseverance - One gets you started, the other keeps you going 33Common Sense - It's not all that common but it's a skill you can learn 41Communication - You gotta keep 'em in the loop 49Creativity - It's not just for artists 57Decision Making - Figure out the real issue and stop faffi ng 63Email - Step away from the computer! 69Failure - It's good to fail 75Having a Purpose - Find something you like to do and you'll never work a day in your life 83Keeping Your Business Going - Don't run out of money 91Making the Sale - People don't like to be sold to - but they love to buy 97Managing People - How our natural tendency to manage is often the opposite of what we ought to do 103Meetings - Just because everyone else goes doesn't mean you have to 109Moving Up - Show you can do what you're aiming for 115Negotiation - There must be something in the deal for everyone 123Networking - Why you should never throw away a business card 129Organizations - Why they're not actually run by senior management 135Presentations - You don't need to be led by PowerPoint 143Projects and Getting Stuff Done - Why you're probably being mistaken for Santa Claus 149Reports and Reporting - Why this is your chance to save some rainforest 155Starting Your Own Thing - Just get out there and see if people will buy it 159Epilogue 167References 169Acknowledgements 173About the Author 175