Index

• accountability, lack of, 11, 12–13
• activity logs, 55
• after-action reviews, 25, 184–188
• alignment
• about, 51–52
• with boss, 56–58
• diagonal, 67–74
• with direct reports, 17, 53, 59–61, 76
• extreme, 54–55
• knowledge sharing and, 66–67
• sideways, 67–74
• vertical, 52–53, 56–67, 75–76, 79–80
• appreciation, 177–184
• asks
• fine-tuning, 93–99
• ghosting, 96
• half-baked, 130
• identifying, 87–91
• mastering no in response to, 99–103
• mastering yes in response to, 103–107
• tuning in to, 96–99
• well-defined, 86
• attention shifting, 145–146
• attitude, 44–45
• authority
• conundrum, 48–50
• decision-making, 49, 52, 79–80
• versus influence, 16–17
• unclear lines of, 16, 74–75
• autopilot, 120–121, 122

• bad attitudes, 44–45
• badgering, 41–42
• best friends, 170–171, 172
• best practices, 114–117, 119–121, 136–137
• blamers, 44, 167–168, 169, 174
• blaming others, 42–43, 184
• boss
• alignment with, 51–53, 56–58, 76, 79–80
• communication with, 57–58, 65
• feedback from, 40–41
• going over someone’s head to, 40–41, 48, 49
• information sharing with, 66–67
• bribes, 34–36
• burn out, 15

• career changes, 132–133
• Carnegie, Dale, 184
• cause and effect, 84
• celebration, of success, 25, 177–184
• chain of command, 16, 17, 21, 24, 40–41, 48, 49, 51–52
• change, 144
• charm, as false influence, 39–40
• checklists, 118–122
• Christiansen, Dave, 193–195
• cliques, 200–202
• collaboration
• challenges of, 4–5
• cross-functional, 8–9, 123
• getting better at, 25
• goal of, 8–9
• history of, 6
• overcommitment and, 2–3
• problems with, 9–15
• reasons for increased, 7–8
• resisting, 14–15
• revolution, 6–7, 9, 48, 49, 54, 74–75
• shift to, at work, 3–9
• colleagues
• blaming, 42–43
• dependence on, 61, 64–65
• going over head of, 40–41, 48, 49
• interdependency among, 3–16, 74–75
• lack of accountability for, 11
• low-performing, 203–204
• overload from requests by, 10–11
• relationships with (see relationships)
• resolving disagreements with, 47–48
• undermining, 42–43
• commitments, 33
• communication
• with boss, 57–58, 65
• information sharing and, 66–67
• one-on-one dialogue, 55
• structured, 53, 56–61, 67–68, 164
• as tool for leadership, 75
• unstructured, 50, 68, 70–73
• complainers, 44
• complaining, 42–43, 184
• conflict resolution, 48–50
• continuous improvement, 25, 174–190
• after-action reviews and, 184–188
• celebration of success and, 177–184
• planning ahead and, 189–190
• corporate culture, 193–197, 199, 202–205
• critical feedback, 42–43
• criticism, responding to, 43
• cross-functional collaboration, 8–9, 123
• Crouse, Geoffrey, 7–8
• culture. See corporate culture
• customers
• amazing, 213–214
• high-maintenance, 73
• internal, 2, 6, 10, 123, 134, 172
• preferred, 189–190

• decision/action trees, 85
• decision-making authority, 49, 52, 79–80
• decisions
• due diligence for, 85–86
• on how to spend time, 81–82
• human factor in, 91–92
• identifying the ask and making, 87–91
• making bad, 82–84
• making better, 107
• making good, 84–85
• micro-decisions, 82–83
• opportunity costs of, 80–81, 100
• deliverables, 33
• diagonal alignment, 67–74
• diagonal relationships, 50, 53, 73–74, 76
• diagonal roles, 49
• diaries, 55
• direct reports
• alignment with, 17, 53, 59–61, 76
• building up, 216
• workloads of, 60
• See also employees
• disdain, 181
• distractions, 144–145. See also interruptions
• diversity, 202
• “do” list, 150–152, 164
• drafts, of work in progress, 54
• due diligence, 85–86, 164

• elite organizations, 197–199, 203
• email, 147–148
• email hygiene, 146–147
• employees
• providing opportunities to, 195
• recognition of, 177–184
• training of, 113
• See also direct reports
• entanglers, 108
• Enterprise Rent-A-Car, 198
• ethics, 35
• everything is my job (EIMJ), 11–12
• exclusivity, 197–198, 200–202
• expectations, setting realistic, 10
• expertise, expanding your, 113, 127–137
• experts, 62–63, 124
• extreme alignment, 54–55

• false influence
• appeals to personal rapport as, 39–40
• badgering as, 41–42
• bribes as, 34–36
• charm or flattery as, 39–40
• finger-pointing as, 42–43
• freeze-out as, 38
• going over someone’s head as, 40–41
• networking and, 208–209
• politicking as, 39–40
• quid pro quo as, 37–38
• versus real influence, 16, 18–19, 24
• rejecting, 43–46
• types of, 33–43
• feedback
• asking for, 55
• from boss, 40–41
• critical, 42–43
• finger-pointing, 42–43, 184
• flattery, 39–40
• focused attention, 149–150, 152
• follow-up process, 175–176, 184–188
• freeze-out, 38
• friendships, at work, 39–40, 170–171, 172, 177
• frustration, 11

• generosity, 45
• generous fools, 108–109
• get sh-t done (GSD), 144–145, 164
• globalization, 7
• good attitude, 45
• go-to-ism, 193–218
• cliques and, 200–202
• culture of, 193–197, 199, 202–205
• elite organizations and, 197–199
• heart of, 195–197
• infectiousness of, 206–207
• promoting, 26
• upward spiral and, 205–217
• value of, 217
• See also go-to people
• go-to people
• among low performers, 203–204
• becoming, 209–210
• building, 190, 214–217
• characteristics of, 20–22, 31–33, 196, 209–210
• developing network of, 61
• factors in success of, 22–26
• finding, 130–131, 210–214
• job aids and, 122–123
• long game played by, 30–31
• networking by, 200–202, 208–209
• promoting, 26
• real influence of, 19–22, 28–33
• go-to teams, 196–197
• gratitude, 183, 184
• gratitude list, 182–184

• hall files, 212
• helpers, 62–63
• high-leverage time investments, 162–164
• high-maintenance customers, 73
• high-potential people, 214–217
• human factor, in decision making, 91–92

• indispensable
• becoming, 19–22
• overcommitment and, 2–3
• influence
• versus authority, 16–17
• false, 16, 18–19, 24, 33–43, 208–209
• fostering real, 43–46
• of go-to people, 28–33
• interpersonal, 33
• mathematics of real, 27–46
• peddling, 18
• problems with, 16–19
• real versus false, 16, 17–19, 24
• rejecting false, 43–46
• tactics of, 33
• through serving other, 19–22
• informal communication, 50, 68, 70–73
• information sharing, 66–67
• intake memos, 98–99
• intel, 66–67
• interdependent relationships, 3–16, 74–75
• internal customers, 2, 6, 10, 123, 134, 172
• interpersonal influence, 33
• interruptions, 72–73, 143, 146, 156–157

• job aids, 116, 117–123, 137
• job expansion, 113, 127–137
• job specialization, 112–113, 124–126
• juggling tasks, 141–143, 145–149

• knowledge
• acquiring new, 134–136
• as power, 66–67
• knowledge work, 134–135

• leadership
• servant, 32
• from where you are, 74–76
• learning, in plain sight, 135–136
• lobbyists, 168–169, 174
• long game, 30–31
• low performers, 203–204

• management
• layers, 7
• top-down, 3
• managing down, 53, 59–61, 74, 76
• managing up, 53, 56–59, 74, 76
• McKinsey, 198
• meetings
• multitasking during, 147–148
• structured, 68–70
• value of, 148
• micro-decisions, 82–83
• micro-gap analysis, 161–162
• Mid-Kansas Coop (MKC), 193–195
• mindfulness, 121–122
• mindset, 112–113
• Mr. Best Friend, 170–171, 173
• Mr. Personality, 169–170, 171, 173
• multitasking, 121–122, 145–149

• Nass, Clifford, 145
• negative attitudes, 44–45
• networking, 200–202, 208–209
• no
• bad decisions and saying, 83–84
• bias for, 81
• mastering, 99–103, 104–105
• opportunity cost of, 80–81
• when to say, 24–25, 79–81, 101
• no gates, 101–103

• official recognition, of success, 178–180
• one-off errands, 131–132
• one-on-one dialogue, 55
• opportunities
• to expand repertoire, 132–133
• lost, 14–15, 100
• providing, to employees, 195
• opportunity costs, 80–81, 100, 104–105
• optimism, 45
• organization charts, 2, 4, 52, 212–213
• overcommitment syndrome, 1–26
• direct reports and, 60–61
• escaping, 15–19
• factors leading to, 9–13
• juggling tasks and, 141–143
• siege mentality and, 13–15
• as wrong commitment syndrome, 82
• overpromisers, 23, 109
• overwork, 10–13

• personal bias, 39–40
• personal rapport, 39–40, 169–173
• persuasion, 33, 45
• planning ahead, 189–190
• Ploumis, Eric, 133
• political power, 174
• politicking, 39–40, 167–169, 173, 174
• porcupine (attitude), 44
• positive attitudes, 11–12, 45
• postwork debriefing, 175–176, 184–188
• power
• of authority, 16–17
• indirect, 74
• influence and, 17, 32
• knowledge as, 66–67
• political, 174
• struggles, 48, 49
• preferred customers, 189–190
• priorities
• choosing between competing, 81–82
• setting, 23, 155, 158
• professionalization, 45, 112, 113–123
• keys to, 115–123
• power of, 114–115
• specialization and, 126
• projects, execution and completion of, 25, 141–165
• proposals, 97–98. See also asks
• pros and cons list, 84

• quid pro quo, 37–38

• RainmakerThinking, 3
• rapport building, 39–40, 169–173
• rational persuasion, 33
• real influence
• characteristics of, 29
• versus false influence, 16, 17–19, 24
• fostering, 43–46
• of go-to people, 28–33
• long game of, 30–31
• tactics of, 33
• recognition, of success, 177–184
• relationships
• building, 25, 167, 171–174
• continuous improvement in, 174–190
• diagonal, 50, 53, 73–74, 76
• friendships at work, 39–40, 170–172, 177
• interdependent, 74–75
• managing, 4–5, 23
• personal rapport and, 169–173
• planning ahead for, 189–190
• sideways, 50, 53, 67–74, 76
• workplace politics and, 167–169, 173, 174
• repeatable solutions, 115, 117, 137
• repertoire, expanding your, 113, 127–137, 138
• reputation, 30, 35
• resentment, 14
• rogues, 62–63
• role creep, 56, 106

• sales performance, 178–179
• Sandberg, Sheryl, 144
• Schwarzkopf, Norman, 35, 75
• scope creep, 56, 105–106
• SEALs, 197, 203
• selectivity, 197–198
• self-managed teams, 49, 75
• self-monitoring tools, 55
• servant leadership, 32
• shared services, 9
• sideways relationships, 50, 53, 67–74, 76
• siege mentality, 13–15
• silos, working across, 4
• specialization, 112–113, 124–126
• expanding your repertoire and, 127–129, 132–137
• working smarter and, 137–138
• standard operating procedures, 118, 119, 137
• stink bomb thrower (attitude), 44
• strategic planning, 84–85
• structured communication, 53, 56–61, 67–68, 164
• structured meetings, 68–70
• success
• celebrating, 25, 177–184
• facilitating others,’ 33
• superhero complex, 12

• talent, identifying new, 61
• tasks
• best practices for, 115–117, 119–121, 136–137
• breaking into chunks, 158–162
• execution and completion of, 141–165
• focused attention on, 149–150, 152
• fruitless, 129–130
• juggling, 141–143, 145–149
• one-off errands, 131–132
• similar to your specialty, 132
• time-motion studies of, 160–161
• wrong person for, 130–131
• teams
• go-to, 196–197
• self-managed, 49, 75
• teamwork, 7
• technical experts, 20–21
• technology, 7
• thank-yous, 177–184
• time logs, 153–155
• time management, 25, 81–82, 149–164
• chunks of work and, 158–162
• “do” list for, 150–152, 164
• high-leverage time and, 162–164
• taking control and, 156–159, 163–164
• time logs for, 153–155
• time-motion studies, 160–161
• to-do lists, 143, 150–152
• top-down management, 3
• training, 113
• troubleshooting, 45
• Trout, Mary, 144

• undermining others, 42–43
• unofficial recognition, 180–181
• unstructured communication, 50, 68, 70–73
• upward spiral, of go-to-ism, 205–217
• US armed forces, 179–180, 185, 197–198

• value, adding, to others, 19–22, 24, 29–32
• vertical alignment, 52–53, 56–67, 75–76, 79–80

• Wagner, Anthony, 145
• Walt Disney World, 193–194
• wild-goose chases, 129–130
• Wolf, Lisa, 27–32
• working smart, 25, 111–139, 164
• expanding your repertoire and, 127–138
• mindset for, 112–113
• professionalization and, 113–123
• specialization and, 112–113, 124–126, 137–138
• workplace
• challenges in, 3–5
• interactions, 5–6
• politics, 39–40, 167–169, 173, 174
• work relationships. See relationships
• work samples, 54

• yes
• action plan for, 106–107
• backlash of sloppy, 104–106
• bad decisions and saying, 83–84
• knowing how to say, 24–25, 79–81
• mastering, 103–107
• opportunity cost of, 80–81
• power of, 81
• yes people, 108–109