Great at Work: How Top Performers Do Less, Work Better, and Achieve More

To work smart means to maximize the value of your work by selecting a few activities and applying intense targeted effort.

INVITE THE OPPOSITION INTO YOUR TENT

Once you’ve gotten into the habit of asking such questions, ask some “what if” questions.

When people redesign, the key is not the degree of change they’re undertaking. Instead, it’s the magnitude of the value they can create.

Now their emotions lined up in Telford’s favor, and they supported his proposal.

Effective redesign requires that we loosen the shackles of the familiar and ask why things are the way they are, and whether there’s a better way. To make these discoveries, I recommend that you start asking some “stupid” why questions:

collaboration and communication

we should evaluate the value of our work by measuring how much others benefit from it. That’s an outside-in view,

strong positive association between experimentation and excellent performance.

This public commitment signaled a high level of trust between the leaders;