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Book Description

To be successful in the business world and reach your full potential in life, it's not enough to be simply competent. Our modern, super-competitive world is full of opportunities for the go-getter, but to take advantage of them, it's essential to become "SuperCompetent." The SuperCompetent person is one that companies fight to get, fight to keep, nurture as team players, and see as future leaders in their business growth.

But SuperCompetence isn't something you're born with-it's something that you can learn, no matter where your strengths lie or what industry you work in. In SuperCompetent, productivity expert Laura Stack identifies the behaviors that build leadership skills, boost organizational efficiency, and blast high potential producers to the top of their fields. With Stack's Six Keys, you'll be able to consistently improve your performance, develop the confidence that will propel you forward, and achieve breakthrough results in your career.

  • Activity: The value and importance you place on your tasks and priorities

  • Availability: The ability to master your schedule and protect your time

  • Attention: The capacity to focus intently and concentrate on critical activities

  • Accessibility: The skill to organize your workflow and quickly find information

  • Accountability: The extent to which you assume personal responsibility for your actions and outcomes

  • Attitude: The intensity of your motivation, drive, and proactiveness

With worksheets and quizzes that help you evaluate your performance at every stage, and invaluable resources for further information, you'll be able to integrate the Six Keys of SuperCompetence into your daily, weekly, and lifetime business practices. From the sales floor to the conference room, from board meetings to informal networking events, SuperCompetent enables you to build your focus, manage your resources, and maximize your ability to deliver at every level.

Table of Contents

  1. Copyright
  2. Acknowledgments
  3. FOREWORD
  4. Introduction
  5. THE SUPERCOMPETENT ASSESSMENT
  6. 1. SuperCompetent Key 1: Activity
    1. 1. What's It All About, Alfie?
      1. 1.1. Know What Makes You Tick
      2. 1.2. Luke, It's Your Destiny
      3. 1.3. Stay Focused on Your Mission
      4. 1.4. How Do You Know When You're Being Productive?
      5. 1.5. Do You Plan Your Day?
      6. 1.6. Do You Have Written Goals?
      7. 1.7. Grab Your Dreams by the Horns and Get Going!
    2. 2. Why the Heck Are We Doing It This Way?!?
      1. 2.1. Be a Must-Have Person
      2. 2.2. Revisit Your Objectives
      3. 2.3. Know Your Job Inside and Out
      4. 2.4. Practice Purposeful Abandonment
      5. 2.5. Specify the Appropriate Detail Level
      6. 2.6. Reevaluate Your Productivity Habits
      7. 2.7. Rattle the Cage!
    3. 3. Greater Living Through Technology
      1. 3.1. Schlimmbesserung, Anyone?
      2. 3.2. Schlimmbesserung!
      3. 3.3. Schlimmbesserung!
      4. 3.4. Where Does the Time Go?
      5. 3.5. Take Back Your Time
    4. 4. All Work and No Play Makes Jack a Dull . . . Something
      1. 4.1. Take a Break Before You Break
      2. 4.2. Guilt Starts with a G for Garbage
      3. 4.3. V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N (in the Summer Sun)
      4. 4.4. Quit Banging Your Head Against the Wall
      5. 4.5. Rest, for Goodness Sake!
    5. 5. My To-Do List Has 117 Things on It!
      1. 5.1. Eliminate To-Do List Anxiety
      2. 5.2. This Task Is Dying a Slow Death on My To-Do List
      3. 5.3. Handling Low-Priority Items
      4. 5.4. Taming the To-Do Tyranny
    6. SUMMARY: ACTIVITY
    7. ACTION PLANNING WORKSHEET: ACTIVITY
  7. 2. SuperCompetent Key 2: Availability
    1. 6. You Want It WHEN?
      1. 6.1. No Isn't a Four-Letter Word
      2. 6.2. Break Habits, Build Systems
      3. 6.3. Refuse to Let Yourself Be Overwhelmed
    2. 7. YOU! Off My Planet!
      1. 7.1. The Six Ds of Interruptions
      2. 7.2. Divert Those Diversions
    3. 8. Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better
      1. 8.1. Let Some Tasks Go
      2. 8.2. Train Someone
      3. 8.3. Know Your Limits
      4. 8.4. Gasp! You Could Be the Problem
      5. 8.5. Create Your Outsource Team
      6. 8.6. This Looks Like a Job for . . . Superman's Sidekick!
    4. 9. Savvy Scheduling Secrets
      1. 9.1. Take Control of Your Scheduling Online
      2. 9.2. Block Out Time to Work
      3. 9.3. Keep Your Calendar Up to Date
      4. 9.4. Sorry, My Schedule Is Full Until March 2139
    5. 10. Stop the Meeting Madness!
      1. 10.1. Refuse Face-to-Face Meetings When Unnecessary
      2. 10.2. Cancel Meetings
      3. 10.3. Limit Attendees
      4. 10.4. Multiply Your Hands
      5. 10.5. Avoid Meetings on Fridays
      6. 10.6. Distribute Your Agenda Early
      7. 10.7. Set Your Meeting's Length Yourself
      8. 10.8. Use Online Scheduling for Outside Parties
      9. 10.9. Allow Enough Breaks
      10. 10.10. Be Considerate of Those in Other Time Zones
      11. 10.11. Strike a Balance on Scheduling
      12. 10.12. Immediately Inform the Meeting Leader of Conflicts
      13. 10.13. Confirm Everything
      14. 10.14. Journal Your Meeting Notes
      15. 10.15. Scheduling Meetings
      16. 10.16. Develop Effective Teleconferencing Guidelines
      17. 10.17. Sorry, He's in a Meeting
    6. SUMMARY: AVAILABILITY
    7. ACTION PLANNING WORKSHEET: AVAILABILITY
  8. 3. SuperCompetent Key 3: Attention
    1. 11. Don't Open That!
      1. 11.1. Control the Reflex
      2. 11.2. Take Back Everyday Activities
      3. 11.3. Schlimmbesserung Revisited
    2. 12. eBay and Yahoo! and YouTube, Oh My!
      1. 12.1. It Starts at Home with the Television
      2. 12.2. How Now, Technogeek?
    3. 13. The Harder I Work, the Behinder I Get!
      1. 13.1. Multitasked to Overwhelmed
      2. 13.2. If You Think It, Ink It
      3. 13.3. Metacognition: Get Above It All
      4. 13.4. Stop the Self-Sabotage
    4. 14. Socializing for Success
      1. 14.1. Separate Your Business and Personal Lives
      2. 14.2. Get Into a Regular Social Media Routine
      3. 14.3. Embrace Third-Party Applications to Automate Manual Processes
      4. 14.4. Decide What You're Trying to Do
      5. 14.5. Connect, Listen, and Contribute
      6. 14.6. Back to Work, You!
    5. 15. BlackBerry/CrackBerry
      1. 15.1. No Nosing in on Family Time
      2. 15.2. Call Your Doctor Immediately If You Develop Antisocial Tendencies
      3. 15.3. Do Not Drive or Operate Heavy Machinery
      4. 15.4. Break the Addiction
    6. SUMMARY: ATTENTION
    7. ACTION PLANNING WORKSHEET: ATTENTION
  9. 4. SuperCompetent Key 4: Accessibility
    1. 16. I Know I Have a System Around Here Somewhere . . .
      1. 16.1. Paper Planners
      2. 16.2. Desktop Software
      3. 16.3. Web-Based Applications
      4. 16.4. Handheld Devices Are Tying My Hands
      5. 16.5. The Solution—a Hybrid Method!
      6. 16.6. Find a System That Works for You
    2. 17. Um, What Was I Supposed to Do Today?
      1. 17.1. Things to Do
        1. 17.1.1. Organizing Options for Daily and Master To-Do Lists
        2. 17.1.2. Organizing Options for Category Lists
      2. 17.2. Appointments and Meetings
      3. 17.3. Prime Your Productivity
    3. 18. You're the Boss, Not Your Inbox!
      1. 18.1. Best Practices for E-mail Organization
      2. 18.2. Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude
    4. 19. We Don't Need No Steenking Rolodexes!
      1. 19.1. Contact Information: What Is Your Name Again?
      2. 19.2. History: Where Were You, and What Did You Say?
      3. 19.3. Where's That Card Again . . . ?
    5. 20. On the Road Again . . .
      1. 20.1. The Plane Is My Mobile Office
      2. 20.2. Pack Efficiently
      3. 20.3. Don't Check Your Briefcase or Laptop
      4. 20.4. Have a Plan Before Your Trip
      5. 20.5. Embrace the Smart Phone (in Moderation)
      6. 20.6. Use a Jump/Thumb Drive, Just in Case
      7. 20.7. Simplify with a Docking Station
      8. 20.8. Access Your Computer Remotely
      9. 20.9. Load Up a Phone Card
      10. 20.10. Pick Up an Extra Set of Chargers and Connectors
      11. 20.11. Use the Latest Tools and Technology
      12. 20.12. Get EVDO
      13. 20.13. Get Personal Broadband
      14. 20.14. Carry a Pocket Folder or Portfolio
      15. 20.15. Finish One Trip Before Starting the Next
      16. 20.16. Spending Money Means Saving Time
      17. 20.17. Preparation Is the Key to . . . Preparedness
      18. 20.18. A Second Saved Is a Second Earned
    6. SUMMARY: ACCESSIBILITY
    7. ACTION PLANNING WORKSHEET: ACCESSIBILITY
  10. 5. SuperCompetent Key 5: Accountability
    1. 21. Accept the Credit When It's Due— and the Blame, Too
      1. 21.1. Master the Necessary Knowledge
      2. 21.2. Fine-Tune Your Behavior
      3. 21.3. Get Feedback
      4. 21.4. Hone Your Ethics
      5. 21.5. Conquer OCSMD
      6. 21.6. So . . . Are You Off Your Butt Yet?
    2. 22. The Squeaky Wheel . . . Makes Things Better
      1. 22.1. Create a Process to Simplify the Task
      2. 22.2. Complete the Task in Less Time
      3. 22.3. Focus, Focus, Focus
      4. 22.4. Don't Forget About Technology
      5. 22.5. Try to Change the Scope
      6. 22.6. Streamline Your Life
    3. 23. Crack That Whip!
      1. 23.1. Procrastination: Can We Talk About This Later?
      2. 23.2. The Early Bird Gets the Worm; the Tardy Bird Gets . . . Eaten Alive
      3. 23.3. Find a Reasonable Work-Life Balance
      4. 23.4. Working on Mundane Tasks and Not-Fun Things
      5. 23.5. Put Perfection in Its Place
      6. 23.6. Give Yourself a Deadline
      7. 23.7. Just Do It!
    4. 24. Let's Get On With It!
      1. 24.1. Successful Decision-Making Tools
      2. 24.2. Slippery Activities
      3. 24.3. Get a Move On!
    5. 25. Tweaking Time Wasters
      1. 25.1. The 80/20 Principle
      2. 25.2. The Two Pains
      3. 25.3. Keys to Productivity
      4. 25.4. Time Wasters to Watch Out For
      5. 25.5. Always Running, Always Running Behind
    6. SUMMARY: ACCOUNTABILITY
    7. ACTION PLANNING WORKSHEET: ACCOUNTABILITY
  11. 6. SuperCompetent Key 6: Attitude
    1. 26. If You Stew in Your Own Juices, You'll End Up Overcooked
      1. 26.1. Get a Grip
      2. 26.2. Give Yourself a Break from the World
      3. 26.3. Don't Worry, Be Happy
      4. 26.4. What Do You Mean I'm Not In Charge of the World?
    2. 27. Never, Ever, Ever, Ever, Ever, Ever, Ever Give In
      1. 27.1. The Qualities of Perseverance
      2. 27.2. Practice Does Make Perfect
      3. 27.3. When the Going Gets Tough . . .
    3. 28. Monkey See, Monkey Do
      1. 28.1. Unleash Your Creativity
      2. 28.2. Refuse to Accept the Status Quo
      3. 28.3. Take Calculated Risks
      4. 28.4. Resistance to Change
    4. 29. Why Can't You Just Read My Mind?
      1. 29.1. I'm Okay, You're Okay?
      2. 29.2. Dealing with Difficult Personalities
      3. 29.3. The 12 Dysfunctional Productivity Personalities
      4. 29.4. Focusing on Teamwork
      5. 29.5. Play Nice
    5. 30. Hello There, Pollyanna!
      1. 30.1. Perky Is as Perky Does
    6. SUMMARY: ATTITUDE
    7. ACTION PLANNING WORKSHEET: ATTITUDE
  12. CONCLUSION
  13. A. Popular Productivity Blogs
  14. About the Author
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