Work Like Your Dog: Fifty Ways to Work Less, Play More, and Earn More - Softcover

Barber, Luke; Weinstein, Matt

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0812991990 ISBN 13: 9780812991994

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, 1999

Synopsis

Having more fun at work isn't a fantasy.
It's a smart and savvy strategy to becoming a more creative, productive, and dynamic employee.

Work Like Your Dog is an inspiring call to "come out and play" at work. Dogs seem to have endless energy and tackle tasks with enviable enthusiasm, and Matt Weinstein and Luke Barber believe that most people could take a course from their ca-nines. By learning to play more at their jobs, workers can "lick" difficult challenges, take pleasure from tasks previously dreaded, reduce their levels of stress, and recharge their creative side.
        
People spend more time working, thinking about work, and traveling to and from work than all other waking activities combined. Employees are asked to do more for less--making their work lives more exhausting and less satisfying. More hours are far from the answer; honing a sense of frolic and fun is. This book is a launching pad for fifty fun lessons about frolicking your way to success:

  Don't be afraid of being the fool. Be prepared to take risks; your new experiences may well lead to new contacts or new accounts and, if nothing else, will make you feel wonderful.
  Celebrate every success, not just your own but your coworker's new account, brilliant idea, or anniversary.
You'll help release tension, underscore positives, and keep people aware of challenges conquered.
  Use humor to solve problems. Create a swearing room, where you and coworkers vent frustrations. Use a joke to diffuse verbal abuse from a customer. Humor can help you stay focused on the most important aspects of your job and prevent the worst aspects from getting the upper hand.
  Why choose stress? Almost every situation can provoke either stress or laughter. If you choose the highway of humor, your job will be more enjoyable and you'll work more effectively.
  And many more suggestions, stories, and ideas to unleash your playful professional and keep you from barking up the wrong tree.  

Weinstein and Barber's advice comes from seminar attendees and hundreds of corporate clients, such as American Express, IBM, Federal Express, and AT&T. This book shares the wisdom from these employees and from twenty-plus years of helping people enjoy their way to success.

About this title

Review

How, exactly, does a dog work? The authors use the example of a dog who accompanies its human companion on a jog, chases a couple of squirrels, dives into a pond to cool off, then catches up with its master. Later it might roll in something like sewage or a cow pie, but despite the attendant stink, still maintains its charm and enthusiasm. And by the end of the job, the dog is right there with its favorite human. In other words, the dog has managed to get its "work" finished, while still indulging its curiosities, getting its adrenaline flowing, and even stirring up some trouble. Never mind that someone who actually worked that way would be diagnosed with ADD--the authors' point is that work works best when it's regularly infused with fun. That makes people look forward to work--the way the aforementioned dog looks forward to jogging with its human pal--rather than dreading it.

Among the 50 lessons are specific ideas about scheduling games at work, giving employees unexpected rewards, and treating employees better than customers. Even more useful, though, might be the general tips for stress reduction. For example, in chapter 35, "Learn the Wisdom of Water," you learn to react to problems as water reacts: it flows. If it gets blocked, it flows around the problem, but also gradually wears it down. If it is dammed, it eventually finds a way over, under, or through the problem. So when all else fails, the authors say, watch water flow. If you can't do that in the middle of your workday, open the company fridge and stare at a bottle of Evian. Because in absurdity often comes stress relief. --Lou Schuler

From the Back Cover

Praise for Matt Weinstein's Managing to Have Fun

"Matt Weinstein mixes business with pleasure, and you and I are the winners. I love this book and am using it in my own organization. Managing to Have Fun is good therapy and good business."
--Tom Peters, author of In Search of Excellence

"Managing to Have Fun is a fun read, but don't let its playful tone fool you. This is an important book about a serious subject, a must-read for any manager."
--Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The One Minute Manager

"I can't remember when I've had more fun reading a business book, and at the same time, I've learned things that I could put into practice the very next day."
--Jack Canfield, coauthor of Chicken Soup for the Soul

"The tools included in Matt Weinstein's book could improve human satisfaction in the workplace by huge multiples. I wish every company implemented at least half of his techniques. His philosophies and tips for fun-making thoroughly delighted me." --Laurie Beth Jones, author of Jesus CEO

Edition details

• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0812991990
• ISBN 13: 9780812991994
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 272