Richard Templar’s, “The Rules of Work”, is a lesson on the proper approach to getting ahead in the business world. For anyone who is wondering what it is that gets someone respect in the office, a raise, or that promotion to the top floor this book will reveal and teach how it is done. Straightforward in his approach, Templar clearly explains in words that we can all understand how to approach almost any situation and come out on top. After reading the evenly divided ten ten-lesson sections, one will be able to learn everything from walking the talk to looking after yourself to acting one step ahead to knowing and milking the system to handling the opposition. The most beneficial thing though, is that many of these lessons can be applied not only to the office, but to one’s everyday life as well. It is almost as if after reading this book, one can finally pass to real adulthood – to being someone in control of oneself and everything around you.
*To be a rules player you must be very good at whatever it is you do. Remember this as it is the basis for everything to follow. If you aren’t good at your job, get better at it or find a new one.*
Part 1 – Walk Your Talk Pretty simple title right? The basic concept everyone should already know – Don’t talk more game than you can and legitimately want to do. “Before you put your hand up to volunteer for anything, think very carefully.” (6) There is more to this though. Most importantly you should never let anyone know how hard you work. To truly walk your talk you must keep an image of never really working hard but in reality behind the scenes you are working harder than everyone in the company. To be able to achieve this you must also enjoy what you are doing, develop the right attitude, carve out a niche for yourself, know something the others don’t, underpromise and overdeliver, and never stand still. “In an ideal world the rules player will have got their work done by lunchtime, so that they
Cited: Templar, Richard. The Rules of Work: the Unspoken Truth About Getting Ahead in Business. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Edcuation, Inc, 2005