Author: Morten T. Hansen
Short Summary |
Great At Work (2018) looks at the key ingredients of success, including focus, determination, and resilience. The book also provides practical advice on how to manage your time and energy, set priorities, and stay motivated. This is a valuable resource for anyone who wants to achieve excellence in their career while maintaining a healthy and balanced life. |

Detailed Summary
Great At Work book is a comprehensive guide to improving performance in the workplace. By studying the habits of high-performing individuals, Hansen has identified seven key strategies that can help anyone achieve better results. These strategies are based on hard work, quality over quantity, and continuous learning. They also emphasize the importance of finding a role that suits one’s abilities and interests, working together with others, and being selective about which team meetings to attend.
Hansen’s seven key points are incredibly important for anyone looking to improve their performance at work. By focusing on a small set of priorities and working hard to produce high-quality results, individuals can avoid making the same mistakes over and over again. Additionally, it is crucial to find roles in the workplace that match one’s abilities and interests. Collaborating with others can be beneficial as long as the projects are productive. Finally, holding too many team meetings can hinder productivity, so only schedule them if they are necessary.
Hansen’s research has shown that these seven points are integral to achieving success in any field. By following these guidelines, employees can increase their chances of success in the workplace.
Great At Work Key Points
Working too hard can lead to burnout, which can sabotage your efforts
Working hard is important, but so is taking care of yourself. Make sure to schedule time for breaks, vacations, and self-care. This will help you avoid burnout and maintain a healthy work-life balance. Success also means setting realistic goals and expectations. Don’t try to do too much at once or take on more than you can handle. Start small and build up gradually. This way you’ll be more likely to achieve your goals and feel good about your accomplishments.
In today’s society, success is often seen as a direct result of working hard and putting in long hours. There’s more to success than working around the clock and sacrificing your health in the process. Studies have shown that working long hours is counterproductive – it leads to decreased productivity and increased errors. So if you want to be successful, focus on working smarter, not harder. Find ways to streamline your processes and make time for breaks. Your mind and body will thank you for it in the long run.
However, this isn’t always the case. While it’s important to put in the effort to achieve goals, working oneself to the point of exhaustion is not necessary – and can be counter-productive. Several successful people have achieved their goals without burning themselves out. They focus on quality over quantity and prioritize their well-being. As a result, they’re able to maintain a healthy balance between their personal and professional lives. If you want to be successful, don’t feel like you need to work yourself into the ground. Instead, focus on taking care of yourself and doing your best. You may be surprised at how far that takes you.
When you love what you do, it shows in your work
When it comes to working, we often hear that we should do what we love. But what if what we love doesn’t fit into the traditional 9-5? For many of us, following our passion means going against the grain and doing things differently.
To lead a happy and fulfilling life, you must find work that you love and feel passionate about. Even if this means making some changes to your current situation, it will be worth it in the long run. Never stop learning new things and expanding your knowledge base, as this will help you stay ahead of the curve in your chosen field. Find something you’re truly interested in and make it your purpose. Even if that means starting from scratch, don’t give up. And always continue learning; the day you stop is the day you become obsolete.
I’ve always believed that if you do what you love, the rest will follow. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that there’s more to it than that. It’s not enough to just do what you love – you have to do it with purpose. For me, that means always being open to learning new things and redesigning my work to fit my ever-changing interests. It hasn’t been easy, but it has been incredibly rewarding. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The “Fight and unite” method is a simple yet effective way to hold meetings that get something done
To be an effective leader, it is important to know when to collaborate with others and when to hold meetings. Collaborating with others is only useful if it will help you achieve your goals. When you do hold meetings, use the “fight and unite” method to be productive. This means that you should allow for healthy debate among participants but ultimately come to a consensus so that everyone is on the same page.
The “Fight and unite” method is a way of holding effective meetings in which participants only collaborate when it is useful to do so. This means that participants should not waste time discussing things that are not relevant to the task at hand, and should instead focus on finding ways to work together effectively. This method can help to ensure that meetings are productive and efficient and that all attendees feel like their time has been well spent.
First, you need to make sure everyone in the meeting is on the same page and knows what the goals are. Next, start by having a heated discussion about the topic at hand. This will help people to think about the issue and come up with creative solutions. Finally, once everyone has had their say, it’s time to come together and find a compromise that everyone can live with.
Great At Work Quotes
“what a person should work on (job design); how the person should improve over time (learning); why a person should exert effort (motivation); and with whom a person should interact at work (relation).” –Morten T. Hansen
“To work smart means to maximize the value of your work by selecting a few activities and applying intense targeted effort.” –Morten T. Hansen,
Great At Work Quotes Review
The book Great At Work is divided into seven sections, each discussing a different finding from Hansen’s research. I like how he begins each section with stories of successful people who embody the finding, making the concepts more relatable and easier to grasp. Highly Recommended.
To whom I would recommend the Great At Work Summary?
- Anyone who wants to be great at work.
- If you are looking for a way to improve your work performance.
- Anyone who wants to be more productive at work.
