First Hired, Last Fired

by Robert M. Bramson and Susan J. Bramson

Book Overview

Based on more than twenty-five years of observing people in the workplace, as well as interviews with more than sixty bosses and coworkers of employees who were considered indispensable, the Bramsons... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0809231301
• ISBN13: 9780809231300
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill/Contemporary
• Length: 146 Pages
• Weight: 1.02 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.3" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Are You Indispensable?

"First Hired, Last Fired" is a book designed to help one make him or herself indispensable in today's professional environment, where layoffs due to mergers or downswings in the economy are far too common, and the idea of lifetime employment is the thing of the past. The first section of the book contains useful information on the qualities of mind and personal characteristics that people who are considered indispensable in the workplace appear to possess. The second section helps your measure yourself against those characteristics and plan your own program for becoming indispensable. The third section deals with helping you develop those characteristics and qualities that you feel are missing from your repertoire. I picked up this book just as I started a new job, figuring that I might as well use all the help I can get in setting off on the right foot in my new career. A natural quesiton might arise: why not just work hard, do the job you're supposed to do, meet all the deadlines, etc.? The author argues (and I agree with him) that simple hard work and dedication are no longer enough to make you indispensable. They are just the pre-requisites. After all, how many such hard-working and dedicated people do you know that are either not treated well by their employers or are let go while somebody seemingly much less deserving gets promoted? This is where this book comes in handy, as it spells out exactly which qualities will make you indispensable (and they may not be what you think!). What I also like about this book is that it's interactive. For example, it provides an opportunity to evaluate yourself on the 18 dimensions of indispensability. Having done that, you get a much clearer picture where you need to do the most work. The book also helps you prioritize your efforts, so that you do not spread yourself too thin by working on too many things at once. Then, it guides you through a series of targeted exercises and recommendations, aimed at ehnancing specific indispensability attributes. Overall, I found this book to be extremely practical and useful. Although I got my copy at the library, I've already renewed it twice and am now thinking of actually purchasing one for myself - so that I would have it handy for easy reference!

I liked this book

Successful books usually confirm what we know to be true. I felt that about this book. The authors have over twenty-five years of consulting to companies and observing people in the workplace. They know what they are talking about and it shows clearly. For this book they interviewed more than sixty bosses and coworkers of "indispensable" employees. These "first hired, last fired" people each have at least two but usually more of these six characteristics.·They see the whole system behind the problem. They don't oversimplify complex issues.·They don't stick narrowly to their own job but take responsibility for success of the whole enterprise. They act like "owners".·They are ready to interact with and help others but only in limited ways and only when needed.·They are cooperative, not competitive with others inside the company. They are relatively free from company politics, tensions and conflicts.·They have a can-do attitude.·They are adaptable to change.In the books first section-"What indispensable People Are Like"-the authors quote liberally from their interviews, painting vivid pictures of the six qualities and how individuals showed them in their daily work. The rest of the book, and its main part, guides readers in "Becoming an Indispensable Person" with many suggestions, exercises and questionnaires to help you become the kind of person others need and like to work with.But for me the book is a guide enjoying any job. Trying just a few of the suggestions should increase anyone's satisfaction with their work life. The book is down to earth and makes sense. I enjoyed it.