
The Art of Being Indispensable at Work
Win Influence, Beat Overcommitment, and Get the Right Things Done
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $17.19
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Mike Chamberlain
-
By:
-
Bruce Tulgan
About this listen
With new technology, flatter organizations, far-flung virtual teams, and constant change, getting things done at work is tougher and more complex than ever. Managers and executives are trying harder than ever to keep up and stay effective, relying on cross-functional coordination, better planning and resource sharing, simplified processes, and speeded-up work. It's a herculean challenge, and people are struggling. Overcommitment grows and burnout looms.
But even amid the seeming chaos of the matrix organization - where you are constantly being asked to do things by people who aren't your boss - there is always that special person who seems indispensable, who seems to thrive on complexity, and who is able to stay focused and positive and get the right things done: This is the go-to person.
In this game-changing book, Bruce Tulgan reveals the secrets of the go-to person in our new world of work. Based on an intensive study of people at all levels, in all kinds of organizations, Tulgan shows how go-to people not only behave differently, but also think differently, basing their decisions and actions on their own personal influence rather than on any formal designation of authority. At the heart of the go-to person's unique credo are the basics of "the ask" and the response - a powerful reimagining of how to say yes and when to say no.
©2020 Bruce Tulgan (P)2020 Gildan MediaListeners also enjoyed...
-
It's Okay to Be the Boss
- The Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming the Manager Your Employees Need
- By: Bruce Tulgan
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 5 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this call-to-arms, consultant and speaker Bruce Tulgan puts his finger on biggest problem in corporate America: No one wants to be the boss. Making a clear distinction between managers who interfere with the work at hand and managers who are simply afraid to take charge by setting clear goals and evaluating work, Tulgan opens eyes to the undisciplined workplace that is frustrating workers at every level. Giving a clear eight-step path to becoming a strong manager, Tulgan will empower anyone to be the best bosses they can be.
-
-
Under v Micro Manage a worthwhile distinction
- By Lloyd on 10-01-24
By: Bruce Tulgan
-
It's Okay to Manage Your Boss
- The Step-by-Step Program for Making the Best of Your Most Important Relationship at Work
- By: Bruce Tulgan
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this follow-up to the best-selling It's Okay to Be the Boss, Bruce Tulgan argues that as managers demand more and more from their employees, they are also providing them with less guidance than ever before. Since the number-one factor in employee success is the relationship between employees and their immediate managers, employees need to take greater responsibility for getting the most out of that relationship.
By: Bruce Tulgan
-
The 27 Challenges Managers Face
- Step-by-Step Solutions to (Nearly) All of Your Management Problems
- By: Bruce Tulgan
- Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell
- Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For more than 20 years, management expert Bruce Tulgan has been asking, "What are the most difficult challenges you face when it comes to managing people?" Regardless of industry or job title, managers cite the same core issues - 27 recurring challenges: the superstar whom the manager is afraid of losing, the slacker whom the manager cannot figure out how to motivate, the one with an attitude problem, and the two who cannot get along, to name just a few.
-
-
Not bad, not awesome
- By Dr. Columbo on 02-19-22
By: Bruce Tulgan
-
What Got You Here Won't Get You There
- How Successful People Become Even More Successful
- By: Marshall Goldsmith, Mark Reiter
- Narrated by: Marc Cashman
- Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What's holding you back? Marshall Goldsmith is an expert at helping global leaders overcome their (sometimes unconscious) annoying habits and attaining a higher level of success. His one-on-one coaching comes with a six-figure price tag. But with this audiobook, you'll get Marshall's great advice without the hefty fee!
-
-
Good book, but didn't lend to the audio format
- By Carla on 03-21-11
By: Marshall Goldsmith, and others
-
Not Everyone Gets a Trophy
- How to Manage the Millennials, Revised and Updated
- By: Bruce Tulgan
- Narrated by: Tim Andres Pabon
- Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Not Everyone Gets a Trophy: How to Manage the Millennials provides employers with a workable game plan for turning millennials into the stellar workforce they have the potential to be. The culmination of over two decades of research, this book provides employers with a practical framework for engaging, developing, and retaining the new generation of employees.
-
-
Love this.
- By Debbie Johnson on 05-24-23
By: Bruce Tulgan
-
Great at Work
- How Top Performers Work Less and Achieve More
- By: Morten Hansen
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why do some people perform better at work than others? This deceptively simple question continues to confound professionals in all sectors of the workforce. Now, after a unique, five-year study of more than 5,000 managers and employees, Morten Hansen reveals the answers in his "Seven Work Smarter Practices" that can be applied by anyone looking to maximize their time and performance. Each of Hansen's seven practices is highlighted by inspiring stories from individuals in his comprehensive study.
-
-
Do less but obsess
- By A. Yoshida on 10-24-18
By: Morten Hansen
-
It's Okay to Be the Boss
- The Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming the Manager Your Employees Need
- By: Bruce Tulgan
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 5 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this call-to-arms, consultant and speaker Bruce Tulgan puts his finger on biggest problem in corporate America: No one wants to be the boss. Making a clear distinction between managers who interfere with the work at hand and managers who are simply afraid to take charge by setting clear goals and evaluating work, Tulgan opens eyes to the undisciplined workplace that is frustrating workers at every level. Giving a clear eight-step path to becoming a strong manager, Tulgan will empower anyone to be the best bosses they can be.
-
-
Under v Micro Manage a worthwhile distinction
- By Lloyd on 10-01-24
By: Bruce Tulgan
-
It's Okay to Manage Your Boss
- The Step-by-Step Program for Making the Best of Your Most Important Relationship at Work
- By: Bruce Tulgan
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this follow-up to the best-selling It's Okay to Be the Boss, Bruce Tulgan argues that as managers demand more and more from their employees, they are also providing them with less guidance than ever before. Since the number-one factor in employee success is the relationship between employees and their immediate managers, employees need to take greater responsibility for getting the most out of that relationship.
By: Bruce Tulgan
-
The 27 Challenges Managers Face
- Step-by-Step Solutions to (Nearly) All of Your Management Problems
- By: Bruce Tulgan
- Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell
- Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For more than 20 years, management expert Bruce Tulgan has been asking, "What are the most difficult challenges you face when it comes to managing people?" Regardless of industry or job title, managers cite the same core issues - 27 recurring challenges: the superstar whom the manager is afraid of losing, the slacker whom the manager cannot figure out how to motivate, the one with an attitude problem, and the two who cannot get along, to name just a few.
-
-
Not bad, not awesome
- By Dr. Columbo on 02-19-22
By: Bruce Tulgan
-
What Got You Here Won't Get You There
- How Successful People Become Even More Successful
- By: Marshall Goldsmith, Mark Reiter
- Narrated by: Marc Cashman
- Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What's holding you back? Marshall Goldsmith is an expert at helping global leaders overcome their (sometimes unconscious) annoying habits and attaining a higher level of success. His one-on-one coaching comes with a six-figure price tag. But with this audiobook, you'll get Marshall's great advice without the hefty fee!
-
-
Good book, but didn't lend to the audio format
- By Carla on 03-21-11
By: Marshall Goldsmith, and others
-
Not Everyone Gets a Trophy
- How to Manage the Millennials, Revised and Updated
- By: Bruce Tulgan
- Narrated by: Tim Andres Pabon
- Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Not Everyone Gets a Trophy: How to Manage the Millennials provides employers with a workable game plan for turning millennials into the stellar workforce they have the potential to be. The culmination of over two decades of research, this book provides employers with a practical framework for engaging, developing, and retaining the new generation of employees.
-
-
Love this.
- By Debbie Johnson on 05-24-23
By: Bruce Tulgan
-
Great at Work
- How Top Performers Work Less and Achieve More
- By: Morten Hansen
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why do some people perform better at work than others? This deceptively simple question continues to confound professionals in all sectors of the workforce. Now, after a unique, five-year study of more than 5,000 managers and employees, Morten Hansen reveals the answers in his "Seven Work Smarter Practices" that can be applied by anyone looking to maximize their time and performance. Each of Hansen's seven practices is highlighted by inspiring stories from individuals in his comprehensive study.
-
-
Do less but obsess
- By A. Yoshida on 10-24-18
By: Morten Hansen
-
Impact Players
- How to Take the Lead, Play Bigger, and Multiply Your Impact
- By: Liz Wiseman
- Narrated by: Liz Wiseman
- Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Impact Players, New York Times best-selling author and researcher Liz Wiseman reveals the secrets of these stellar professionals who play the game at a higher level. Drawing on insights from leaders at top companies, Wiseman explains what the most influential players are doing differently, how small and seemingly insignificant differences in how we think and act can make an enormous impact, and why - with a little coaching - this mindset is available to everyone who wants to contribute at their highest level.
-
-
A must read/listen
- By Tiffany on 03-30-23
By: Liz Wiseman
-
Dare to Lead
- Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts.
- By: Brené Brown
- Narrated by: Brené Brown
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Brené Brown has spent the past two decades studying the emotions and experiences that give meaning to our lives, and the past seven years working with transformative leaders and teams spanning the globe. She found that leaders in organizations ranging from small entrepreneurial startups and family-owned businesses to nonprofits, civic organizations, and Fortune 50 companies all ask the same question: How do you cultivate braver, more daring leaders, and how do you embed the value of courage in your culture? This audiobook answers this question.
-
-
Brené's Work Has Changed My Life
- By Maximus on 01-12-19
By: Brené Brown
-
The First 90 Days, Updated and Expanded
- Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter
- By: Michael Watkins
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 6 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The world’s most trusted guide for leaders in transition. Transitions are a critical time for leaders. In fact, most agree that moving into a new role is the biggest challenge a manager will face. While transitions offer a chance to start fresh and make needed changes in an organization, they also place leaders in a position of acute vulnerability. Missteps made during the crucial first three months in a new role can jeopardize or even derail your success.
-
-
Missing access to tables and charts
- By Vipul Gautam on 03-25-16
By: Michael Watkins
-
Decisive
- How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work
- By: Chip Heath, Dan Heath
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
- Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Decisive, the Heaths, based on an exhaustive study of the decision-making literature, introduce a four-step process designed to counteract these biases. Written in an engaging and compulsively listenable style, Decisive takes readers on an unforgettable journey, from a rock star’s ingenious decision-making trick to a CEO’s disastrous acquisition, to a single question that can often resolve thorny personal decisions.
-
-
Solid Wothwhile Advice - get you WRAP on
- By GH on 03-27-13
By: Chip Heath, and others
-
Leaders Eat Last
- Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't
- By: Simon Sinek
- Narrated by: Simon Sinek
- Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Too many workplaces are driven by cynicism, paranoia, and self-interest. But the best ones foster trust and cooperation because their leaders build what Sinek calls a "Circle of Safety" that separates the security inside the team from the challenges outside. Sinek illustrates his ideas with fascinating true stories that range from the military to big business, from government to investment banking.
-
-
Very Disappointed
- By Jackson F. on 10-16-20
By: Simon Sinek
-
The Fifth Discipline
- The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization
- By: Peter M. Senge
- Narrated by: Peter M. Senge
- Length: 4 hrs and 18 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Peter Senge's groundbreaking ideas on building organizations have made him a household name among corporate managers. His theories help businesses to clarify their goals, to defy the odds, to more clearly understand threats, and to recognize new opportunities. He introduces managers to a new source of competitive advantage, and offers a marvelously empowering approach to work.
-
-
Abridged books are inadequate
- By Greg on 02-26-08
By: Peter M. Senge
-
The First-Time Manager
- By: Jim McCormick, Loren B. Belker, Gary S. Topchik
- Narrated by: Nathan Girard
- Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Learn to conquer every challenge like a pro with the clear, candid advice in The First-Time Manager. For nearly four decades, this trusted guide has brought newcomers up to speed on the nitty gritty realities of managing people. The updated seventh edition delivers new information that helps you manage across generations, use online performance appraisal tools, persuade with stories, oversee remote employees, build a team dynamic, match a boss’ style, and more.
-
-
Too adversarial
- By May Rico on 09-22-21
By: Jim McCormick, and others
-
The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication
- Apply Them and Make the Most of Your Message
- By: John Maxwell
- Narrated by: John Maxwell
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John C. Maxwell has been a public speaker and motivational teacher for more than fifty years. He is one of only eight people on the planet who have been awarded Toastmaster’s Golden Gavel and been inducted into the National Speakers' Association Hall of Fame. In The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication: Apply Them and Make the Most of Your Message, he shares everything he’s learned from a lifetime of communication.
-
-
Another Maxwell classic!
- By Gibril S. Mansaray on 05-08-23
By: John Maxwell
-
The Effective Executive
- The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done
- By: Peter F. Drucker
- Narrated by: Jim Collins, Timothy Andrés Pabon
- Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For decades, Peter F. Drucker was widely regarded as "the dean of this country's business and management philosophers" ( Wall Street Journal). In this concise and brilliant work, he looks to the most influential position in management - the executive. The measure of the executive, Drucker reminds us, is the ability to "get the right things done". This usually involves doing what other people have overlooked as well as avoiding what is unproductive.
-
-
A few solid but basic ideas to keep in mind
- By Scott on 08-22-20
By: Peter F. Drucker
-
Made to Stick
- Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
- By: Chip Heath, Dan Heath
- Narrated by: Charles Kahlenberg
- Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Made to Stick, Chip and Dan Heath reveal the anatomy of ideas that stick and explain ways to make ideas stickier, such as applying the human scale principle, using the Velcro Theory of Memory, and creating curiosity gaps. Along the way, we discover that sticky messages of all kinds—from the infamous “kidney theft ring” hoax to a coach’s lessons on sportsmanship to a vision for a new product at Sony—draw their power from the same six traits.
-
-
Even Better The Second Time
- By Jeremy Devens on 09-05-09
By: Chip Heath, and others
-
Secrets to Winning at Office Politics
- How to Achieve Your Goals and Increase Your Influence at Work
- By: Marie G. McIntyre PhD
- Narrated by: Margaret Strom
- Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Whether you are a new player or a seasoned veteran, Secrets to Winning at Office Politics can help you increase your personal power without compromising your integrity or taking advantage of others. This smart, practical guide shows you how to stop wasting energy on things you can't change and start taking steps to get what you want.
-
-
Amateur.
- By Christie on 08-11-18
-
Humor, Seriously
- Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life (And How Anyone Can Harness It. Even You.)
- By: Jennifer Aaker, Naomi Bagdonas
- Narrated by: Jennifer Aaker, Naomi Bagdonas, Michael Lewis
- Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We are living through a period of unprecedented uncertainty and upheaval in both our personal and professional lives. So it should come as a surprise to exactly no one that trust, human connection, and mental well-being are all on the decline. This may seem like no laughing matter. Yet, the research shows that humor and laughter are among the most valuable tools we have at our disposal for strengthening bonds and relationships, diffusing stress and tension, boosting resilience, and performing when the stakes are high.
-
-
It gives me several good laughs, but that’s about it.
- By Annie on 05-11-21
By: Jennifer Aaker, and others
What listeners say about The Art of Being Indispensable at Work
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Colin Priest
- 07-30-20
Shallow advice
The author has ignored the reality of organisations with cronyism, office politics, and sociopaths. He seems to think that businesses are meritocracies and the only problem is you.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Edgar Aguilar
- 01-09-21
Waste of time.
The book is based in simple, classic, and common sense management ideas, some of them are just the shadow of more robust bodies of knowledge in customer service and Agile Management. I recommend reading instead Peter Drucker: The Effective Executive
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful