Workplace Poker

Are You Playing the Game, or Just Getting Played?

By: Dan Rust

Narrated by: Dan Rust, Rick Adamson

A career advisor explains why many talented, hardworking people often miss out on their full career potential, revealing the tells, blind spots, secrets, and unspoken rules you need to know in order to play the game to win.

While many careers have been impacted by economic downturns, failed projects, downsizing and restructuring, or just bad bosses or bad timing, we all know of colleagues who continue to rise through every tough situation. Most assume that they have advantages that protect them - degrees from the right schools, great mentors, influential friends and family, or just better luck. But these hypersuccessful professionals have faced setbacks, too. Instead of allowing challenges to derail their rises, they've learned how to manage them better.

In Workplace Poker, Dan Rust gives you the strategies you need to accelerate your career and prevent setbacks from stalling your progress or spiraling it downward. The trick, he reveals, is to "play the game under the game" - to think more deeply and act more strategically. If you are talented, ambitious, and hardworking but feel your career just isn't accelerating as rapidly as it should or as fast as you would like it to, this book is for you. If you have been frustrated to see others (less talented, who don't work as hard as you do) achieve rapid professional progress while your career stalls out, this book is for you. If you've been annoyed by those who are successful primarily because of where they went to school, family connections, or financial resources, this book is for you.

Rust gives you the insight and skills you need to transform yourself and adapt to and survive any hurdle - to turn every adversity into advantage and every struggle into strength, including:

• Recognition of your own "blind spots" and what to do about them
• Mastering strategic and authentic self-promotion
• Enhancing your personal charm and likeability
• Achieving the high energy, both mental and physical, necessary to drive an exceptional career trajectory
• Developing an interest in "corporate anthropology" and the complex human dimensions of business
• Neutralizing the career-stalling impact of difficult or dysfunctional colleagues
• Deeply owning and learning from career missteps and failures

In his smart, funny, relatable voice, Rust shares stories of individuals who have applied these capabilities in real-world situations and provides short, focused exercises to help you think about yourself and your own career. With Workplace Poker, you'll learn how to get out of your own way and find the success you deserve.

©2016 Dan Rust (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers

Solid Advice and Good Example Stories

Where does Workplace Poker rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book is in the top 10 of the audiobooks I've listened to so far.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Workplace Poker?

The section about creating a performance portfolio and using it during annual reviews.

Have you listened to any of Dan Rust and Rick Adamson ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, I have not listened to any of Dan or Rick's other books before. I will be seeking them out though, that's for sure.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, but I was always happy when it was time to listen again. I listen on my way into work each morning and I always arrived at work with a positive attitude and ideas for building my career.

Any additional comments?

Lots of good resources on the website that are referenced in the book.

Abundant Practical Suggestions

There is so much excellent information told in an engaging and slightly humorous way. I would highly recommend this as a must read if you want to 'stack the deck in your favor' at work and life. Brilliantly written and easy to apply.

Great stuff

There is a lot of valuable information in this book, and I will certainly reread this book several times in the future, to see if there is other ideas I can start to implement.
I also enjoy the dry sense of humor, the author has.

A must read for your life

I have finished listening half of the book now. It’s the 2nd time I am listening to it, and yes, it’s that good! I bought two books for my kids. I wish I had read it when I started my journey many years ago.

I searched online and bought it when I had a major issue in my workplace, thinking I was treated unfairly. My motivation was down, and I was very angry. I had been angry for days and seemed that I couldn’t get out of that situation. After listening to this book, I realized that all of my issues in my workplace are my OWN responsibilities but nobody else’s. That realization pulled me quickly out of the trap of self-pity, and I was able to analyze the whole situation objectively instead of deal with it emotionally. I have made some positive changes and are much happier now. Now I am listening to it the 2nd time, trying to learn more from this little book that full of gems.

On another note, one of my kids texted me that this book was sooo good! Good luck for her internship.

so applicable to me!

I learned a lot about "the game" from this book. what I did not expect, but find extremely useful, were the discussion about different with cultures, and the ways in which the workplace wears us all down and practical ways to monitor and protect our different energy levels. Very reassuring!

Put to practice, the principles are sound

Again, you have to put the principles to practice for this to be effective. easy listen, with some insightful stories. Glad to have downloaded it.

This is a different kind of book.

The author really is quite the raconteur and sheds light on many of the workplace situations we deal with in our career. Different perspectives are key and understanding how to handle yourself in common circumstances at work is imperative for success. Great book and I have sent it to numerous friends.

start applying what you learn.

This book ia a gem for those looking to see their entire innerworkings of their office.

relevant, must read corporate compass

must read for today's corporate environments.
very relatable examples to help grasp the concepts seemlessly

Highly recommended

I purchased this audiobook when I found a new job and got promoted to senior/management. I wish that Buck was available in my mid20s, I think I would’ve been much further in my career today.

This book is so legit, but I’m actually writing a review for it… In fact this is the first review I’ve ever written about an audiobook here.