Invaluable Lib/E: The Secret to Becoming Irreplaceable

by Dave Crenshaw

A business fable for anyone feeling overwhelmed, underpaid, and frustrated in their job From the author of The Myth of Multitasking comes Invaluable, a business fable that empowers the frustrated and overworked to understand the value of their time. At the fictitious company GreenGarb, twenty-something Jason is discontent in his entry-level position, feeling his skills and knowledge are being underutilized; mid-level manager Tracy is overwhelmed by her own workload and needy direct reports; and CEO Helen needs them to sort it out productively. Jason's grandfather Charlie plants the seed of a new perspective in Jason before he can get a raise, he must prove he deserves the raise. He must establish the value of his time, rather than expecting to be paid what he thinks he is worth. Time management consultant Phil helps them determine how they spend their time, and what it costs, with easy-to-follow worksheets that map what their actions and time are worth. The Myth of Multitasking taught readers how to take control of their time. Invaluable shows readers how to increase the value of the time they do spend working.

Genres: Business, Self Help, Leadership, Nonfiction, Personal Development

Audio CD

First published March 30, 2010

About the author

Dave Crenshaw develops productive leaders in Fortune 500 companies, universities, and organizations of every size. He has appeared in Time magazine, USA Today, FastCompany, and the BBC News. His courses on LinkedIn Learning have been viewed tens of millions of times. His five books have been published in eight languages, the most popular of which is The Myth of Multitasking, a time management bestseller. As an author, speaker, and online instructor, Dave has transformed the lives and careers of hundreds of thousands around the world.

For more information, visit
DaveCrenshaw.com

Reviews

[Todd Handy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Dave's other books have "spoken" to me- not only from a business standpoint, but personal, as well. In this book Dave focuses on how we can all make ourselves "irreplaceable". I am always trying to surround myself with people smarter, better and stronger than me. But, I also need to make myself the best I can be, and focus on the items that I do well, while allowing others to do what they do well (and what I do poorly).

One thing I like most about Dave's books are his worksheets. They allow a visual representation of the principle he's teaching, but also allow me to implement the same thinking and process in my own life.

[Michele Mchenry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good takeaways but doesn’t discuss how to apply these tools in a situation that isn’t perfect. Like, if you can’t delegate your “LVAs” (least valuable activities) and if you don’t have a supervisor and a CEO to sit with down with you and get you a career coach. The author didn’t address, I feel, how to become invaluable on your own. That is what I think is more of a reality than his story.

[Muhammad Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Key Learning: Do the most important things yourself, delegate / outsource low value activities to others. Try out the workbook and exercise in the Appendix

[Shawna Gonzales · Rating 1 out of 5]

I fell asleep. This one was boring and didn’t really keep my attention.

[Lydia Howe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why I read this book:

I had to read "Invaluable" for work.

What I thought about the book:

Overall I enjoyed it. It was fast and easy to get through, although I found a few of the charts to be hard to figure out. I'll probably need to read the book again in the future to get everything out of it. One of the biggest takeaways I got from the book was a repeat of something I read a couple of months ago and that is: It's not about the hours you put in, it's about the results you take away. Far too often I'm focused on the wrong thing. For instance I'll have a goal to "Work on writing for 20 hours" instead of specifics like "Edit four chapters and re-write the ending." When I focus on hours instead of results, I'm far more likely to twiddle away my time and not accomplish nearly as much.

"Invaluable" helps people figure out what is their most valuable activity and then shows them how to spend the most amount of time on that, and work with teammates to figure out how everyone can be in their sweet spot regarding their strengths. A very important concept to grasp, because in reality, not all people have talents and strengths that are created equal.

Conclusion:

There were several words I didn't appreciate and wish the author hadn't used, but other than that the book was clean.

I'm giving "Invaluable" 3 out of 5 stars, 6 out of 10 stars.

[Michele Defilippo · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was a disappointment. Ironically, the annoying "business fable" format wastes the reader's time as it attempts to help us discern the difference between the "most valuable" and "least valuable" uses of our time. I say "attempts to help us" because more than once, as the characters chit-chat, the author sets the reader up to receive a precious nugget of wisdom, and then fails to deliver. Presumably to boost the retail price, the publisher artificially expanded this book to 176 pages by using a wide type font that fits about 10 words per line and choosing a very small page size that renders the worksheets inside illegible. There may be 5 pages of useful information in this book, and it's certainly not necessary to fill out multi-column worksheets to grasp the concept. This book was the "least valuable" use of my time in recent memory.

[Netbjorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, very simple and extremely quick read, should take no more than 2 hours to study. Feels like a teaser for the other materials and training the author is selling but to me that was fine since the message is clear and presented in the easiest possible way. Useful information for anyone, not just career people.

[Alwyn Velasquez · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book but struggled with it. I somehow felt that the author was oversimplifying what could have been more direct and sensible advice and writing to fill a book length. The story methodology used to share sensible and common-sense tips and insights was not what I was looking for; it did not grip me and hold my attention.

[Brandon Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am going to a full review of this book on my blog this week at http://www.buildyoursoulpurpose.com. Make sure you drop by and check it out.

[Zalary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I generally dislike this story-based business/life lesson type of book, but the title grabbed me and the advice and worksheets within were pretty solid.

[Edwin Zuniga · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gross. Just tell me how to work better, don't mix in a plotline.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read with good information. Basic idea: Focus your energy on what you are good at. Sounds simple, but worth a read anyways.

[Troy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was worth the short time invested reading it.