Endorsements of Fake Work

Endorsements are a way to gage the perception of a book and to get a feel for how people see its value. Following are a list of authors and business leaders and a list of international business leaders who had high praise and interesting insights into Fake Work. But first, here are some highlights:

“…People are overworked and yet are underperforming, trapped in the thick of thin things.”

Stephen M.R. Covey

“Fake Work cuts like a laser to the all-too-common practices that transform smart, well-intended people into disheartened residents of the Dilbert Zone. An organization pays a heavy price when its bright, capable people quit and leave. But it’s even more costly when bright, capable people quit and stay”

Rodger Dean Duncan

“The systemic transformation of fake work to real work is the new definition of execution.”

Mike Gillespie

Fake Work will unshackle businesses from unproductive behaviors and workplace cultures that bleed productivity and profits from their bottom line. Fake Work is more than a must read, it is an imperative to adopt the plan of action outlined in Fake Work.”

C. McClain Haddow

It is amazing that despite all the efforts and programs pulled together to improve how organizations operate, leaders and consultants in their exuberance, often overlook the most important factor; the work itself. 

Curt J. Howes

“This book is a must read for anyone who works…This will drastically change how you feel about your work and positively affect the productivity of your company in a big way.”

Stan Sinclair

“In more than fifty years in the business world, from the lofty heights of senior positions in multinational corporations, to my exposure to a wide variety of entrepreneurial ventures, this seminal work is the first time I have seen, or even heard of, any serious examination of the disconnect between effort expended and work (results) accomplished.

Leroy K. Spiers

We all want to think our work is real, important, and makes a difference. The truth is that much of it isn’t and doesn’t. The damage fake work does to our organizations is incalculable.

Craig Swenson

“The authors propose actionable cures for this silent disease of fake work that most businesses don’t recognize they have.”

Jack Zengar

This book poses interesting questions that challenge commonly used practices in the workplace and takes you through a journey to realize new heights of efficiencies. The concept cuts through culture and is truly an eye opener.”

Mohamed Farouk Hafeez

“The book unravels the numerous issues organizations face around having ‘extremely busy and hardworking’ employees who may not, in many cases, be impacting the bottom line.”

Stephen Krempl

"When I look around any organization, everyone is very busy, working very hard and staying very late to get work done.  When I look at results, somehow there is a mismatch between all the work that is being done and the results that are attained. “

Darryl Wee

Authors and Business Leaders

“Brent Peterson and Gaylan Nielson bring to light a rarely examined activity that occurs daily in many organizations: Fake Work. Fake work wastes a precious resource—the time and talent of valuable employees. The authors underscore the problem—and solution pathways—with real-life examples that are at times disturbingly familiar. Read this book and get real!”

Ken Blanchard - Coauthor of The One Minute Manager® and The One Minute Entrepreneur™

“Brent Peterson and Gaylan Nielson have delivered! Their intriguing book, Fake Work, powerfully diagnoses why most organizations and people are overworked and yet are underperforming, being trapped in the ‘thick of thin things.’ This book is filled with illuminating insight while at the same time being immensely practical and useful. Above all, it will forever change how you and your organization look at work—and better yet how real work is identified and done, and the results that follow.”

Stephen M. R. Covey - Author of the New York Times bestseller The Speed of Trust

“Fake Work cuts like a laser to the all-too-common practices that transform smart, well-intended people into disheartened residents of the Dilbert Zone. An organization pays a heavy price when its bright, capable people quit and leave. But it’s even more costly when bright, capable people quit and stay. Disengagement is a silent killer. Fake Work masterfully helps you diagnose the symptoms, spot the root causes, and put your people on the path to work that really matters.”

Rodger Dean Duncan - Author of ChangeSmarts: Engaging People’s Heads, Hearts, and Hopes

“Fake Work is an insightful exploration of the disconnects between work, employees and corporate strategy. It’s an invaluable practical approach to identifying and eliminating fake work and aligning individual behavior with organizational objectives. The systemic transformation of fake work to real work is the new definition of execution.”

Michael Gillespie - CEO, TrueNorth Academy

“Fake Work is the seminal breakthrough manifesto for every business in the global marketplace that will refocus their employees on the strategic vision and objectives of their companies. At the bottom line every business exists to generate profits, and profitable businesses expand and hire more employees. The implementation of the strategies and pathways in Fake Work will unshackle businesses from unproductive behaviors and workplace cultures that bleed productivity and profits from their bottom line, and will build a solid foundation for more successful and productive workers. It is more than a must read, it is an imperative to adopt the plan of action outlined in Fake Work.”

C. McClain Haddow - CEO, Haddow and Associates, McLean, Virginia

“Fake Work takes the reader on a comprehensive journey to the central core of what causes low productivity in companies and other organizations. With captivating narrative the authors help us see how universally debilitating the problem is and how it can be fixed. This remarkable book, backed by years of research, is a how to do it road map leading to peak performance.”

Dr. Charles R. Hobbs - President, Unified Power, LLC, and creator of the internationally acclaimed “Time Power Seminar” for Achieving High Productivity.

“Fake Work gets at the heart of what organizations are about, conducting work activities that create real value as defined by an organization’s strategies. It is amazing that despite all the efforts and programs pulled together to improve how organizations operate, leaders and consultants in their exuberance, often overlook the most important factor; the work itself. Brent and Gaylan provide a clear and easy to read text that illustrates experiences we can all relate to. More important, they provide a roadmap for how to get out of this conundrum.”

Curt J. Howes - President, OP Strategies, Inc.

"Buzzing blackberries, compulsive emailing and deadly powerpoints are indicators that your workforce may be busy doing Fake Work. Let's refocus our work on the goals and strategies that really matter. Peterson & Nielson provide a clear pathway to Real Work!"

Elliott Masie - Chair, The Learning CONSORTIUM

“This book is a must read for anyone who works. That should cover just about everyone. The concepts within theses pages will change your view of work and inspire you to channel your energy and focus on what’s really important to the strategies of your company regardless of what role you play in that company. The impact of Fake Work could eliminate time, money and energy wasters by learning how to recognize and do 'real' work. This will drastically change how you feel about your work and positively affect the productivity of your company in a big way.”

Stan Sinclair - CEO, Watkins/Sinclair, Bethesda, Maryland

“Fake Work is a seriously instructive book that illuminates the pitfalls of work that lacks authenticity. Peterson and Nielson explore the depth and breadth of a subtle yet intriguing phenomenon that plagues contemporary work-life. No one can afford to be without this book since it probes an issue central to continued productivity and success.”

Hyrum Smith - Co-Founder FranklinCovey, CEO Galileo

“In more than fifty years in the business world, from the lofty heights of senior positions in multinational corporations, to my exposure to a wide variety of entrepreneurial ventures, this seminal work is the first time I have seen, or even heard of, any serious examination of the disconnect between effort expended and work (results) accomplished. Following the paths as contained in the book should appeal to everyone in the work place, whether the work place is the home, the charitable organization, or the bread and butter enterprise. Doing so will align the person’s real work with the organization’s objectives and goals. At that point, the individual’s contribution to the bottom line will be visible, and the individual will enjoy a substantial increase in their perception of their own self worth and the satisfaction of seeing their value making a real difference. Everyone, from the entry level person through the successful moves through middle management to top management will find this book useful in guiding them to make their work real work, not ‘Fake Work’.”

Leroy K. Speirs - National Advisory Council of the Marriott School of Management, Brigham Young University

“After just a few pages Fake Work forced me to begin asking myself hard questions about my organization—and about my own work. We all want to think our work is real, important, and makes a difference. The truth is that much of it isn’t and doesn’t. The damage fake work does to our organizations is incalculable. Leaders who care passionately about both performance and people should pay close attention to this important book.”

Craig Swenson - President, Argosy University

“At a time when most management literature rehashes the same old stuff, it is refreshing to be exposed to some fresh ideas with enormous practical relevance. Better yet the authors propose actionable cures for this silent disease of fake work that most business don’t recognize they have.”

Jack Zenger - CEO of Zenger | Folkman and co-author of the best-selling The Extraordinary Leader.

International Business Leaders

"Fake Work is a culmination of a wealth of research and experience that have been utilized in identifying and addressing a problem currently endemic to global management: work that is not aligned with organizational strategies. Fake Work is an apt title for an ingenious concept. Brent Peterson and Gaylan Nielson have developed an approach that is at once practical, simple and efficient to eliminate "Fake Work" and the problems associated with it. This book is a must have for any organization.”

Tamer M. Badrawi - Executive Director, FUTURE GENERATION FOUNDATION – FGF. Cairo, Egypt

“This book poses interesting questions that challenge commonly used practices in the workplace and takes you through a journey to realize new heights of efficiencies. The concept cuts through culture and is truly an eye opener.”

Mohamed Farouk Hafeez - Sr. Vice President, HR, American Company, Cairo, Egypt

“Are you tired, unchallenged, unfocused and having no fun in your work? If you are, you are probably suffering from an overdose of fake work. Get this book and learn how to get rid of fake work – it will restore you to a life of energy and purpose. You owe it to yourself, your company and your family to get rid of fake work once and for all.”

AC Ho - Executive Consultant, Right Management -- Singapore

“Fake Work provides a different view of how to get people impacting their organizational goals and results. Using many simple but painfully true and recognizable stories, the book unravels the numerous issues organizations face around having ‘extremely busy and hardworking’ employees who may not, in many cases, be impacting the bottom line. The good news is Peterson and Nielson layout deceptively simple but effective steps to resolve this. If you are prepared to get to the root of ensuring everyone is contributing to results – then this is the way to go!”

Stephen Krempl - President, Krempl Communications International

“Fake Work is an excellent way to describe what I have seen in many organizations after more than 30 years of management consulting work. Fake Work describes situations that are common on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. I am convinced that you as a reader will be motivated to find ways to stop doing fake work and start doing real work by reading this book.”

Håkan Palm - CEO and Founder, HåBe Konsultation AB, Stockholm, Sweden

“Fake Work delivers practical and well-proven techniques to identify gaps and fill them with REAL Work. Brent and Gaylan have worked with several multinational companies in Singapore from entertainment, to research, to manufacturing firms; and all of them have found the principles of fake work to be extremely useful and are still using these principles to track real work! Master the skills of real work at work and at home, and you will have lots of time to play!”

Tan Bee Wan - PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Integrative Learning Corporation Pte. Ltd. -- Singapore

"When I look around any organization, everyone is very busy, working very hard and staying very late to get work done. When I look at results, somehow there is a mismatch between all the work that is being done and the results that are attained. The simplicity of the concepts and applications in Fake Work will help any organization move from fake work to real work, thereby having all of their resources aligned to achieving the same goals. If you are looking for something that is practical and not just hype, take the time to read and apply these concepts."

Darryl Wee - Chief Commercial Officer, Nestronics Ltd., Singapore