You Can Be a Top Performer

9 Simple Ways to Advance Your Career

Non-Fiction - Self Help
136 Pages
Reviewed on 10/18/2017
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Author Biography

Iris Yu grew up in Taiwan and now lives in the United States. She enjoys writing and is open to all the positive opportunities the universe has to offer.

She lives a simple life with a focus on personal and spiritual growth. She loves to read and write stories, dance, travel, grow her own food, and learn from nature.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Ray Simmons for Readers' Favorite

I grew up thinking that there was no worker on earth who worked as hard as the American worker. I thought that for a very long time until I finally realized that there are great workers and terrible workers in every country. America doesn't have a monopoly on good workers. If it did, fewer American companies would build factories in other nations. I have come to believe that individual family values, much more than shared national traits, are the key to creating a good worker. Iris Yu believes the same thing. In You Can Be a Top Performer, she lets us know that her father was her teacher and role model when it comes to having a great work ethic. This is easy for me to believe because my father is mine.

You Can Be a Top Performer: 9 Simple Ways To Advance Your Career by Iris Yu was a delight to read because it is well written, well organized, and full of interesting, useful advice. It is filled with helpful examples. I liked the writing style. It is direct, plain, and very personal. But what made it a great read for me is that it validated my own opinions about work habits and attitudes. The thinking of myself and Iris Yu is very much in sync on this subject, and seeing these ideas laid out so simply and beautifully has encouraged me to advise young people I know, who need this kind of advice as they enter the work force. If you know a young man or woman who may need guidance as they set out in their career, give them this book.

Gisela Dixon

You Can Be a Top Performer: 9 Simple Ways to Advance Your Career by Iris Yu is a short, non-fiction book on how to succeed in the corporate world, designed for the layperson or the average person. Iris is herself from Taiwan and her perspective as an immigrant in the US, working in the IT industry, really focuses on insights based on her own experience. You Can Be a Top Performer starts off with a basic, simple introduction by Iris herself in her own voice and the narrative continues in the first person throughout. In the book, Iris talks about her family and upbringing, the values she learned as a child of integrity, honesty, and fair-mindedness from her parents, her academically-focused family and environment, and of course her experience working in the IT industry in the US as a computer programmer in a fast-paced, highly competitive environment.

You Can Be a Top Performer is a short and simple read. Written in a direct, candid voice, Iris puts forth some excellent points on what it takes to succeed and rise in one’s chosen profession. She especially emphasizes the fact that while technical skills are necessary to do one’s job effectively, people skills and ethics really make the difference between an average performer and someone who is consistently recognized and promoted. Humility is an underrated virtue and I particularly liked how Iris brings out the importance of this quality. This would be a great book to refer to for anyone starting out in their professional career or even for people who are stuck in their careers without knowing why.

Mamta Madhavan

You Can Be a Top Performer: 9 Simple Ways to Advance Your Career by Iris Yu is an insightful book that can be used as a guide to help in career success. The author shares real stories, examples, and theories that will help readers learn the attitudes and thinking of a top performer. The author demonstrates her guiding techniques and her attitude towards words, which has enabled her to reach the top. The author’s story of being a Taiwanese who spoke poor English and having low self esteem and from there her rise to being a top performer in her company is uplifting.

I like the author’s encouraging attitude towards people and she is confident that anyone can be a top performer if they apply her principles, methods, and suggestions. It is a good book for all those who are struggling in their workplace and will help them improve their work life, and create healthier and more effective environments that people will enjoy working in. I found the book useful when it comes to refining one's skills to an outstanding level and competing with the top performers.

The nine simple steps are easy to practice and are beneficial for everyone who is in the middle of their career. The writing style is neat and elegant and will pull readers into the contents. The author handles the topic methodically and will motivate readers to find the best work place, respect their coworkers, and do the right things. Life is an adventure; life is a joy and this book makes readers realize that!