Posts tagged: work
As you age, you’ll find the best job takes the least amount of your time
If the promotion or raise they are promising you is true, than they should have no problem putting it in writing (the when, where, and how) and if they hesitate when asked to follow through, then I would question aloud the sincerity with which they are dangling a carrot that will probably be rotten or spoiled before you will ever have a chance to taste it
In most cases, your net worth is largely tied to your network. Four things you ought to remember with regard to the subject:
1. Staying in touch - in your own company, a good rule of thumb is to stay in touch at least once per week with those you consider in your network. In your industry, once per month, and in your peer group at least every 4-6 weeks.
2. Responsiveness - If you were in trouble, how soon would you hope someone responded to you? Whatever you hope for, you should also deliver when the time comes for you to stand up.
3. Value - It’s a two-way street…and if it starts to become lopsided in their favor, don’t fret, it will come back, I promise.
4. Empathetic listening/Honesty minus brutality - you can’t solve ANY problem without fully understanding what the issue(s) are first (because they all have their unique twists and turns). One of the most common traits of successful people is their ability to listen fully…and then start to work on the issue once everything is on the table. This takes patience and the will to want to understand. Advice we may not want to hear, but need to know should be handled delicately…but honestly. Everyone has an ego.
Honesty - brutality = advice more likely followed
Don’t be naive, every underpaid superstar employee is a potential competitor if you give it enough time
The problem with multi-tasking is that your brain works just like your computer when you have several programs running at the same time.
In my experience, it would be better to do one thing (well) at a time. By doing so, you’ll be more productive and produce better quality work
Character is most often revealed in adversity
Let me know when your boss pays you on how good your intentions were
Three things not to say when you are losing in an interview:
“Just give me a chance” - Desperation is a poor motivator to a higher manager and begging…that’s what dogs do, not future employee’s.
“I would be willing to work for nothing for a month” - Most people are looking to increase production or sales by hiring you, not save money. Position yourself as someone that can bring one or both and you will turn heads.
“I know I lack the experience you asked for but I am a quick study” - That may sound like an innocent move, but in reality it sounds desperate (too). Better to say, “what made you determine I didn’t have the experience, yet at the same time, motivated you to call me for the interview”? In other words, “what did you see in me on paper that you aren’t seeing in person”.
Drive beats privilege over the long haul
The janitor is the janitor because he does the things that janitors do. The CEO is the CEO because he does the things CEO’s do
The secret of really successful people lies in their ability to use what others have already done and then duplicate it with their own interpretation. In other words, don’t reinvent the wheel, you don’t get extra points for discovering things on your own
Decisiveness is one of the most commonly held traits of the successful, and is assuredly one of the least common traits of the unsuccessful.
Get in the habit of making decisions, good or bad. No one likes being around a waffler.
To get started, eliminate the words, “maybe, might, thinking about it, possibly, hoping to, wishing, or we’ll just have to see” from your daily conversations. Confident people use those phrases sparingly, if at all, instead opting for “yes’s and no’s” to communicate clearly what it is they mean.
Look at any company large or small and you will see this come to life.
Decisive people know what it is they want and are confident enough to voice it. The waffler is not.
Decisiveness = Confidence, Confidence = Respect
The phrase “the customer is always right” is…wrong. It sounds cute and looks good on the wall, but you know as well as I do, you can’t please everyone. Your grandpa Wayne used to say it another way, “kiss their ass all the way to the bank”. In my experience, the people that give you the most trouble need the most kissing and will continue this until you let your competition have them. They may threaten to tell all of their friends as they are telling you how they will never do business with you again, but you know as well as I do, a person like that problem doesn’t have that many friends to tell
Showing up a few minutes early says, “I value your time and keep my commitments”
