Monday, August 27, 2007

Golden Rules for Career Success

I got this from my brother.

Golden Rules for Career Success - Richard Moran


Working as a business consultant all over the world, I have discovered some basic career-related rules that everyone should know—but many don’t.

  • Business is made up of ambiguous victories and nebulous defeats. Claim them all as victories.
  • Keep track of what you do; someone is sure to ask.
  • Be comfortable around senior managers, or learn to fake it.
  • Never bring your boss a problem without some solution. You are getting paid to think, not to whine.
  • Long hours don’t mean anything; results count, not effort.
  • Write down ideas; they get lost, like good pens.
  • Always arrive at work 30 minutes before your boss.
  • Help other people network for jobs. You never know when your turn will come.
  • Don’t take days off sick—unless you are.
  • Assume no one can/will keep a secret.
  • Know when you do your best—morning, night, under pressure, relaxed; schedule and prioritize your work accordingly.
  • Treat everyone who works in the organization with respect and dignity, whether it be the cleaner or the managing director. Don’t ever be patronizing.
  • Never appear stressed in front of a client, a customer or your boss. Take a deep breath and ask yourself: In the course of human events, how important is this?
  • If you get the entrepreneurial urge, visit someone who has his own business. It may cure you.
  • Acknowledging someone else’s contribution will repay you doubly.
  • Career planning is an oxymoron. The most exciting opportunities tend to be unplanned.
  • Always choose to do what you’ll remember ten years from now.
  • The size of your office is not as important as the size of your pay cheque.
  • Understand what finished work looks like and deliver your work only when it is finished.
  • The person who spends all of his or her time is not hard-working; he or she is boring.
  • Know how to write business letters—including thank-you notes as well as proposals.
  • Never confuse a memo with reality. Most memos from the top are political fantasy.
  • Eliminate guilt. Don’t fiddle expenses, taxes or benefits, and don’t cheat colleagues.
  • Reorganizations mean that someone will lose his or her job. Get on the committee that will make the recommendations.
  • Job security does not exist.
  • Always have an answer to the question, “What would I do if I lost my job tomorrow?”
  • Go to the company Christmas party.
  • Don’t get drunk at the company Christmas party.
  • Avoid working at weekends. Work longer during the week if you have to.
  • The most successful people in business are interesting.
  • Sometimes you’ll be on a winning streak and everything will click; take maximum advantage. When the opposite is true, hold steady and wait it out.
  • Never in your life say, “It’s not my job.”
  • Be loyal to your career, your interests and yourself.
  • Understand the skills and abilities that set you apart.
  • Use them whenever you have an opportunity.
  • People remember the end of the project. As they say in boxing, “Always finish stronger than you start.”

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