3 out of 5
by
Shawn
from
Mableton, GA | Jun 15, 2009
This is a nifty little book with a lot of good advice for anyone interested in getting along well and productive in any organization - not just aspiring CEOs. There is a lot of good life advice here, too.
The rest of this review is just summary notes of key point that I want to remember, so it is NOTHING BUT SPOILERS from this point on.
The following is mostly quoted verbatim from the text of the book:
The following is mostly quoted verbatim from the text of
the book:
ALWAYS TAKE THE JOB THAT OFFERS THE MOST MONEY.
Bonuses are on %, you are more visible to upper
management, and the more you are paid the more they
expect of you (a good thing). Higher paid candidate
always gets the promotion.
AVOID STAFF JOBS, SEEK LINE JOBS (jobs that directly
bring in $ for the company.
DON'T EXPECT THE PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT TO PLAN YOUR CAREER
Your destiny and your career growth are your
responsibility, no one else's. You have to know what you
want. You have to design the plan to get there. You have
to determine what skills and functional expertise are
needed... Your responsibility is to acquire that
experience.
GET AND KEEP CUSTOMERS
The customer is king and the kingmaker (paraphrase)
KEEP PHYSICALLY FIT
DO SOMETHING HARD AND LONELY
This will give you a feeling of toughness, a certain
self-elitism. It will mentally prepare you for the battle
of business. (writing counts here)
NEVER WRITE A NAST MEMO
Never give a company rival a smoking gun. Spend your
energy on positive things.
THINK FOR ONE HOUR EVERY DAY.
KEEP AND USE A SPECIAL IDEA NOTEBOOK.
DON'T HAVE A DRINK WITH THE GANG.
Never get tipsy with anyone connected with your company.
It is a sign of weakness. It shows you are out of
control.
DON'T SMOKE.
Nothing good happens to the people around you when you
smoke cigarettes.
SKIP ALL OFFICE PARTIES.
FRIDAY IS "HOW YA' DOIN'?" DAY
"Find out who you need, no matter how low in the
organization, and let them know you know you need and
appreciate them. Make one good ally in your company every
month.
MAKE ALLIES OF YOUR PEERS' SUBORDINATES.
KNOW EVERYBODY BY THEIR FIRST NAME.
MAKE ONE MORE CALL
(paraphrase) The best always put in a LOT of extra effort
just to be a little bit better - extra batting practice
or writing one more draft.
ARRIVE 45 MINUTES EARLY AND LEAVE 15 MINUTES LATE
Earlier & later than most. That is an extra 31 days per
year.
DON'T TAKE WORK HOME FROM THE OFFICE.
EARN YOUR INVITATION CREDENTIALS.
athere is always an inner circle, and you must acquire
the same credentials as those in it. If you can't, switch
companies, because even if you become CEO you won't last
(paraphrased).
AVOID SUPERIORS WHEN YOU TRAVEL.
They are busy (paraphrased). Work instead.
EAT IN YOUR HOTEL ROOM.
Work. (clearly a theme here - work a LOT.)
WORK, DON'T READ PAPERBACKS ON THE AIRPLANE.
Have a specific work objective for each trip.
KEEP A "PEOPLE FILE".
Mail them all a note every 6 months if you don't see them
(you do this in Outlook, paraphrased).
SEND HANDWRITTEN NOTES.
DON'T GET BUDDY-BUDDY WITH YOUR SUPERIORS (OR YOUR
SUBORDINATES)
He is big on not mixing business with pleasure. He says
to know them really well and be of assistance whenever
possible in work or personal lives, but only be buddies
when you work at separate companies (paraphrased).
DON'T HIDE AN ELEPHANT.
The hiders always get burned, regardless of complicity.
Define the problem and suggest solutions, ask for help
and position yourself as the independent reporter, in
control, as if you were not previously involved.Note how
John F. Kennedy handled his Bay of Pigs debacle.
Preemptively, publicly, on television, "my fault, we blew
it, any questions?" Kennedy emerged unscathed, actually
strengthened. (my addition: Except of course the part
where he was assassinated for it.)
BE VISIBLE: PRACTICE WACADAD.
Words Are Cheap And Deeds Are Dear. Ideas are nothing
without execution.
ALWAYS TAKE VACATIONS.
ALWAYS SAY YES TO A SENIOR EXECUTIVE REQUEST (regardless
of what it is).
No matter what the request, give him more than he wanted,
sooner than expected, and with your own touch of personal
innovation. People who get the job done are the ones who
get the top jobs.
NEVER SURPRISE YOUR BOSS.
MAKE YOUR BOSS LOOK GOOD, AND YOUR BOSS'S BOSS LOOK
BETTER.
You make these people look good by anticipating their
needs and problems and by doing the extra work needed to
get answers. Always keep them informed. Always finish
work ahead of schedule. Always do a bit more. See their
job through their eyes. Help them by doing the project
and making suggestions as if you were in theri place.
Don't let them make a mistake.
NEVER LET A GOOD BOSS MAKE A MISTAKE.
Never imply that it is their fault; use the royal we.
Tell everyone everyone who works for you - inside and
outside the organization - that they must never let you
make a mistake. Be sure your boss knows you have that
rule.
GO TO THE LIBRARY ONE DAY A MONTH.
Get a bunch of admin stuff done all in one day - you will
feel emboldened.
ADD ONE BIG NEW THING TO YOUR LIFE EACH YEAR.
Demonstrate your ability to grow.
DRESS FOR A DANCE.
"Dress for football, you play football. Dress for a
dance, you dance." The same lesson holds for business.
Dress for business, you do business.
OVERINVEST IN PEOPLE.
Pay them more than they are worth. Give the winners
trust, independence, praise, freedom, encouragement.
People are mirrors - they give what they get. Hire people
according to the three I's:
Integrity, I can do it attitude, Intelligence
(paraphrased).
STOP, LOOK, AND LISTEN.
Learn to listen. When someone is speaking, stop what you
are doing, look at the person, and listen. Good listeners
are considered great conversationalists. Listening is
equated with intelligence.
BE A FLAG-WAVING COMPANY PATRIOT
Cynicism about one's own corporation is the hallmark of
losers, not future presidents.
FIND AND FILL THE "DATA GAPS"
Identify what you don't know and what your organization
doesn't know.
HOMEWORK, HOMEWORK, HOMEWORK
The homework guy breaks the chapters [that he needs to
study for an exam:] apart, synthesizes the information,
and memorizes eight chapters in seven hours. (As opposed
to just reading them.)
NEVER PANIC...OR LOSE YOUR TEMPER
"Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another
as to remain cool and unruffled under all circumstances."
(Thomas Jefferson)
At a wine making facility the employees came to the CEO
in a panic since the winemaker had quit at a critical
moment. The CEO stayed calm, thought for a moment, then
asked, "What would you do if the winemaker had died
instead of resigned?" The managers said they would make
so-and-so the winemaker. "So be it," said the CEO, and
the new winemaker carried on the winery tradition for 15
more years (paraphrased).
If a colleague makes an unkind comment to you, do not
respond, but it is OK to laugh. Your supporters will be
as offended as you. Your detractors will sense your
control. Anyone else will see you as above the fray. Do
not get angry. Even when anger is justified, observers
are put off by the angry person.
School yourself not to panic. Tell yourself to "stay
calm." If you have ten seconds to make a decision, think
for nine.
LEARN TO SPEAK AND WRITE IN PLAIN ENGLISH.
Business communications must be precise, complete, and
totally comprehensible.
TREAT ALL PEOPLE AS SPECIAL.
People can do a lot if it is appreciated, and they can do
more if they are motivated and thanked.
BE A CREDIT MAKER, NOT A CREDIT TAKER
Give everybody 100% credit for the work they do. If you
have 5 people reporting to you and they each get 100%
credit for the work they do, then you get 500% - that's
the way it works. Give proper credit and you will become
known as a credit maker, somebody who gets things done, a
person to work for. Your people will work very hard
because they know they will be fairly recognized.
GIVE INFORMAL SURPRISE BONUSES.
This is that irregular reinforcement theory that gets
people to work hard since they never know when they might
just get a bonus.
PLEASE, BE POLITE WITH EVERYONE.
No smoking, cursing or pulling rand. Treat everyone's
place and stuff as if they are your own (paraphrased).
Always be on time, and don't waste others' time. Always
say please and thank-you.
PEOPLE WHO FEEL GOOD ABOUT THEMSELVES AND THEIR JOBS WILL
CONTRIBUTE AT HIGH LEVELS.
So make people feel good about themselves, and feel good
about yourself (I summarized here).
THE GLORY AND THE GLAMOUR COME AFTER THE GRUNTWORK.
If you begrudge the gruntwork, you will not get the
glory.
KEEP TRYING THINGS, NEW THINGS. PERSISTENCE IS THE KEY.
(This is completely paraphrased, and may not be what he
meant.)
HASTE MAKES WASTE.
Learn the difference between revocable and irrevocable
decisions, and don't screw up the irrevocable ones by
making hasty decisions.
POUR THE COALS TO A GOOD THING.
Once something is working, don't change anything - just
pour the coals to it, and get as much success out of the
system as you can until it doesn't work anymore (summary
paraphrased).
IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO THOUGHT OF AN IDEA; WHAT MATTERS IS
WHO IMPLEMENTS IT.
Creative people enhance their probability of getting good
ideas by listening to the ideas of others. If they listen
to 100 people, they multiply their creative capacity 100
times.
STAY OUT OF OFFICE POLITICS
Don't waste your time. Spend your time creating and
accomplishing. Be the last to know. Don't get sucked in.
Don't let people tell you something if they say it's
confidential. Don't ask, don't answer, don't agree. Don't
say anything bad about anyone. Don't gossip. Say, "I
don't know."
Just work.
LOOK SHARP AND BE SHARP
EMULATE, STUDY, AND CHERISH THE GREAT BOSS
DON'T GO OVER BUDGET
Senior managers promote people who deliver what is
expected. Tight budgets promote creativity, ingenuity,
and inventiveness. Look upon a tight budget as a
challenge. Find new and less expensive ways of doing
things. The corporation will be improved. You will be
appreciated.
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE AN OPPONENT
Assume nothing. Never underestimate an opponent's
intelligence, stamina, or skill, their capacity for good
or evil, duplicity dishonesty or cunning. If you
overestimate an opponent you are merely pleasantly
surprised, but if you underestimate them it could mean
disaster (paraphrase).
ASSASSINATE THE CHARACTER ASSASSIN WITH A SINGLE PHRASE
When conversation with a colleague turns to the character
assassin, if you are the target, simply say, "Of course,
with Mr. X, no one is spared." Your colleague, knowing
Mr. X's style, will assume he, too, has been a recent
target. Assassin assassinated.
BECOME A MEMBER OF THE "SHOULDN'T HAVE CLUB"
This is the winners' circle. Every time you think, "I
shouldn't have done that," there will be ten other times
when the results will prove you should have. No guts, no
glory.
THE CONCEPT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE PERFECT, BUT THE EXECUTION
OF IT DOES
RECORD AND COLLECT YOUR MISTAKES WITH CARE AND PRIDE
Do the after-action reviews. Acknowledging mistakes is a
sign of security and confidence. Mistakes are the exhaust
of active, doing people.
LIVE FOR TODAY; PLAN FOR TOMORROW; FORGET ABOUT YESTERDAY
HAVE FUN, LAUGH
Business is tough enough not to have fun. If your job
isn't fun, you have to change jobs or find ways to add
some fun. The manager who is able to maintain a sense of
humor and to lighten the mental load of his colleagues
will always have a motivated, happy team.
TREAT YOUR FAMILY AS YOUR NUMBER ONE CLIENT
When your family members speak to you, put down the
newspaper or book or mute the tv, and turn and look at
them while they are speaking.
NO GOALS, NO GLORY
You must have them. Get extremely detailed, and put
something on you daily list each day that will bring you
closer to your long-term goals (paraphrased).
ALWAYS REMEMBER YOUR SUBORDINATES' SPOUSES
The spouse is an important potential ally for the
corporation, or frightfully, a potentially virulent
enemy.
SEE THE JOB THROUGH THE SALESPEOPLE'S EYES
Selling is the key to the enterprise. Spend time in the
field. Sell if you can. Learn what goes on out there.
Work the trenches, and the trenches will work for you.
BE A VERY TOUGH "HELLER SELLER"
You have to get the order. You must becoem a very tough,
get-the-order salesperson. They know that the numbers are
in their favor. They know that 25% of all sales closes
are made simply by asking for the order, 75% of all sales
closes are made on the 4th or subsequent call, and that
90% of all salespeople never ask for the order. They know
that 95% of all sales interviews are really conversation
or entertainment, not selling. They also know, therefore,
that there is little competition for the persistent and
tenacious salesperson.They know that MAKING MORE CALLS
AND ASKING FOR THE ORDER IS THE FORMULA FOR SUCCESS.
DON'T BE AN EMPIRE BUILDER
It is the manager who gets the job done with less - less
people and money - who is most needed by the corporation.
Never complain that you are expected to do more than your
budget enables. Don't use the lack of resources as an
excuse. Promotions and power go to producers, not people
administrators.
PUSH PRODUCTS, NOT PAPER
Don't get trapped doing ANYTHING that does not directly
improve your company, period.
TO TEACH IS TO LEARN AND TO LEAD
Teaching will improve your ability to articulate why your
responsibility is critical to the company.
DO NOT GET DISCOURAGED BY THE IDEA KILLERS
Don't give in. Don't let up. Idea people build
businesses. Builders get to the top. Consider the idea
killers as a positive, as an incentive. Treat their
negativism as a reason to do more homework. Work harder
on the things necessary to make your idea work.