Golden Rules for Career Success - Richard Moran

I don't usually borrow whole posts & put them up on this blog, but this one is is a classic & HAS to be here.

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, Its 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.