No matter what is going on in your career, good
advice is universal. No matter what problems you
are trying to solve, chances are someone else
before you had a similar problem.
I've been a journalist for the better part of two
decades and during that time I've interviewed
and written about thousands of people in various
stages of success, from billionaires to
entrepreneurs launching startups (one while
fighting brain cancer).
All of that has led me to conclude that there are
certain universal "business truths" — tips and
tricks that work for nearly everyone in every
business. They are:
1. Have a passion for your work. If your work is
meaningful to you, your work life will be a
joy.
2. If you can't be passionate about the work
itself, be passionate about the reason you do
it. Maybe you don't love your job/company/
career, but the money and benefits are good
for your family. Be passionate in your choice
to do right by your family.
3. If something needs changing, be the one to
lead the change. If you dislike your job but
are stuck, work on getting the skills that will
get you unstuck. If there's a problem at your
office, work on being the one solve it.
4. Start small and build from there.
5. Do the obvious stuff first, then progress to
the harder stuff. (Otherwise known as going
for the low-hanging fruit.)
6. If it's not broke, don't fix. Do improve it.
7. The hardest lesson to learn is when to keep
going and when to quit. No one can teach
you that. At some point, you have to choose.
8. The definition of crazy is to do the same
thing the same way and expect a different
result. If the result isn't good, change
something.
9. No one succeeds alone.
10. Ask for help. Be specific when asking. Be
graceful and grateful when help comes.
11. Surround yourself with positive people and
you'll have a positive outcome.
12. Embrace diversity. The best way to
compensate for your own weaknesses is to
pick teammates who have different
strengths.
13. People experience the world differently. Two
people can attend the same meeting and
walk away with different impressions. Don't
fight that. Use it.
14. You don't have to like someone to treat that
person with respect and courtesy.
15. Don't "should" all over someone, and don't
let someone else "should" all over you.
16. No matter what you do or how much you
achieve, there are always people who have
more.
17. There will always people who have less, too.
18. No matter how much you excel at things,
you are not a more worthwhile human being
than anyone else. No one else is more
worthwhile than you, either.
19. If you spend most of your time using your
talents and doing things you are good at,
you're more likely to be happy.
20. If you spend most of your time struggling to
improve your weaknesses, you're likely to be
frustrated.
21. Practice is the only true way to master a new
skill. Be patient with yourself while you learn
something new.
22. The only way to stay fresh is to keep learning
new things.
23. To learn new things means being a beginner,
and that means making mistakes.
24. The more comfortable you grow with making
beginner mistakes, the easier it is to learn
new things.
25. You will never have all the resources (time,
money, people, etc.) that you want for your
project or company. No one ever has all the
resources they want.
26. A lack of resources isn't an excuse. It's a
blessing in disguise. You'll have to get
creative.
27. Creativity and innovation are skills that can
be learned and practiced by doing your
usual things in a new way.
28. Take calculated risks.
29. In the early stages of a company, career, or
project, you'll have to say "yes" to a lot of
things. In the later stages, you'll have to say
"no."
30. Negative feedback is necessary. Don't
automatically reject it. Examine it for the
nuggets of truth, and then disregard the
rest.
31. When delivering criticism, talk about the
work, not the person.
32. Think big. Dream big. (The alternative is to
think small, dream small.)
33. Treat your dream as an ultimate roadmap.
You don't have to achieve your dream right
away, but the only way to get there is to
take many steps toward it.
34. If you think big, you will hear "no" more than
you hear "yes." They don't get to decide.
You do.
35. How long it takes you to create something is
less important than how valuable and
worthwhile it will be once it's created.
36. If there is one secret to success, it's this:
communicate your plans with other people
and keep communicating those plans.
37. Grow your network. Make an effort to meet
new people and to keep in contact with
those you know.
38. No matter what technology or service you
are creating/inventing at your company, it's
not about the product; it's always about the
people and the lives you will improve.
39. No matter how successful you get, you can
still fail and fail big.
40. Failure isn't a bad thing. It's part of the
process.
41. Things always go wrong. The only way to
keep that from hurting you is to plan for
that.
42. Learn how to respectfully, but firmly, say
"no."
43. Say "yes" as much as you can.
44. In order to say "yes" often, attach
boundaries or a scope of work around your
"yes."
45. No matter how rich, famous, or successful
another person is, inside that person is just a
human being with hopes, dreams, and fears,
the same as you.
46. Getting what you want doesn't mean you'll
be happy. Happiness is the art of being
satisfied with what you already have.
47. Working with difficult personalities will be a
part of every job. Be respectful, do your job
well, and nine times out of 10 that person
will move on.
48. For that one-out-of-10 time, remember you
aren't a victim. Do what you need to get a
new job.
49. As soon as you have something to
demonstrate, get an executive champion to
back or support your project.
50. Focus on what you want, not what you don't
want.