trb (06/01/82)
I was sent a copy of this. I found it interesting enough to share.
Andy Tannenbaum Bell Labs Whippany, NJ (201) 386-6491
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32 ground rules for personal survival and success in your job - any job
1. Pick the people who can most strongly determine your success
and stay in direct, personal, continuous touch with them.
2. Never assume that the way things are today is the way they
will be tomorrow - or even after lunch.
3. No matter what your job is, think of yourself as a salesman.
4. Never fail to consider the future significance of what you
say and do.
5. In business as in other indoor sports, position isn't
everything - but almost.
6. Know what it is that you can do better than anyone else - and
do that.
7. Never say anything about anyone you wouldn't say in exactly
the same way to his face.
8. Search for the seeds of victory in every disaster - and the
seeds of disaster in every victory.
9. Don't lie. If you can't tell the truth, keep quiet. When
you start lying, you are dead.
10. Never expect someone to keep a secret. There are no secrets.
11. Bet on people - but be prepared to lose.
12. Unsolvable problems don't disrupt the routine, they are the
routine.
13. Make as few mistakes as possible. Assume that any random
error could be fatal.
14. Never fail to consider the pervasive power of personal
self-interest.
15. Everybody's motives are different. Make certain that you
know what motivates each person you deal with.
16. Know exactly what your goals are.
17. Surprise is a powerful tactic. Use it carefully. It can be
disastrous.
18. Revenge is sweet, but it is God's privilege, not yours.
19. Enemies are a fact of life, but a few are plenty.
20. Never make a decision until you have to.
21. Follow your own instincts. They are probably no more wrong
than everyone else's carefully reasoned logic.
22. Build a reputation as a winner by smiling when you win - and
when you lose.
23. Keep every promise you have made - or that others think you
have made.
24. Never assume that others are operating under the same rules
you are.
25. Play the business game for all you are worth - but not as if
your life depended on it.
26. Never permit a situation to continue in your company where
someone else can profit from your loss.
27. Never underestimate the power of the number two man.
28. Express your thanks, give lots of praise, but don't get left
holding the bag.
29. You can size up a man by the size of a the problems he likes
to solve.
30. No matter what you do, do it as if you were competing with an
equal.
31. Success has many ingredients, but the greatest of these is
confidence.
32. Don't win too soon. You'll miss half the fun of playing the
business game.