Golden Rules for Career Success

I had the opportunity to come across this article which was being circulated in our office, and I can't help but think, it is so true.  So I would like to share it here, for those of you who work in a corporate environment as I am now.

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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 defects. 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 working 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 your 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”.