39 Things I Came to Understand Better this Year: 1. If you’re comfortable and satisfied, get ready for a change. 2. If you’re caught up in a big wave, stop struggling, and surf it. Use its energy to do amazing things. 3. Children always do as you do, not as you say. 4. If you think of something great, it probably already exists. Use your ideas will make it better. 5. Children really do love you. Make sure to allow them time to show it to you. 6. True friends are like DVRs. You can resume the friendship instantly, even if you had hit pause years ago. But sometimes the characters have grown up in the “show” you’re watching. 7. Social media is more powerful than you ever thought. Use it, because it’s using you. 8. LinkedIn is the most powerful tool in business. 9. As George Bernard Shaw wrote, “All professions are conspiracies against the laity.” Once you learn the jargon of the job, you’re well on your way to succeeding in that position. 10. My wife really loves me, and always has. 11. Neighbors matter more than neighborhoods. 12. Early to bed, early to rise really does make a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. Thanks Ben! 13. Employees are always more important than the work itself. The work will get done somehow. Value the worker. 14. A smile opens every door. 15. The east coast doesn’t seem to have embraced the craft beer revolution. 16. Be honest about your thoughts, feelings, and concerns. Make sure those with whom you’re being honest have time to listen to your honesty. Listen back. 17. One mouth, two ears. You do the math! 18. Be a hugger. 19. Quiet beats loud almost every time, whether you’re playing piano, speaking to your kids, or changing an industry paradigm. 20. When people are interviewing for a job, make every effort to help them be successful at it. It’s hard to take 30 minutes to learn what someone can do in 3 years. Be communicative and clear, and not aloof or unapproachable. Hiring someone is about a relationship, not a pass or fail test. 21. Information is not knowledge. 22. Cats really do have 9 lives. In the case of mine, it’s more like 11. 23. Thank people. 24. Ask for what you want, and you’ll probably get it. 25. Biking to work is not that hard. 26. Money is over-rated. 27. Roasting your own coffee is easy, and really tasty. 28. Scheduled time needs to trump unscheduled time. 29. Work emergencies are rarely ever emergencies. Empower others to solve them, and you’ll build a stronger staff. 30. When weighing opportunities, favor the one that is not likely to knock again. 31. If you think maybe you should call, you should have already called. 32. You’ll always be too young or too old for something. Have fun, do what you think is right, and let your accomplishments (or your fingerpainting) speak for themselves. 33. Don’t be afraid to tell people “no.” Telling someone “no” is often less painful than the false hope given with a “maybe.” 34. Be a leader in causes you care about. Don’t say “some day,” or “when I have more time.” Make time for it now, because tomorrow will never come. 35. People who sit on front porches are happier than those who favor privacy in the backyard. 36. Bizspeak and jargon are necessary sometimes, but annoying always. If you want to achieve mission in the omni-platform ecosystem, make sure to leverage strategic communication across the enterprise to enable cross-functional efficiencies. 37. There’s a name, system, and certification for every bit of common sense you’ve ever used as a manager. Every so often, Google your approach to something and you may find yourself an expert in Agile Project Management or Employee Onboarding. Read up on those disciplines, and you’ll learn to be even better at this, because some people have Ph.D.’s in the stuff you do everyday. 38. Physics and the Standard Model are like discovering God’s blueprints. 39. Time is the most valuable commodity I’ll ever have, and how I use it, the most important decision I’ll ever make.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 16:19:44 +0000