1- Be Open and Upfront
All organizations have their share of the sly individual talking about other colleagues behind their back, and those who seek popularity by making snide remarks. If you have any issues to take up with a colleague, your manager or with a subordinate, have the courage to do so with that individual and not with anyone else. Or bring it up in an official forum
2- Taking Ownership
It may not be your company but do your work as if it’s your own organization – do it with passion and enthusiasm. Anything else means you are shortchanging yourself more than your employer. If you’re an entrepreneur, act on behalf of your clients
3- Underpromise and Overdeliver
You lose credibility, sometimes irreparably, by continually failing to deliver on time and as promised. Take care to manage expectations, and if there’s an issue in achieving timescales, or scope of deliverable, make sure everyone concerned knows straight off. And remember to remember the next rule – Closing the Loop.
4- Closing the Loop – 360 Degrees Communication
Ensure all parties involved originally in a transaction are updated when there’s a change – in timing, in the deliverable, or in the methodology. If you, or your team, are the cause of this change, it is your responsibility to provide the update ( the what ) with an explanation ( the why ). Do not assume everyone will know automatically
5- Set High Standards
Life – and work – always offer two choices at so many intersections – the wrong way and often the easy way out; and the right way where you have to grit your teeth and go to a higher standard. Do not confuse taking the easy way out as the “smart” choice. 99 times out of a 100, it’s going to mislead you. This applies both to ethics and sustainable solutions. Often, it is necessary to think in non-linear terms, not just a fine-tune, to find real improvement
6- This Thing called Ethics
It is miraculous how many subscribe to all these wonderful notions of ethics such as honesty, transparency, values etc. when all is well. When things go wrong, or relationships sour, or disputes arise, the percentage that passes the acid test is very low indeed. This is one time you want to make sure you’re in the minority, but will you?
7- The Knowledge Revolution – Are you Taking Part?
You already know the Information Age buzzwords – maybe you also a wear a badge saying you are a white-collar Knowledge Worker – that’s awesome. Now what are you doing different? Do yourself a favor – become an avid reader, an information guzzler. Don’t be a one-book-a-year dabbler – be a one-book-a-week serial reader. Learn about weblogs and newsfeeds so you get information you want coming to you in one place by subscribing to a service such as Google Personal Page or Netvibes. Let the new Web come to you.
8- Get a Mentor and be a Mentor
Find yourself a coach, someone to guide you and help you when you’re short of inspiration. This could be someone within the organization, maybe a family member, or an industry professional. When you get an opportunity, do this for someone who looks up to you
OK this could have been 7 things but that would have been treading on Steven Covey’s turf.