I have always kept a list of things I learned through the year. These are lessons that resonate with me through reading and conversations with people around me.
Let me share some with you.
- Write down things you have learned. Revisiting the lessons reinforces them.
- You can always go one step further.
- Found a solution? How do you make it better?
- Found an issue? Is it really the root cause or just a red herring?
- Completed a task? Is it rounded out with no loose ends?
- Managers manage what is, leaders see what can be.
- Thick skin? (Not sure if this applies to everyone!)
- Always forgive your enemy, nothing annoys them more – Oscar Wilde.
- Don’t be afraid to stand out. Being the norm will not help you succeed. Successful people are those who stand out.
- Say what you mean, mean what you say, but don’t say it meanly.
- Learn to hate the word “I can’t do it”. You can ask “How I can do it” instead.
- Norms are a lot easier to establish at the start than trying to do it after conflicts have arisen and culture has been cemented.