Golden Rules for Career Success - Richard Moran

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 defeats. 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 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, Its not my job 
  
•       Be loyal to your career, your interests and yourself. 
  
•       Understand the skills and abilities that set you 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.