Scraps of Wisdom

1. Scraps of Wisdom Business Truisms & Advice for those who toil in corporate world!

2. First Scrap • It’s surprisingly easy to give a short oral presentation or even write an entire newsletter article, using only one of the following “scraps”. • Give it a try. . . Use my scraps to jump start a story from your own life.

3. It’s Like Tarot. . . • Take this presentation to a creative brainstorming meeting. • “Shuffle the deck” and have people give a one minute story about the scrap they pulled.

4. Let the Scrapping Begin! • Click to begin. . . .

5. Effort does not Equal Results • Beware of shallow vision statements like: • “Effort Equals Results” & • “Pride in our People”. When selecting a company to work with, look for depth & intelligence, not slogans.

6. Effort does not equal Results • Working long hours doesn’t prove anything without results.

7. Effort does not equal Results • Don’t work for a company where you are paid for effort. Work where you are recognized for results.

8. Effort Does Not Equal Results. • If you spend all of your time at work, you are not hard-working. • You are boring.

9. Effort Does not Equal Results • Do not work on weekends. • Do not work more than 40 hours per week. • Remember, we advanced technology so that we would have more time to evolve our consciousness.

10. Effort does not equal results • A happy employee doesn’t necessarily make a good employee, but a good employee is a happy employee. Focus your efforts on good work.

11. Clients • Always learn about your customers, no matter what your job is.

12. Secretaries • Be nice to secretaries. Their job description, essentially, is to help people. Make it easy for secretaries to do their jobs.

13. Bosses • Don’t let your guard down around your boss. Ever.

14. Overheard Compliments • Compliment somebody behind their back. • Compliments heard second-hand have more credibility with the intended recipient.

15. Overheard Compliments • Compliment somebody everyday. Period.

16. Overheard Compliments • Everybody responds to flattery.

17. Simplify • Simplify everything. Your life, your home, your office, your desk, your processes, vision, policy, procedures. Everything.

18. Solutions • Don’t take a problem to a meeting without a solution. Your job is to fix problems, not complain.

19. Change • Believe that change can happen.

20. Victory • There are no defeats. What some people see as defeat is actually a valuable learn-ing experience. And that, as any cheerleader knows, is a victory.

21. Waiting • When waiting in a lobby, don’t just sit. Explore, read, talk - - - use this time to learn.

22. Shoes • Wear comfortable yet attractive shoes. Keep them clean at all times.

23. Telephone Numbers • Carry important phone numbers with you at all times.

24. Deadlines • Don’t be late. Apologize if you are, and be prepared to accept consequences.

25. Missives from on High • Re-organization memos grandly outline sweeping changes in the company. • Remember the adage, “same old horses, same old glue.”

26. Missives from on High • Vision and mission statements are not nearly as important as knowing what to do when you show up for work.

27. Missives from on High • Executive memos are political fantasies. They have little to do with reality. Real change is always due to an outside force.

28. Missives from on High • Employees always know what’s really going on. The internal information in an executive memo is hardly a surprise. The rumors are usually true.

29. Missives from on High • The business should shape the organization, not the other way around.

30. Missives from on High • Real activity takes place between the lines in the org chart.

31. Office • Stay out of the office as much as you can. Be with customers or prospects.

32. Washroom • Don’t be seen taking magazines into the executive washroom.

33. Washroom • Beware of a false sense of importance. When you think you’re too busy to use the washroom, ask yourself if two minutes of work is really worth risking your health.

34. Time • Treat time as if someone is paying you for your contribution. Someone is.

35. Business Cards • Carry business cards with you at all times. Give them out freely.

36. Phone Calls • Never leave a phone call unanswered for more than 24 hours.

37. Clothes • Wear timeless, classic clothes. Wool, silk and cotton are natural favorites.

38. Ambiguity • Life is uncertain - develop a high tolerance for ambiguity.

39. Ambiguity • Avoid dotted-line reporting relationships.

40. Brainstorming • Write down your best ideas before they get lost in the shuffle of all the good ideas!

41. Brainstorming • Don’t tell people that their ideas are bad, especially if you don’t have a better one.

42. Acronyms • Don’t use acronyms. • Don’t invent any more!

43. Strategy • Never say, “It’s not my job.”

44. Presentations • If you want to lose your audience, show them slides with columns of numbers. Refuse to tell them a story about the meaning of the numbers.

45. Presentations • Do not read your speech or presentation. • Instead, read your audience.

46. Meetings • Do not attend more than two meetings a day, or else you will never get any real work done.

47. Office • Leave the office building at least once a day.

48. Paradox • Manage the paradox of being fully committed to where you are, while remaining open to other opportunities.

49. Acronyms • If TQM, CIP, CRM or any other new acronym doesn’t produce measureable results within a year, dump it.

50. Success • The most interesting people I know are successful.