1.
Every moment matters. What you observe intently and act upon immediately can make huge differences.
2.
Respect and manage time properly. People want what they want when they want it, and you sometimes have to teach them how to treat you. Establish consistent protocols and firm boundaries that will minimize interruptions, and enforce them kindly.
3.
Skills pay bills. Today's performance-based economy demands leaders who can delegate and demonstrate. Devote time to learning the "how to", even if you have people who will take care of it *for* you. It will engender a mutual respect - employees will respect your leadership, and you will respect what your employees do on your behalf. These acts of servitude and discipleship allow you to in effect multiply yourself.
4.
Skills trump wills. In these times, working by brute force and burning the midnight oil only magnify stress and hasten burnout. To not grow weary, work well and efficiently.
5.
Do not mistake activity for achievement. A dog that chases his tail looks busy, but accomplishes little. Current dog chasing techniques include back-and-forth email barrages that belabor the obvious and beleaguer the productive. Going-through-the-motion meetings are another example of this phenomenon.
6.
"NO" is a blessed word. There are times when you must say "no" to another person's agenda to say "yes" to your purpose and mission. Do not be deterred from your priorities by trying to be all things to all people. Why do you think the letters "n" and "o" are adjacent in our alphabet? It is because they should be used together - say "NO" so you can stay "ON" course!
7.
All ideas are great ideas, but no idea is a plan. Plan with the end in mind, but give a hearty respect and consideration to the means required to achieve the end. A shopping list created without consideration of cost or budget is a project disaster waiting to happen!
8.
Authority is not power - it is the right to exercise power. Power is the ability to work efficiently. Those who work efficiently amass considerable influence in the workplace.
9.
Perception is not reality, but perceptions *shape* reality. Just as perceptions shape reality, though, reality also shapes perception. Speak the truth in love to inform both your own as well as the perceptions of others. Those who think only with their eyes are often easily fooled. What a fool believes, he sees ... and no wise man has the power to reason away.
10.
Those who tell often do not know, and those who know often do not tell. Excessive talking and posturing is a telltale sign of an unproductive person. Listen and work more than you talk and shirk (responsibilities). Enough said.
Copyright © 2010 Derrick Brown and KnowledgeBase, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
