Win Before You Begin

Invest the time to do the necessary research and organize your thoughts and arguments before any important meeting. Did you ever see one of those court scenes on TV where the words of the defense lawyer came down as a sequence of perfect hammer blows? Usually the best prepared person wins, so dare to prepare!

Try The Tickler File

I have a file for my "maybe" stuff, things I haven't quite committed to yet but would like to do someday. Places to see, people to meet, books to read, and alike. I call it my tickler file, for things that I have not yet scheduled into my calendar. I add things as I come to think of them and I review the file frequently.

On The Shoulders Of Giants

A lifetime is a too short a period to learn everything we need to know first hand. Isaac Newton said his discoveries were based on the accumulated knowledge of them that went before him. You do well to learn from others' experience as well. If you can't meet people in person, because of time or distance, you can still listen to their stories or read their books. Learn and you too can stand on the shoulders of giants.

Your First Job Is You

In the safety drill you listen to before an airplane takes off, they instruct you to put on your own oxygen mask first, in case of an emergency, before you go on to help children and other passengers. In relationships it is the same thing; look after yourself first. When you are happy with yourself chances are others will be happy with you too.

Develop An Attitude Of Gratitude

There are many things in life to be grateful for. Your life may not be perfect but come on, tons of things in your life are going great! Try to come up with at least three things, every day, that you can be grateful for. As you develop this attitude you become more positive and prepare yourself for greater things to come.

Identify Time Wasters

Most people waste a lot of time without realizing it. They complain about not having enough time and yet they hang around the water cooler at work. When they come home the average person spends over two hours watching television every night. See if you can spot the time wasters of yours. I bet you can improve your productivity with at least 10% when you do.

Take Responsibility For The Team

An immature leader takes the credit for his team's achievements and blame them for their failures. They forget that as leader you are responsible for the performance of the team. You picked them for the job. A good leader will give his team credit for their successes and take responsibility for their failures.