Do You Have An Updated Curriculum Vitae?

Always have an current Curriculum Vitae available. Make sure it is pristine and crisp condition amended with newly acquired capabilities and your latest assignments and achievements. When looking for a new job, the job of a CV is to get you to the interview. The CV can also be useful as a promotional tool and serve as a means of introduction for you. Why don't you spend a little time freshening up your CV and have it ready, just in case?

Sharpen Your Axe

Always be working on yourself as an improvement project. Never stop learning. Invest the time and keep upgrading your skills. There is this old story about the Scandinavian lumber jacks cutting down trees in the North American forest. The moral of the story is that the guy that took time from a busy schedule to sharpen his axe managed to cut down more trees in less time than the others toiling all day with dull axes. Make sure to sharpen yours.

You Are A Diplomat

Always be a diplomat for the company you work for. You are a representative for the company to the outside world. Realize there are pros and cons with every organization but make sure you can stand behind your company's core values. Always defend and stand up for them. Diplomacy is said to be the art of getting people to do it your way. Go the extra mile for your company just like you do for your customers.

Closed Loop Communication

Make it a habit to close the loop in any communication you are involved in. Always acknowledge you received, understood, read or acted upon what was said. This is particularly important when you are dealing with asynchronous communication such as e-mail or voice tagging on the mobile phone. In the military they understood the value of closed loop communication; "over and out".

Managing Expectations

One of the keys to success is managing other people's expectations. Make sure you are only communicating expectations you are certain you can meet. Let everyone know what you will achieve and then deliver. It is almost always better to lower expectations upfront and then surpass those expectations later on. This is what a good sales person is doing all the time. It is better to under promise and over deliver than the other way around.

The Money Time Trade

When you are young and starting out in your career you trade your time for money. Usually you have plenty of time and no money. As you advance throughout your professional life, typically learning in your twenties, contributing in your thirties and leading in your forties, you tend to end up with more money but less time on your hand. Gradually switch to trading your money back for time when your time becomes much more valuable than the cost of labor to help you out.

What You Can Measure You Can Achieve

Always convert your goals into something tangible you can measure. Hard facts are easy to convert to money, time, distance or weight to mention some of the most common. On the softer issues, like becoming a better listener or "a better person", figure out a good proxy for the skill you are trying to improve. For example; if we would be talking about your capability to listen without arguing back, how would you measure your progress? What you decide to measure you can decide to achieve!