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gari jenkins

 

 

 #1

Do your most important job first each day


It seems so simple but hardly anyone does it! But doing this one thing will make you so much more effective.

There’s an interesting story about this. In the 1930s the steel magnate Charles Schwabb had a meeting with a young entrepreneur. This young man offered to teach Schwabb a way to increase his entire company’s productivity. All he asked in return was that Schwabb pay him what he thought it was worth.

The idea? Just write down the six most important things you should do each day and do number one first, before going on to number two. After trying this incredibly basic technique for a few weeks Schwabb sent the young man a cheque for $25,000.

 

 

 #2

Become a specialist, not a generalist


Decades ago generalists ruled the roost. Their knowledge in many fields gave them the competitive edge. But now most industries are getting so complicated that only when you specialise are you likely to be acknowledged as the best in your field.

 

Better to be a master of one important area than an also-ran in three areas. Become a specialist, not a generalist.

 

 

 #3

Dress like the person above you in the company


If you look and act like someone more senior than you are, when the time comes for promotional reviews, it’s easy for your boss to visualise you in a more senior position.

 

If you dress like a junior, your boss will always see you as one.

 

 

 #4

Keep meetings under ten minutes


Impossible? Try it, you’ll be amazed at how often you can pull it off. And there are great advantages. A ten-minute time limit on meetings forces people to think about the issues they want to discuss prior to the meeting’s commencement.


It also stops people babbling on with irrelevancies.


Thirdly, it forces you to concentrate, and thus the resulting ideas are often better.


Two tips to speed up meetings:
 - Have an agenda presented prior to the meeting, notifying  

   participants of a start and finish time.
 - Do the meeting standing up.

 

 

 #5

Always let the boss know what you’ve done


The secret of success in a corporation is not doing a good job. It’s doing a good job and making sure your boss knows about it!


Many a middle-ranked executive has failed to make it to the top because they neglected to keep the boss closely informed about all the good things they were up to.


On the other hand, many mediocre workers have been promoted because they constantly let their boss know about their successes.
Get smart, and get communicating. As long as you don’t gloat, you are your own best advertisement.

 

 

 #6

Read five business magazines a month


I know, I know, they’re expensive, but just think about this:
If you read five business magazines a month you’ll have read 60 a year, and probably over 6000 pages of business information. Isn’t it likely that somewhere in all those pages will he at least 20 to 30 great ideas for your business? Maybe even 10 to 20 superb ideas for a new business as well.


You may think you do not have time to read that much: if so, make time. Reading is vital, virtually all the great leaders do it, it just goes with the job.


If you’re not up to date with your industry, and those who lead it, your chances of excelling in that industry are, frankly, minimal.

 

 

 #7

Dominate meetings by asking questions


This is a very powerful and little known fact. The person who asks the most questions is usually the one in control of the meeting. The simple reason is that the questions have to be answered, and people naturally begin to direct their conversation to the questioner. The questioner thus becomes the focus of the meeting.


Try it, you’ll be amazed at how well it works.

 

 

 #8

Do more than you’re paid for


The world is full of people who only do what their official job entails. This may mean they can leave work earlier but it leads to a life of very mediocre achievement.

 

If you really want to achieve in your career, you have to do more than you’re asked. It seems such an obvious thing to say, but so few people ever do it! If you work harder than you’re asked to, and do more than other people in your office do, it’s virtually guaranteed you’ll get the pay rises and promotions you desire. But if all you do is your job, do you really deserve a pay rise at all?

 

 

 #9

Act like you’re an expert in your field


A tactic otherwise known as ‘Fake it till you make it!’


In business, indeed in life, people are always looking for people who look like they know what they’re doing. In a world of ever increasing complexity, people are craving certainty. One of the ways to get that certainty is to surround yourself with experts.


To be successful, you need to look like you’re one of those experts.
Now you may be years from mastering your field, but if you can practise looking, talking, moving and generally behaving like an expert you’ll make a lot more progress up the career ladder.


Rest assured, all the greats acted like they had made it, before they actually made it. In fact it often became a self-fulfilling prophecy. As the Hollywood legend Cary Grant once remarked, ‘I acted like Cary Grant for so long, I became him.’

 

 

 #10

Have a memorable business card


Ninety percent of company business cards are dead boring. No wonder most people throw them away.

 

Get a card that’s a little different. Not silly, but memorable. Prospective clients will not only be more likely to keep the card, they’re also more likely to remember the person who gave it to them.

 

 


Uncommon Sense

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