Somethings to Remember

Work Ethics:

• Integrity means doing what is right, even if it is unpopular, unfashionable, and unprofitable. Actually, especially when it is unpopular, unfashionable, and unprofitable.
  Develop a reputation for honesty and integrity. If you have failed in these areas in the past, your new job is an opportunity to start fresh. It is a reputation you must earn over time. And live up to that reputation at all times, at work and everywhere else.
• Don’t use profanity, even when others do.
• Never tell dirty jokes, racist jokes, or sexist jokes. And simply walk away from those who attempt to share them with you. True ethics are not situational.
• Make good on your promises.
• If you are not sure you can deliver, don’t promise.
• If you are not sure, don’t do it. That’s your conscience talking. Listen closely.
• Always seek the good in others, and they will be more likely to find it in you.

Interpersonal skills:

• Talk 20 percent and listen 80 percent. And avoid those who talk 100 percent.
• Always take the opportunity to praise others who are worthy of praise. If someone has done well, take the time to compliment them. Praise publicly. In front of others whenever possible. And copy their boss if your praise is via e-mail.
• When someone is telling you a story, don’t interrupt. And don’t try to upstage them with a better story of your own.
• Smile. A lot. Even when you feel like frowning.
• If someone is confrontational with you, avoid the confrontation. Take time to cool off before you respond.
• Be the person in your office who makes everyone else smile. Everyone loves a cheerful person.
• Look for solutions, not problems. Anyone can identify problems.
• When someone compliments you for your work, don’t say “It was nothing” or try to talk them out of it. Just say “Thank you” with a smile and move on. Nothing more, nothing less.
• Life isn’t fair. And sometimes work isn’t either. There will be some days when just getting through the day is the best you can do. Wait until tomorrow to see if things clear up. They usually do.
• Don’t be a complainer. Every work environment has a person who somehow feels responsible to fill the role of office complainer. Let someone else fill that role. And ignore them when they attempt to practice their art upon you.
• When you are unhappy on the inside, do your best to stay happy on the outside. You will eventually turn inside out.

Office politics:

• Show respect for your boss in everything you do. Don’t join in when others are boss bashing. It can be contagious.
• As a subordinate, you must be willing to submit to the plans of others. Submission is not found in obeying the requests of those with whom you are in agreement. True submission is found in obeying another when you are not in agreement.
• The work washroom is located at work. Don’t let your conversation change to match the surroundings.
• When you are personally complimented for something that was a team effort, always give proper credit to the team.
• When others begin to criticize, fight the urge to join in the slaughter.
• Be a builder, not a destroyer.

Education and training:

• Know and understand the company training and development program. And take advantage of it.
• Seek to match your training with immediate application of what you have learned. Apply it and it’s yours forever. Don’t apply it and it’s lost.
• Continue your education. Even if you do not pursue a formal degree, make learning a lifelong vocation. What you learn will affect what you earn.
• If you are a “hunt and peck” typist, learn to type properly. It will save you immeasurable time over the course of your career. And keep you from looking silly.
• Become fully computer literate. You don’t have to be a computer wizard, but you do need to become proficient in the use of technology in your work. Stay ahead of the technology curve.
• Learn to become a team player. College rewards individual performance. Employers reward team performance.
• You probably don’t know nearly as much as you think you know. It often takes the maturity of a lifetime to come to this realization, but if you are willing to acknowledge this fact early in life, you will capture a lifetime of learning and growth.

Financial:

• There is more to life than the endless accumulation of wealth. There will never be enough money. You must find your wealth elsewhere in your life.
• Money does not buy happiness. Happiness is found in being content with who you are and what you have.
• Sign up for your 401(k) plan as soon as possible and have 10–15 percent automatically deducted from your paycheck. You will never have it, so you will never miss it. And you will be well taken care of later in life while others continue to struggle just to survive.
• Always pay your bills on time. Especially credit cards. And student loans. An unblemished credit record is an asset that should be cherished and protected.
• Don’t run a monthly balance on your credit card. If you can’t pay it off, don’t buy it.
• When someone offers you “the opportunity of a lifetime” in the form of multi-level marketing (a/k/a MLM, a/k/a network marketing), save your time and professional reputation with a polite yet firm “No thanks.”
• Regarding any financial venture or investment, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Extracurricular:

• Limit yourself to one glass of beer or wine when dining out with coworkers or clients. And wait for someone else to order liquor first—don’t be the only one.
• Don’t drink at all at the holiday party or other company social activities—besides, it’s much more fun to watch others who are drinking.
• Beware of office romances. Keep personal matters outside the work environment.
• Join a health club. Go before work, during lunch, or after work two or three times a week. It will increase your level of energy in your life. You will look better and feel better.
  Skills for a lifetime:
• Life is never exactly what we want it to be. Life just is. It is what we make of life that will bring it nearer to what we want it to be.
• You are the best investment you will ever have. The dividends received on this investment will pay you back for the rest of your life.
• Be proactive in planning for the future. To gain things in the future, you need to pursue them today.
• Expect great things from yourself and hope for great things in others.
• Set goals in your life. Break down your long-term goals into near-term goals. Then break down your near-term goals into annual goals. Then break down your annual goals into monthly goals. Then break down your monthly goals into weekly goals. Then break down your weekly goals into daily goals. Then break down your daily goals into specific tasks which will lead to results. And make sure it is all down on paper. Then do it. You are on your way to accomplishing all the goals in your life.
• Be observant—learn from the mistakes of others so that they are not repeated in your life.
  When you do make mistakes, take responsibility for them immediately. Denial will only prolong and intensify the error. Acknowledge you were wrong and move on. And do your best not to make the same mistake again.
• Every journey begins with a single step. And with each new step, the objective comes into clearer view.
• Don’t put your ballet shoes in the attic. Do your best to keep your life multifaceted.
• Always give back to those who are less fortunate than you. No matter how hard you have worked to get where you are now, there is always someone who has not had the same opportunities that you have had in life. Do your best to give to help meet the needs of others.
• Stop to smell the roses. And drink in of their fragrance until it emanates from within you.
• t’s not where you start out in life—it’s where you end up.

• And finally, always remember that work should never be your sole purpose in life. No one ever said on their death bed, “I wish I would have spent more time at the office.”