73 Best Business and Success Lessons

Courtesy Robin’s 73 Best Business and Success Lessons

1. You can really Lead Without a Title.
2. Knowing what to do and not doing it is the same as not knowing what to do.
3. Give away what you most wish to receive.
4. The antidote to stagnation is innovation.
5. The conversations you are most resisting are the conversations you most need to be having.
6. Leadership is no longer about position – but passion. It’s no longer about image but impact. This is Leadership 2.0.
7. The bigger the dream, the more important to the team.
8. Visionaries see the “impossible” as the inevitable.
9. All great thinkers are initially ridiculed – and eventually revered.
10. The more you worry about being applauded by others and making money, the less you’ll focus on doing the great work that will generate applause. And make you money.
11. To double your net worth, double your self-worth. Because you will never exceed the height of your self-image.
12. The more messes you allow into your life, the more messes will become a normal (and acceptable) part of your life.
13. The secret to genius is not genetics but daily practice married with relentless perseverance.
14. The best leaders lift people up versus tear people down.
15. The most precious resource for businesspeople is not their time. It’s their energy. Manage it well.
16. The fears you run from run to you.
17. The most dangerous place is in your safety zone.
18. The more you go to your limits, the more your limits will expand.
19. Every moment in front of a customer is a gorgeous opportunity to live your values.
20. Be so good at what you do that no one else in the world can do what you do.
21. You’ll never go wrong in doing what is right.
22. It generally takes about 10 years to become an overnight sensation.
23. Never leave the site of a strong idea without doing something to execute around it.
24. A strong foundation at home sets you up for a strong foundation at work.
25. Never miss a moment to encourage someone you work with.
26. Saying “I’ll try” really means “I’m not really committed.”
27. The secret of passion is purpose.
28. Do a few things at mastery versus many things at mediocrity.
29. To have the rewards that very few have, do the things that very few people are willing to do.
30. Go where no one’s gone and leave a trail of excellence behind you.
31. Who you are becoming is more important than what you are accumulating.
32. Accept your teammates for what they are and inspire them to become all they can be.
33. To triple the growth of your organization, triple the growth of your people.
34. The best leaders are the most dedicated learners. Read great books daily. Investing in your self-development is the best investment you will ever make.
35. Other people’s opinions of you are none of your business.
36. Change is hardest at the beginning, messiest in the middle and best at the end.
37. Measure your success by your inner scorecard versus an outer one.
38. Understand the acute difference between the cost of something and the value of something.
39. Nothing fails like success. Because when you are at the top, it’s so easy to stop doing the very things that brought you to the top.
40. The best leaders blend courage with compassion.
41. The less you are like others, the less others will like you.
42. You’ll never go wrong in doing what’s right.
43. Excellence in one area is the beginning of excellence in every area.
44. The real reward for doing your best work is not the money you make but the leader you become.
45. Passion + production = performance.
46. The value of getting to your goals lives not in reaching the goal but what the talents/strengths/capabilities the journey reveals to you.
47. Stand for something. Or else you’ll fall for anything.
48. Say “thank you” when you’re grateful and “sorry” when you’re wrong.
49. Make the work you are doing today better than the work you did yesterday.
50. Small daily – seemingly insignificant – improvements and innovations lead to staggering achievements over time.
51. Peak performers replace depletion with inspiration on a daily basis.
52. Take care of your relationships and the sales/money will take care of itself.
53. You can’t be great if you don’t feel great. Make exceptional health your #1 priority.
54. Doing the difficult things that you’ve never done awakens the talents you never knew you had.
55. As we each express our natural genius, we all elevate our world.
56. Your daily schedule reflects your deepest values.
57. People do business with people who make them feel special.
58. All things being equal, the primary competitive advantage of your business will be your ability to grow Leaders Without Titles faster than your industry peers.
59. Treat people well on your way up and they’ll treat you well on your way down.
60. Success lies in a masterful consistency around a few fundamentals. It really is simple. Not easy. But simple.
61. The business (and person) who tries to be everything to everyone ends up being nothing to anyone.
62. One of the primary tactics for enduring winning is daily learning.
63. To have everything you want, help as many people as you can possibly find get everything they want.
64. Understand that a problem is only a problem if you choose to view it as a problem (vs. an opportunity).
65. Clarity precedes mastery. Craft clear and precise plans/goals/deliverables. And then block out all else.
66. The best in business spend far more time on learning than in leisure.
67. Lucky is where skill meets persistence.
68. The best Leaders Without a Title use their heads and listen to their hearts.
69. The things that are hardest to do are often the things that are the best to do.
70. Every single person in the world could be a genius at something, if they practiced it daily for at least ten years (as confirmed by the research of Anders Ericsson and others).
71. Daily exercise is an insurance policy against future illness. The best Leaders Without Titles are the fittest.
72. Education is the beginning of transformation. Dedicate yourself to daily learning via books/audios/seminars and coaching.
73. The quickest way to grow the sales of your business is to grow your people.

60 TIPS FOR A STUNNINGLY GREAT LIFE

People struggle to keep up to their promises that they made earlier to themselves. We laugh at ourself and say well 'to err is human!!'. Then we look up to the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and ask ourselves whats in him that makes him an idol? Following are the 60 tips, courtesy 60 TIPS FOR A STUNNINGLY GREAT LIFE 

1. Exercise daily.

2. Get serious about gratitude.

3. See your work as a craft.

4. Expect the best and prepare for the worst.

5. Keep a journal.

6. Read “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin”.

7. Plan a schedule for your week.

8. Know the 5 highest priorities of your life.

9. Say no to distractions.

10. Drink a lot of water.

11. Improve your work every single day.

12. Get a mentor.

13. Hire a coach.

14. Get up at 5 am each day.

15. Eat less food.

16. Find more heroes.

17. Be a hero to someone.

18. Smile at strangers.

19. Be the most ethical person you know.

20. Don’t settle for anything less than excellence.

21. Savor life’s simplest pleasures.

22. Save 10% of your income each month.

23. Spend time at art galleries.

24. Walk in the woods.

25. Write thank you letters to those who’ve helped you.

26. Forgive those who’ve wronged you.

27. Remember that leadership is about influence and impact, not title and accolades.

28. Create unforgettable moments with those you love.

29. Have 5 great friends.

30. Become stunningly polite.

31. Unplug your TV.

32. Sell your TV.

33. Read daily.

34. Avoid the news.

35. Be content with what you have.

36. Pursue your dreams.

37. Be authentic.

38. Be passionate.

39. Say sorry when you know you should.

40. Never miss a moment to celebrate another.

41. Have a vision for your life.

42. Know your strengths.

43. Focus your mind on the good versus the lack.

44. Be patient.

45. Don’t give up.

46. Clean up your messes.

47. Use impeccable words.

48. Travel more.

49. Read “As You Think”.

50. Honor your parents.

51. Tip taxi drivers well.

52. Be a great teammate.

53. Give no energy to critics.

54. Spent time in the mountains.

55. Know your top 5 values.

56. Shift from being busy to achieving results.

57. Innovate and iterate.

58. Speak less. Listen more.

59. Be the best person you know.

60. Make your life matter.

Story Of Appreciation !!!

One young academically excellent person went to apply for a managerial position in a big company. 

He passed the first interview; the director did the last interview, made the last decision.

The director discovered from the CV that the youth's academic achievements were excellent all the way, from the secondary school until the postgraduate research, never had a year when he did not score. The director asked, "Did you obtain any scholarships in school?" the youth answered "none". The director asked, “Was it your father who paid for your school fees?"  The youth answered, "My father passed away when I was one year old, it was my mother who paid for my school fees.  The director asked, " Where did your mother work?" The youth answered, "My  mother worked as clothes cleaner. The director requested the youth to show his hands. The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.  The director asked, " Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?" The youth answered, "Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me. The director said, "I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean your mother's hands, and then see me tomorrow morning.*

The youth felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went back, he happily requested his mother to let him clean her hands. His mother felt strange, happy but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands to the kid. The youth cleaned his mother's hands slowly. His tear fell as he did that.  It was the first time he noticed that his mother's hands were so wrinkled, and there were so many bruises in her hands. Some bruises were so painful that his mother shivered when they were cleaned with water.

This was the first time the youth realized that it was this pair of hands that washed the clothes everyday to enable him to pay the school fee. The bruises in the mother's hands were the price that the mother had to pay for his graduation, academic excellence and his future.

After finishing the cleaning of his mother hands, the youth quietly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother.  That night, mother and son talked for a very long time.  Next morning, the youth went to the director's office.

 The Director noticed the tears in the youth's eyes, asked: " Can you tell me what have you done and learned yesterday in your house?"  The youth answered, " I cleaned my mother's hand, and also finished  cleaning all the remaining clothes' 

The Director asked, " please tell me your feelings." The youth said, Number 1, I know now what appreciation is. Without my mother, there would not the successful me today. Number 2, by working together and helping my mother, only I now realize how difficult and tough it is to get something done. Number 3, I have come to appreciate the importance and value of family relationship.

The director said, " This is what I am looking for to be my manager. I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the sufferings of others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life. You are hired.

Later on, this young person worked very hard, and received the respect of his subordinates. Every employee worked diligently and as a team. The company's performance improved tremendously.

Moral: A child, who has been protected and habitually given whatever he wanted, would develop "entitlement mentality" and would always put himself first. He would be ignorant of his parent's efforts. When he starts work, he assumes that every person must listen to him, and when he becomes a manager, he would never know the sufferings of his employees and would always blame others. For this kind of people, who may be good academically, may be successful for a while, but eventually would not feel sense of achievement. He will grumble and be full of hatred and fight for more. If we are this kind of protective parents, are we really showing love or are we destroying the kid instead?

You can let your kid live in a big house, eat a good meal, learn piano, watch a big screen TV. But when you are cutting grass, please let them experience it. After a meal, let them wash their plates and bowls together with their brothers and sisters. It is not because you do not have money to hire a maid, but it is because you want to love them in a right way. You want them to understand, no matter how rich their parents are, one day their hair will grow gray, same as the mother of that young person. 

The most important thing is your kid learns how to appreciate the effort and experience the difficulty and learns the ability to work with others to get things done.

Whats Playing On My iPod

Wish List For Year 2010

Everybody has their own wish list for the coming year 2010 and I am no exception.
so here it goes:

- No more recession, if fact I don't want to hear or see this word in the dictionary
- More number of jobs in every sector
- No more negative news making headlines
- No more terrorist groups, lay down those ugly weapons
- A greener planet
- More wide-spread development in rural places
- More younger and educated politicians
- Less politics at work place, thoda bohut toh chalta hai.
- More 'girls' at work place :D
- More 'Aamir Khan' and 'James Cameron' (Avatar fame) movies
- More 'Megan Fox' and less 'Rakhi Sawant'
- Cheaper 'Apple' MAC products
- Leave 'Tiger Woods' alone. Its his personal life.
- Finally, something for me. More friends ....

HAPPY NEW YEAR, 2010 :D

4 Idiots

No this one is not about '3 idiots' movie. Its about actual idiots due to which daily life has become tough in Hyderabad. They are:

1. Telengana Rashtriya Samithi (Lead by Honorable idiot KCR), an ego-centric maniacs. These guys just want to get into power and take control of rich real-estate land owned by Andhra guys.
2. Osmania University Students (Lead by idiotic Arts college students). They have no jobs coz they don't have heart to compete. Of course no brains too.
3. And last but not the least are the idiots who are sitting in New Delhi(UPA), who nodded for initiating talks of making seperate state Telengana just to the fear of fake hunger strike by first idiot, KCR.
4. Wondering who is the forth idiot, are those politicians from other states who are seeing this as an oppertunity and asking for seperate state.

God give me a break. Grow up guys. Imagine how perfect the world would have been with no language barriers, no boundaries, no regional barriers. The whole planet is ours and marking lines on it is like marking lines in your heart. But then who is listening to me, may be I am making a 5th Idiot of myself.

Stuffs you should follow at your job

I have gone through this interesting article, which says a lot of things about how to behave/work/react at your job/company. I have cut/paste some notes out here, hoping that it will help others.

• If other people are going to be impacted by you failing, you need to tell them first.
• If you’re working in an environment/team where everyone is afraid to make the smallest mistake and tiptoes around - leave! The same holds if your manager brings up your smallest of transgressions in your performance review.
• When you do screw up, admit it up front. Send a mail out saying “I screwed up here”. Take the blame and move on, rather than trying to hide it.
• Whether you’re a developer or not, you need to be on all the checkin mailing lists, all the team mailing lists. You need to be trying out the latest daily builds. You need to be engaged.
• Code is king. You got to have some idea about its structure, no matter you're developer or not.
• If you know how to use a debugger, set a few breakpoints and learn how the different pieces fit together.
• Lone wolf Syndrome: Take a moment everyday to walk around your offices. Drop in and find out what people are up to. Talk about what you’re doing. you’ll gain enough trust that people know that they can depend on you to deliver on time.
• Our industry is one that fundamentally changes every few years or so. The worst thing you can do is to not keep up and let yourself stagnate. Download the latest hot programming language, web framework, browser plugin, whatever.
• ‘Not having time’ is not an excuse.
• The teams that die out at Microsoft are the ones who don’t keep up with changing tech world. One warning sign is if everyone in a team has worked on the same thing for over a decade. It is almost always a sign you need some fresh blood to shake up the thinking.
• New team? Pick people over products. Whenever I decide to move on to doing something different, I'll look for the people I want to work with first. Relationships you form with great team mates stick around with you for a long, long time.
• Get out of your comfort zone. I’m a big believer that the only way you ever get to grow is to do things outside of your comfort zone. Be it people, places, programming languages or your job - try and do something you haven’t done before.
• Ask the uncomfortable questions. Most times, you’ll have a much more productive conversation by stating the obvious question everyone’s skirting around.
• Go say 'Hi'. Any large organization has a number of interesting people. Go and meet every one of them. Find out what they’re working on. Get them to tell you stories of the ‘good ol’ days’. Get them to rant on things they hate now. Learn from them.
• Praise in public, pull down pants in private. praise is always something that should be done in public. In fact, people consistently underestimate the value of letting someone know that you appreciate what they’ve done.
• It is always OK to criticize someone’s idea in public. It is to be expected. However, something you should never ever do is to criticize the person themselves in public. Have an issue with someone’s attitude or performance? Have the conversation behind closed doors.
• Best things are taken, not given. Make sure the right people knew exactly what you did. If you don’t make the effort to make sure your seniors have the right input (and this might be as simple as knocking on their door and saying ‘Check out what I built), don’t be surprised if things don’t go in your favor.
• The most important lesson of all is this - don’t be an asshole. Lots of smart people tend to develop rude, antagonistic behavior patterns. Sometimes, they’re just jerks by nature. Be nice. The key is to critique someone’s work/ideas without critiquing the person themselves. That however is a hard trick to pick up.