Professor McDermott’s… Guidelines for a successful career… and a happy life

Recognize the importance of the “little things” Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things… I am tempted to think… there are no little things - Bruce Barton

Be a people builder

Build your subordinates Choose subordinates who are smarter than you Help them move up the organization

Support your boss Analyze your boss and try to supplement his or her weaknesses Let your boss take the credit If he or she moves up, so will you

Don’t criticize your predecessor

Remember that how you do something is often as important as what you do! Contrary to popular belief, the shortest distance between two points is usually not a straight line.

Axiom… It isn’t enough to be sincere, one must be right… It isn’t enough to be right, one must be effective!

Build teams Don’t select someone who is just like you Education Temperament Viewpoint Willingness to take risks

Be optimistic Great leaders are optimists That doesn’t mean you have to take a Pollyanna approach to life

Recognize the importance of attitude! Your life is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens. - John Homer Miller

Attitude The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind. - William James

Be careful with confidences If you say something behind a person’s back, it will not only get back to him or her but in an exaggerated form

Get all the facts before you act

Focus on the right question Is it more important than the right answer ? ? ?

Listen more, talk less

Re-evaluate old “truths” Things change Be open to new viewpoints Don’t think in clichés Don’t be trendy

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes

Allow other to make mistakes If you don’t People won’t take risks Employees won’t innovate Employees will spend their time finger pointing, trying to find ways to cover themselves instead of ding the creative things the organization needs done to grow

Allow other to make mistakes If your subordinates never make a mistake they aren’t Innovating Stretching Growing

Mistakes That doesn’t mean we make stupid mistakes or that we make the same mistake twice That doesn’t mean we make mistakes because we haven’t done our homework

Be a doer When all is said and done, usually more is said than done…

Be a ‘doer’ Success… seems to be connected with action. Successful men keep moving. They make mistakes by they don’t quit. - Conrad Hilton

Develop a service orientation The greatest is he or she who serves

Be considerate Years ago I preferred clever people. There was a joy in beholding…a mind…bearing thoughts quickly translated into words, or ideas expressed in a new way. I find now that my taste has changed. Verbal fireworks often bore me. They seem motivated by self-assertion and self display. I now prefer another type of person; one who is considerate, understanding of others, careful not to break down another person’s self respect…My preferred person today is one who is always aware of the needs of others, or their pain and fear of unhappiness, and their search for self-respect…I once like clever people. Now I like good people. - Solomon Bennet Freehof

Have integrity Realize that organization's corrupt Remember that people get involved in wrong doing one step at a time Live conservatively so you can walk away from a situation that becomes unsavory

Rationalizations It is owed to me Everyone else is doing it The good cause Loyalty to boss or organization

Loyalty We love people, but we’re loyal to principles.

Have integrity Don’t bear false witness – don’t color the other side’s position Don’t manipulate people Don’t dig pits for other people, stay away from unsavory coalitions Make an early commitment to be a person of integrity even if it hurts your career

Try to always maintain Balance Perspective

The End Everyone will experience the consequences of his own acts. If his acts are right, he’ll get good consequences. If they’re not, he’ll suffer for it. - Harry Browne