Advice for managers by a leading author

"Winners always put in extra effort even when it hurts"

"Preferences are negotiable, convictions are not"
"Less than 5 per cent people have written goals... the balance 95 per cent work for them"
"Where one will be five years from now shall depend on two things: the books one reads
and the company one keeps"
1. Take pride in performance
People who take pride in their performance hold themselves accountable to much higher
standards than others do. They always strive to do the right thing, first time every time. To
them, good is not good enough.
2. Get involved
Remember, 'If we are not part of the solution then we are the problem'. There are people
who have a habit of constantly criticizing anything and everything no matter where they
are. They only want to criticize without taking any corrective measures. However, if one
does not want to get involved then one has no right to criticize. Either get involved or shut
up.
3. Always put in extra efforts
If we read through the life history of the most successful people, we will find they have all
lived by one principle and that is, "I shall always give more than what I get, to my family,
my organization, my customers and my society".
Winners always put in extra effort even when it hurts. Nobody has become a champion in
this world without putting in the extra effort. It is the extra that turns the ordinary into
extra ordinary. This principle applies to any profession; Medicine, Law, Accountancy,
Architecture etc. Would one wants to go to an ordinary Surgeon or to an extra ordinary
Surgeon?
4. Take a stand
If we look at the life histories of most great leaders, we will find that they were never
neutral. They always took a stand either for something or against something. They had
conviction. There is a big difference between a preference and a conviction in life.
Preferences are negotiable, convictions are not. Under pressure, a preference becomes
weak whereas a conviction becomes stronger.
5. Be focused
Studies show that less than 5 per cent people have written goals. This means that they are
the only ones who have a very clear destination. The balance 95 per cent work for them
directly or indirectly. Think about it -- how can one reach a destination that one does not
have? Suppose we go to watch a football game where both teams are enthusiastically
charged up ready to play. At this point the referee took the goal post away, what is left of
the game? Nothing! They have no goal post, how does one keeps the score? Destination
determines direction.
6. Choose friends carefully
Sometimes we hear that the leader is good, but his advisors are bad. This statement is not
true. We will find that all over the world, by and large, leaders always choose their own
advisors. Remember we do not get advisors in life of the kind of people we want, we get the
kind of people we are. We don't get friends of the kind of people we want, we get the kind
of people we are. We get attracted to the kind of people who are similar to the kind of
people we ourselves are. Where we will be five years from now shall depend on two things:

the books we read and the company we keep. Today where we are is also the result of the
books we read and the company we kept in the last five years.
7. Build high self esteem
Self esteem is defined as the way we feel about ourselves. We may notice that one day we
get up in the morning feeling good, the world looks nice, productivity goes up, relationships
are a lot better etc. The reverse is just as true. Self esteem is inversely related to egos.
There are two kinds of egos that are destructive.
'The know it all': people with this kind of ego demonstrate arrogance. They put down and
look down upon others. Think about it, why does a human being put down other human
being? It is sadistic but true, there are some people who feel good when the other person
feels bad. They feel superior when the other person feels inferior which means they don't
want to lift themselves up, but they want to pull others down.
The second kind of ego is called the fragile ego, they take anything one says personally and
get hurt.
What do both these egos do to team work? They just destroy it.
8. Build character
Character is something that a person would or would not do even if no one is watching. It is
integrity and authenticity in its true form. There is a big difference between reputation and
character. Reputation is what other people think about us whereas character is what we
know who we are and they can be two totally different things.
Some people are honest because they don't want to get caught telling lies. They are doing
the right things for the wrong reasons. They are only building a reputation.
Some people are honest because they believe it's the right thing to do. They are doing the
right thing for the right reason. That is character.
9. Live purposefully
What is a purpose?
A lifetime goal is called a purpose.
How do we define our purpose?
Supposing we are aged 100 today and we were to look back at our life, what is it that we
want to say, is our accomplishment?
That accomplishment is our purpose. Have a lofty purpose in life. Only a lofty purpose has
the power to move the spirit. Shoot for the moon, even if one misses, one will become a
part of the stars. A great philosopher once said, "I would rather fail in doing something
great then succeed in doing nothing". There is glory in such failure too.
10. Start day on a positive note
Why should we start our day on a positive note every day?
It is because just as our bodies need food every day, our minds need positive thoughts
every day. Starting the day on a positive note sets the tone for the entire day. Staying
positive is like fire; unless we keep adding fuel, it dies out. Similarly if we don't feed our
minds with positive thoughts, everyday, positivity dies out.
Many times you hear that success is tough.
Answer is: Try failing and see if that is easy!
11. Make courtesy a way of life
A courteous person who is not very sharp will go much further in life than a sharp,
discourteous person. Courtesy is made up of little sacrifices in life. Every courtesy has a
moral background. When people practice courtesy as a strategy, they are crooked; they
have ulterior motives. For people with integrity, courtesy is a way of life.