Years ago I worked for a guy, Don Liedtke, who published a similar list, one which I have taken and modified to be my own. When mentoring young executives, I share this with them and encourage them to make it their own as well.
One – Understand your contract – perfectly. Keep a bound copy close at hand. Mark it up. Test your knowledge.
Two – Follow the Plan. If you don’t know the Plan, you cannot follow it. Ask. Then follow.
Three – Manage the contract and sub-contractors as if you owned the business. Our bonus plans ensure that you do own the business, so act like it.
Four – You are what you measure. Measure everything. Take notes, journalize, and then feedback what you’ve learned. Metricize.
Five – Improve your operation – everyday. Eliminate clutter. If it isn’t used, throw it away. If it ain’t broke, break it anyway and see what happens. Bump into power buttons. Go forth and fail. In order to profit from your mistakes, you have to get out and make some. In other words, do something, anything, and worry about failure another time.
Six – Every employee is critical – treat them that way. And when you fall short, as we all do, apologize quickly and move on.
Seven – Be ethical – always. We may talk about things that aren’t, but at the end of the day what we do is a direct reflection of who we are.
Eight – Make your numbers. Or try to anyway. This is sometimes trumped by the need to keep your customer satisfied and serviced. But try.
Nine – Make sure our Customer is satisfied. Ask. Delve. Manage to a Customer Satisfaction Plan. And remember that not everyone is satisfied all the time. It fluxes.
Ten – Deliver outstanding performance – no matter what. A no-brainer. Make it happen.
Thoughts? In business I referred to it everyday. Work for me. How about you?
