Golden Rules for Career Success

Richard Moran working as a business consultant all over the world, have discovered some basic career-related rules that everyone should know-but many don't.

• Business is made up of ambiguous victories and nebulous defeats.Claim them all as victories.


• Keep track of what you do; someone is sure to ask.


• Be comfortable around managers, or learn to fake it.


• Never bring your boss a problem without some solution.


• You are getting paid to think, not to whine.


• Long hours don't mean anything; results count, not effort.


• Write down ideas; they get lost, like good pens.


• Always arrive at work 30 minutes before your boss.


• Help other people network for jobs. You never know when your turn will come.


• Don't take days off sick-unless you are.


• Assume no one can/will keep a secret.


• Know when you do your best-morning, night, under pressure, relaxed; schedule and prioritize your work accordingly.


• Treat everyone who works in the organization with respect and dignity, whether it be the cleaner or the managing director. Don't ever be patronizing.


• Never appear stressed in front of a client, a customer or your boss. Take a deep breath and ask yourself: In the course of human events, how important is this?


• If you get the entrepreneurial urge, visit someone who has his own business. It may cure you.


• Acknowledging someone else's contribution will repay you doubly.


• Career planning is an oxymoron. The most exciting opportunities tend to be unplanned.


• Always choose to do what you'll remember ten years from now.


• The size of your office is not as important as the size of your pay cheque.


• Understand what finished work looks like and deliver your work only when it is finished.


• The person who spends all of his or her time is not hard-working; he or she is boring.


• Know how to write business letters-including thank-you notes as well as proposals.


• Never confuse a memo with reality. Most memos from the top are political fantasy..


• Eliminate guilt. Don't fiddle expenses, taxes or benefits, and don't cheat colleagues.


• Reorganizations mean that someone will lose his or her job.Get on the committee that will make the recommendations.


• Job security does not exist. Always have an answer to the question, "What would I do if I lost my job tomorrow?"


• Go to the company Christmas party. But Don't get drunk at the company party.


• Avoid working at weekends. Work longer during the week if you have to.


• The most successful people in business are interesting.


• Sometimes you'll be on a winning streak and everything will click; take maximum advantage. When the opposite is true, hold steady and wait it out.


• Never in your life say, "It's not my job."


• Be loyal to your career, your interests and yourself.


• Understand the skills and abilities that set you apart. Use them whenever you have an opportunity.


• People remember the end of the project. As they say in boxing, "Always finish stronger than you start."