Thursday, May 19, 2011

Best advice I've been given

I'm in a reflective mood this morning.

Recalling some of the best pieces of advice I've been given by people I've worked with and for. And from people outside of work.

These are the ones that stick out.

Procrastination is the thief of time. From my year 7 English teacher. At the time I thought he was nuts. But I've never forgotten it. We all do it. Put things off we don't want to do or are just too hard.

"I don't have time", is the stock standard response.

The best rebuttal to this is, you have time, you're just choosing to use it in a different way.

Just get on with it. Those that do achieve more than those who don't.

Act the role you want to be, not just the role you are. I think this applies to life generally, but certainly in the work environment.

No point complaining about why that promotion hasn't come your way if you haven't stepped up. This is about controlling your own path. Tenacious and ambitious people do more than what they're required to do. They look to the next level up and morph into that role, while still fulfilling their own.

Judge people by the best thing they've done, not the worst. It's easy to get caught up in the minutiae of detail when someone does something you don't like. But stop and think whether that's truly reflective of who they are, on balance. Or perhaps it was just a blip. Out of the ordinary. It'll certainly help your relationships, in the office included.

What are some of the pearls of wisdom that have stuck with you? I'd love to hear them.

Jonathon

3 comments:

Ted Grigg said...

My father expressed a similar idea when he told me this.

"Son, you should remember that successful people do things unsuccessful don't like to do."

And severe procrastination is the not the hallmark of most successful people I know.

Anonymous said...

A lecturer of mine said it's much easier to destroy something than to identify how it could be improved. He had previously been renowned for hilarious, savage reviews in the national press but decided it was the wrong thing to do.

Every time I'm tempted to vent irritation on someone else's effort, I think of him and try to help rather than indulge myself.

Jonathon Grapsas said...

Thanks for your terrific comments guys, great points. Appreciate you sharing.