i had a great manager at sas that encouraged me to start jotting down "unwritten rules" which are short little phrases that cue important things. some of the great business minds have little books of these, but i was wondering if anyone else did the same?

i just started a blog based on this principle and was curious. i won't link it [BUY AN AD], but if some of you folks keep them as well, let me know and i might see if you want to start posting them.

e.g.

Quote :

"Eye contact is more important than taking detailed notes. We all know THAT guy. The one who can’t summarize, paraphrase or think intelligently without writing everything down. Stop it. Seriously. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to talk someone through something that is mission critical and see them trying to write things down word for word. Hay guise!!! This is important because I can read all my notes later! If your eyes and mind are focused on relaying notes, you’re no more important than a voice recorder, or typewriter. Make good eye contact, nod if you understand things, and by all means learn to take good notes. It will save you time and help you in your career, as well as alleviating stress on your wrist that some would blame on other activities."

[Edited on April 15, 2008 at 2:54 PM. Reason : example]

4/15/2008 2:53:00 PM

never underestimate the importance of a firm handshake.

4/15/2008 3:08:23 PM

Character is what you do when no one is watching, but someone is.

4/15/2008 3:12:48 PM

fuck buying an ad, half the site is broken. gimme the link!

4/15/2008 3:20:41 PM

talk less

leave early

don't get burned out

4/15/2008 3:47:40 PM

http://www.nutsandboltsofyou.com

if anyone would like to contribute, just pm me...

4/15/2008 4:24:36 PM

Chasing people via e-mail on a daily basis is not only annoying, but unprofessional. Show the same respect to others that you want them to show to you and your schedule.

Staying "close to the credit" only works to get you so far in the organization - you can't get by forever on other people's talent - and people start seeing through this far earlier than you can ever imagine.

Getting super-drunk in front of your co-workers, even if you're in a company that likes to "work hard, play hard" NEVER reflects well on you - drink if you feel you must/want to, but keep it under control - you still are in front of co-workers (or superiors), after all.

4/15/2008 5:32:16 PM

^ i made a total ass of myself by drinking too much last month. i ended up making a call or two apologising for my jackassery just incase i had overdone it

4/15/2008 7:10:43 PM

this could actually be an awesome thread if we keep this up. that was kind of the idea by creating my blog.

4/15/2008 9:49:51 PM

this may be cliche, but its on our wall at work and i like it:

the only thing harder than getting a new customer is regaining an old one.

i forget exactly how its worded, but you get the idea.

[Edited on April 15, 2008 at 11:08 PM. Reason : .]

4/15/2008 11:08:03 PM

So let me get this straight. Looking into someone's eyes and nodding is somehow less vapid than taking detailed notes (or everything in that blog)? Business cliches FTL

Let's all get excited about business speak!!!

[Edited on April 15, 2008 at 11:15 PM. Reason : ,]

4/15/2008 11:11:51 PM

Just thought of another, maybe not as serious:

if you don't like your job you don't strike. You just go in every day and do it really half-assed. That's the American way.

4/15/2008 11:18:10 PM

Quote :

"So let me get this straight. Looking into someone's eyes and nodding is somehow less vapid than taking detailed notes (or everything in that blog)?"

definitely.

i work with a guy that insists on writing down EVERYTHING. he has no abbreviations, he can't summarize anything, he has to write EVERY word and NEVER remembers anything! he doesn't take the time to comprehend what is being said and has to go back and reread it. maybe it's a managerial thing, but it drives me crazy. i have to teach him the same thing four times.

the best mix is eye contact, paying attention, and taking abbreviated notes for the important things. that's where a nice boorum and pease notebook comes in.

i have a business and technical background and i understand that many people think things like these are ridiculous, but as you move into management, you'll see how important some of these cliches are. there are folks on TWW who are much further along in their careers than i am, both with business and technical backgrounds, that i think would agree.

[Edited on April 16, 2008 at 12:02 AM. Reason : /]

4/16/2008 12:00:52 AM

i agree that eye contact is important. i like to pay attention to the person i'm talking to and write something down after the conversation is over, or between topics, etc. instead of "interrupting" with note-taking.

and when meeting a new person, eye contact is paramount. if you can't look someone in the eye long enough to say hello and introduce yourself, that does not say a lot for your confidence.

4/16/2008 2:47:17 AM

Quote :

"Character is what you do when no one is watching, but someone is."

I like François de La Rochefoucauld's quote better.

"One's true worth is measured by the ability to do alone what one could do in public."

4/16/2008 11:27:26 AM

^nice...i'm adding that in

4/16/2008 1:31:12 PM

early is on time
on time is late
late is fired

always buy people coffee

4/16/2008 9:39:05 PM

Quote :

"Eye contact is more important than taking detailed notes."

Fuck that. If someone is changing specs for a computer program on the fly I'm damn sure going to be writing down everything they're saying.

4/17/2008 9:44:30 AM

technical =/ business

4/17/2008 10:41:06 AM

touche'

4/17/2008 10:42:16 AM

when you are going out with a client always have at least $100 cash in your pocket, cause you never know whats going to happen

always tip at least 20% when out with clients

****

your eating one reminded me of a truly awful story. i used to be the evp of a statewide youth voting organization. i was at this pretty important dinner with the pres of our oganization. this boy had the worst table manners i have ever seen in my life....i mean, it wasnt just elbows on the table, talking with his mouth full, and digging into his food without waiting for everyone else to receive their couse....when he finished eating his salad, the boy PICKED UP HIS SALAD PLATE, HELD IT TO HIS MOUTH, AND DRANK THE SALAD DRESSING. i was absolutely mortified.

****

i have a lot of excel formatting tips/rules, but that does not seem like it is the purpose of this thread

4/17/2008 10:56:05 AM

^^but you're right. when i was at SAS for technical meetings it was reversed a little bit because you HAD to have all the details or you were stuck.

^actually i have a lot of email based tips so feel free to add them.

[Edited on April 17, 2008 at 11:03 AM. Reason : .]

4/17/2008 11:02:40 AM

^^ my grandfather was a jeweler, and before he got into business for himself (or maybe he was at this point, i can't remember) he was traveling in boston to different trade shows and such. he met another jeweler at one of the shows and they went to lunch or dinner or something at a fairly nice place. my grandfather said the guy literally licked his plate clean, and had never been more embarrassed in his life.

4/17/2008 12:00:09 PM

i've only had dinner with a billionaire a couple times, but the first one, i won't mention his name, ate like a total slob and talked with his mouth full of food and everything. i mean it didn't matter because he's already made his money and his industry isn't very "prestigious" - it just seemed a little crazy to me though.

4/17/2008 12:11:06 PM

couple of excel tips that immediately come to mind...

if you are sending a workbook to someone and there is a possibility that it can be printed, assume that it will be and make sure that all tabs are print ready (this of couse excludes giant databases in excel).

print ready includes
- ensuring that there are logical page breaks
- if a table goes on for more than a page, use the repeat rows/columns feature in the page set-up


other tips
- have logically named tabs. dont leave them sheet 1, sheet 2, etc. the only time you can leave it as the default if there is only one tab in the file and you have clearly labled what it is at the top of the sheet
- dont have misc blank tabs
- for tables have the head of columns be aligned the same way as the data within the column. for example if you have a column of just numbers that are aligned right, the header for that column should also be aligned right (as opposed to center or left). this makes reading your tables easier (and also look a lot better)
- use "center across selection" rather then "merge cells"....believe me, it makes life so much easier. once you start using this, you will never go back (though there are a few instances where you will still have to merge cells, most notably when you want to merge cells vertically)
- ok - this one may be hard to explain. say you have a row of data in which one of the cells has wrapped data taking more than one line.....have all of the data in the row align vertically to the top of the cell (rather than the bottom, which is the default). this again makes your worksheet easier to read.

i'm sure i have others, but those are the ones that immediately come to mind

4/17/2008 3:21:28 PM

oh one more

- if you have hidden columns/rows in a spread sheet that you are sending to a client (or in some cases a boss) seriously question whether or not you actually need the column, if they need to be hidden, of if it really should go on another spread sheet. if the answer is still yes, then make sure they look as nice as the rest of the spreadsheet.....whoever is looking at the workbook will unhide them because they are curious


oh and for dollar amounts, currency format looks waaaaaaaaaay better than accounting

4/17/2008 3:25:20 PM

Hey, I thought of one!

Keep your car clean-it is a reflection of your personality/habits/attention to detail, etc.

Ex #1 Had a great interview for a position I really wanted. Interview was up, but the boss wanted to keep talking. He actually walked out of the door with me and walked to my car. It was clean fortunately, but I have never gone to an important meeting without washing my car and cleaning out the inside the day of a day before.

Ex #2 Had a lunch meeting with someone after getting ^ job. Drove to client's place, met with a couple people, and expected client to drive to lunch (as he invited me). Turns out he lives 1/2 mile from work and he walks every morning, so I drove. I would have been embarrassed as hell if the inside was covered in trash.

One more thing-little details missed can break any rapport or relationship you might have.

Ex #1 If you are sending a proposal,documents, etc. to Fed EX corporate, ship them Fed EX.

Ex #2 Meeting out of town with Hertz? Don't rent from Enterprise. Lunch with a Coors guy? You better order a damn Coors if you are drinking. There are hundreds of other examples as well.

4/17/2008 6:20:02 PM

good stuff

4/17/2008 6:22:46 PM

Should be logical.... but be careful what you say and who you say it to, the rumor mill can go far further than you ever think!

4/17/2008 6:50:16 PM

Dress nice.

Girls need to wear panty hose w/ skirts (in the right setting). There are some old school men that look down upon nakie legs. In some courts, a pant suit is improper and I have heard of judges sending people home to change.

Sucks, but better safe than sorry, especially after I kick their butts in court

4/17/2008 7:09:22 PM

Quote :

"Ex #1 If you are sending a proposal,documents, etc. to Fed EX corporate, ship them Fed EX"

haha - yeah, FedEx is one of my biggest clients. our standard is to UPS documents but a couple of months ago i had to explain to my admin TWICE why we have to FedEx documents to FedEx Corporate, not UPS.....................our admins arent the greatest....

4/18/2008 6:40:48 PM

this is sort of along the lines of the clean car thing, but also keep a tidy office/cube
it is ok to personalize to an extent but don't go overboard

4/18/2008 7:18:02 PM

^^^ For real. Women too often underestimate what a manicure can do for their image. Instead of spending $15/week on one I dropped $50 at ULTA during an OPI sale and I'm set until the polish starts separating. Even if your nails aren't long it still helps you look polished.

As disdainful as I am of overemphasizing appearance, it's important to make that effort for people who don't know how awesome you are yet. My coworkers know career pants don't make me do my job any better, but vendors take me more seriously when I'm wearing a shirt with a collar and buttons than the casual-sloppy I could conceivably get away with otherwise.

4/20/2008 9:15:49 PM

being a female in a male dominated industry, muddy boots actually earn points with salesmen & customers in the field i work in

stepping in ankle deep mud in louisiana backwoods = an opportunity to demonstrate a sense of humor

as for in the office, never underestimate how much a nice purse can spruce up your image. it helps make you look put together. its worth the extra money. however it must be noted that i leave the coach bags at home when i'm talking to customers about their construction equipment, but i still rock the prada sunglasses

as for the manicure comment. i wish i could afford a french manicure every week. unfortunately any other nail polish color makes my nails look fake. but i do keep them clean & classy. one day i'll learn to give myself the french manicure

4/20/2008 11:53:53 PM

I just use a nail buffer and keep my nails trimmed and filed - they look neat and tidy but don't require a weekly manicure.

I do, however, get pedicures on a regular basis. Especially during the summer!

4/21/2008 4:24:46 PM

I hear wearing low-cut shirts does wonders for your job performance.

4/21/2008 4:29:36 PM

^sexist and a racist.

4/21/2008 4:32:32 PM

Taking good notes is a great way to accomplish bigger things than you otherwise could.

That's one of mine. To each his own...

Oh! And don't lag around on TWW when you should be sleeping! Night!

4/23/2008 3:05:53 AM

dont fuck teh bosses wife.

4/24/2008 11:59:16 PM

people in the office not turning their ring tones off or at least to a minimal output setting.

A guy who's lab bench is next to my cube enjoys sharing off his annoying ringtones which i assume he thinks is comical enough to share with us. Also the entire wing knows when he gets a text message from his shitty wife

4/25/2008 10:46:40 AM

Quote :

"the rumor mill can go far further than you ever think!"

It almost always goes farther than you would actually want it to.
And you should learn to manipulate it. Either by the rumors which you choose to continue spreading (how you spread/spin them is just as important as whether or not you spread them) or the rumors which you choose to create.

[Edited on April 25, 2008 at 1:28 PM. Reason : s]

4/25/2008 1:27:04 PM

Always...

no, no...

never...

forget to check your references.

4/25/2008 7:10:55 PM

son...

all you gots to do is know how to solve that differential equation better than the next sucka

dig?

4/25/2008 7:13:07 PM

^^

Real Genius

[Edited on April 26, 2008 at 12:43 AM. Reason : ]

4/26/2008 12:43:22 AM

clipping your fingernails is awesome, way to go grooming!

however, your desk and or during a meeting is not the time or place

and yes, i will continue to call out every last one of you nasty motherfuckers in the meetings until it stops

this has only applied to men so far

also, keep the f-bombs to a minimum, even if the boss says it first

4/26/2008 1:20:08 AM

Personally, I do my best to try and stay neutral with regards to the rumor mill. Try avoid "ganging up" when people start cracking on a person, because you may never know when that will come back to bite you in the ass.

A personal pet peeve: if you're on an email system such as exchange with a limited inbox size, for the love of God, do not go around sending 6MB files to other people, ESPECIALLY if they're encrypted files that nearly lockup Outlook as they decrypt. If you must send something that large, please find a file server or some other secure method.

Oh, and when you're on vacation or flex a day off, be sure to leave an away message on both your voice mail and email. At very least, saves you plenty of repeat emails.

4/26/2008 1:55:01 AM

true story:

i'm not saying take notes at work 24/7 but one of our company execs had a plan and wanted us to execute it once. i and another guy + a girl went to see what he wanted. as he described the plan, me and the other guy took notes like crazy as he was describing it. ( i mean who is going to remember all that shit after the meeting? mind you.. he didn't have notes or a power point or pdf to email us later, this was shooting an idea from the hip to us)

the girl however, she sat there with her pen and notepad on the table just starring at him and nodding.

she got fired in less than a month after doing stupid shit like that.

"THAT guy". lolzzers.

and honestly as long as you execute to plan in the end and get the job done, they don't give a shit if you are giving them eye contact. unless your boss is stupid. i'd rather have a shy einstein in my company that gets the job done than some asshole prick that looks at you with a charming smile...



story 2:

i had 2 job -offers-, not interviews, but offers over the phone from companies(i had never seen in person) b4 i landed my current job. would anybody in their right mind take those jobs? lolz

4/26/2008 5:30:54 PM

i need to make a post about reading comprehension apparently...

if a technical issue is involved and it isn't just general discussion, lots of notes need to be taken.

there is still a huge difference between good notes and writing everysingle word down. just find the balance and tailor it to what type of meeting you are in (gen discussion, technical, update, etc.).

4/26/2008 9:01:38 PM

Act like you care about every assignment/task, even if you don't

Work hard to make a great first impression. People make quick judgements, and it's hard to reverse a bad impression.

Look out for your peers, help them out when you can. Especially if they're new.

Always remember that people have lives outside of work, and that there are much much more important things in life than what happens between 9 and 5. Or whatever hours you work.

Smile regularly, be nice, and have a positive attitude. No one wants to work with grumpy people.

Stick up for yourself when you feel like you're being jerked around. Don't be no one's bitch.


Word up!

4/27/2008 5:29:31 PM