Unwritten Principles for How to Work
Unwritten Principles for How to Work
My personally curated philosophy for my work life
I’m a big believer in having a philosophy — principles that discipline my life. These are the principles that I have curated and guide my daily work.
Hopefully, you find a few principles that help your work to feel calmer and more fulfilling for yourself and those that work with you.
Say, "I don't know," It's okay not always to have all answers. Don't leave the question open-ended. Offer to do the research and bring back the answer.
Look for what is missing. Few are good at seeing what is missing and what impact when added. This skill helps you push the envelope and think outside the box.
Communicate good and bad news with the same speed. Don't forget to celebrate your wins, but don't bury adverse outcomes. This innovation will cause failures. Walk and talk through the inevitable adverse effects. This process nurtures trust and confidence.
Constantly review outcomes against objectives. This process will ensure alignment and help you quickly spot opportunities and deterioration in your strategies.
Persistence and tenacity are prized. Push through the challenging parts to deliver. Being a solid finisher is more valuable than simply being a good starter.
Don't wait for others when working on a project; go after them and ensure it gets done. Don't be passive. Make decisions and act. Ask for help if you need it. Follow-up is essential and helps us get to the finish line with the best results. When done, share the credit and success with your team.
Confirm objectives and commitments. Do it in writing. Don't assume clarity without writing it, thinking through the process, and getting confirmation. This documentation holds you accountable for our shared goals.
Don't be timid. Speak up and promote your ideas. Creative and critical thinking is our fundamental value proposition to our customers. Given your experience and expertise, render an opinion when you see an opportunity or a hazard - your success depends on it.
Be a contributor with substance. Back your contributions with experience, research, data, and your resulting expertise. People will invest in your ideas and opinions when you're influential. Make sure you have taken the time and effort to be an expert. That way, when someone bets on your advice, there is an exceptionally high probability of success.
Strive for brevity and clarity when speaking and writing. Clients and co-workers are distracted in today’s digital world. To be effective, you must boil complexity down to the essential principles. Then you need to take those principles and craft them into a logical argument, accompanied by actionable steps, that will yield the client’s desired outcome(s). Take the time and do the hard work of thinking and synthesizing your recommendations before presenting them to the client.
Be accurate and truthful in your statements. This principle should need no explanation. Being comfortable with saying, “I don’t know, but I’ll do my best to find out,” will help you avoid this peril.
Don't forget you are working for the client. Keep the clients informed. Do whatever they want, within the bounds of integrity. Their desires and goals take top priority over your own.
Schedules and estimates are essential to a well-run business. Don't avoid them. Doing so is lazy and self-serving and increases the chance of failure. Learn to create them and increase their accuracy.
Handle complaints directly and quickly. Learn to analyze and resolve complaints as astutely and expertly as marketing objectives. Avoid elevating and escalating them.
You are always representing your company. Be mindful of your actions, statements, and commitments. You are the brand. Our people define our agency.
Learn to simplify. Keep asking why. Refine your counsel down to the essentials. You’re the expert. If you force clients and colleagues to have a comparable understanding and expertise, your value and effectiveness will decrease.
Don't get excitable in crisis. Seek calmness. Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast (as we say in the military). I like to remind folks: “No one is shooting at us.” Take the time to assess, understand, and work on the problem.
Make decisions quickly and clearly, whenever possible. Most decisions are not unique or complex, but leaving them decided creates complexity and confusion. Generally, make decisions quickly, using your best judgment, clear action steps, and expected outcomes.
Every decision has cons; don't ignore them. Whenever you make a decision, there are pros and cons. And all decisions have consequences—plan for the cons and unintended consequences whenever possible.
Seek the shortest, most straightforward path to a solution. Complexity causes friction and waste, which will delay and dilute your success.
A person who is nice to you but rude to others is not nice. Everyone deserves dignity. We don’t hire or work with people that believe that.
Never be afraid to try something new. We’re in the business of attention. That takes creativity and some degree of innovation and risk. Try something new occasionally.
Hard now is easy later; easy now is hard later. Discipline and consistency are essential to a calm and peaceful life. Taking the most straightforward path is often an attempt to take a series of shortcuts, or even worse, to cheat and deceive others and, ultimately yourself.
Discipline is essential to success. The magnitude of your success correlates to the duration of that discipline.
Own it. Do not ever cede power to circumstances. Never use your circumstances as an excuse. Survey your situation and assets and move forward. Own your wins and losses. Never let anything or anyone limit your potential.
The essential qualities of an outstanding colleague: Confidence, Curiosity, Initiative, Dedication, and Integrity.
Sources and Inspiration
How to Live by Derek Sivers