Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Street Smart lessons from "The Apprentice," BBC

1) Don't be like a bull in a China shop.

2) Never, ever underestimate your boss.

3) Don't have the horrible, awful look (also referred to as puppy look) in your face, when dealing with a problem at work.

4) Bullshitting or fighting like a wrestling match in the boardroom will not take you anywhere.

5) Don't be a rebellion and show disrespect for your manager. You can disagree with his or her views. But, you must finish the tasks assigned to you.

6) Do not bring personal problems to work.

7) You may be liked by your manager and team members, but when there is no spark or enthusiasm in your work, you may not last longer in the organisation.

8) Apart from doing your work , it is important to explain your achievements to your team members and manager.

9) Know and get the simple facts of business and life right.

10) Don't run hate campaigns on irritants or blame them for failures of tasks, if they have made a valuable contribution to the task.

11) If you can't help yourself, you will not be able to contribute to the business.

12) Closure is most important in any task.

13) Don't be over-smart to your manager as he or she is the judge , jury and executioner who decides your fate in the organisation.

14) Adapting to different cultures is a must to succeed in an international environment.

15) Outbursts, provocation and arguing like washerwoman will only add trouble.

16. Young people must always take the initiative to do what they are good at and not shy away from it .

17) Great enthusiasm is different from outrageous promises.

18) Spark of genius is equally important as great enthusiasm.

19) Don't get complacent at the later stages , even if you perform well in the initial stages.

20) Don't brag your achievements.

21) A business enterprise is not a training institution. Hence , you can't always make mistakes and then say that you will correct it, though it it is good to accept your mistakes.

22) Experience is more important than qualification.

23) Instincts and know-how are equally important as experience and qualification.

24) There is nothing called luck in the business world.

25) If you under-perform consistently, you must evaluate if it is because of an underlying reason or if you are an unlucky person.

26) Stabbing on the chest is better than stabbing at the back.

27) There is a lot of difference between sensible conversations and bullshit.

28) Be a stickler for deadlines and have a devil's eye for details.

29) Missing a deadline is unacceptable.The reason for missing a deadline is beyond the point.

30) Understand the brief clearly. Clarify it as many times as may be required.

31) Proper planning and strategy of a task is as important as executing it

32) Don't fixate academic achievements. Professional life is much different.

33) A tough work environment is like a dog eat dog situation.

34) Teacher's pet and school bullies have no place in a work environment.

35) There is no point in saying the nice and right things if you are in the firing line.

36) Don't get dirty by blaming other people for your faults.

37) Sometimes it is not about what you say, but what you don't say that can save you.

38) No point in saying "Could have , should have and would have done this," if you have not done a particular task.

39) If you don't speak for yourself you will drown in the sea and other sharks will occupy your position.

40) If you believe that you are not good or somebody else is good and do not have the confidence in your abilities, then it is time to lose the job.

41) Take on board what your manager has to say.

42) Silence will not help, be it in confronting or discussing a issue.

43) Following instructions alone is not enough. There must be value additions from your end.

44) The world is only for go-getters.

45) Don't be stressed while taking a brief , reviewing and completing the work. It will affect the quality of the work.

46) Doing work fast does not mean doing it haphazardly.

47) Don't be a lightweight. Be ruthless, if need be.

48)Your speech and actions should be incredibly credible.

49) It is not enough to have fantastic ideas. You must push it with energy, efforts and enthusiasm.

50) Be firm, but fair.

51) Follow your instincts. Stay calm and articulate.

52) Be self-sufficient and realise that the world does not owe you a living.

53) Do not use flowery words, if they are not required. Be concise and get to the point.

54) You can fool some of the people some time, but in the long run honesty and integrity will pay off.

55) Being articulate is different from being well-spoken.

56) Assert your own authority.

57) In a competitive environment, politeness alone will not help.

58) Speak for yourself. Nothing wrong in being polite. However, it is also necessary to display zeal in your words and actions.

59) Have a plan and make sure that it does not crumble.

60) You don’t have to be incredibly polite.

61) Be a forceful project manager, if need be.

62) Prepare a game plan and follow it.

63) Don’t run like a headlines chicken.

64) Priority management is very crucial.

65) Your professional achievements at former workplaces deserve to be mentioned. Do not boast about it. Your performance in the current organisation will only be taken into account.

66) An employer pays salary, allowances, bonus to an employee. The least expectation from an employee is do his or her work, in return.

67) Be ready to dirty your hands, on any occasion.