How Long Should You Observe A New Employee?
“From now on, time will pass without artificial academic measure. It will go by like the wind. Whatever you do, do it now. For life is time, and time is all there is.” – Gloria Steinem (Commencement address, Tufts University, May 17, 1987) You hire someone new. You have every…
READ MOREGetting Juvenile Employees To Grow Up
“The important thing is this: to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.” – Charles Du Bos (Approximations, 1922-37) What do you do with a chronic complainer, an employee who is always dumping his problems on you? Please note: I’m not talking…
READ MORESometimes Success Is A Matter Of Numbers
“The thing I am most aware of is my limits. And this is natural; for I never, or almost never, occupy the middle of my cage; my whole being surges toward the bars.” – Andre Gide (Journals, August 4, 1930) For some very good reasons, there are optimal numbers for…
READ MOREWhy Reductions Must Be Mandatory
“Responsibility, n. A detachable burden easily shifted to the shoulders of God, Fate, Fortune, Luck, or one’s neighbor. In the days of astrology, it was customary to unload it upon a star.” – Ambrose Bierce (The Devil’s Dictionary, 1881-1911) Last week, we spoke about the need to fire weak…
READ MOREHow To Defend Yourself And Eventually Defeat A Business Bully
“Until you value yourself, you will not value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.” – M. Scott Peck Sooner or later, we all end up working/dealing with someone who is not just pushy, but an emotional or intellectual bully. These people are…
READ MORESeven Ways To Fire Your Good People
“So long as some are strong and some are weak, the weak will be driven to the wall.” – W. Somerset Maugham (The Summing Up, 1938) Yesterday, we talked about the importance of firing people. If you make pruning — getting rid of your weakest employees — a regular habit,…
READ MOREWhy You Should Trim Your Trees
If you employ or manage at least six people, you need to let one of them go every year or so. If you employ 30 or 40, you should be weaning three or four. Forget about those who quit. I’m talking about firing people. It may sound crazy in a…
READ MORESeeds of Wealth
Dear Early Riser, What you are doing by honing your success skills — in my humble opinion — is the smartest thing you can do for yourself. The economy is faltering, and recession is upon us. Every businessman I know is working scared. Soon there will be cutbacks and layoffs.…
READ MOREDoes Your Mental Attitude Determine Success?
I’ve just read an interesting book about optimism. It was written by an expert in the field and provides a great deal of scientific proof for some ideas I’ve developed about mental attitudes and success. According to Martin Seligman, the author of “Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and…
READ MOREHow To Make People Like You
“The easiest kind of relationship for me is with ten thousand people. The hardest is with one.” – Joan Baez Yesterday, we talked about good manners. We said that while they are not a necessary component to success, they certainly won’t hurt your progress — and they may even help…
READ MOREGood Manners And Success
Despite what some pundits have said, making people like you is not the secret to success. There are plenty of very rich, very powerful, and very successful S.O.B.s out there. In fact, there may be an inverse relationship between affability and accomplishment. Spend too much time and energy trying to…
READ MOREPractice E-mail Etiquette
“It is much easier to be critical than to be correct.” – Benjamin Disraeli (speech, January 24, 1860) This is not the first time I’ve talked about e-mail etiquette (see Message #180, “E-Mail and Return Buttons”), so if you have already heard this little speech, please forgive me. I’m inclined…
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