Best Advice: Six Secrets to Success

Colin Shaw,  CEO, Beyond Philosophy, a customer experience consultancy, shares insight on how to be sucessful. 

Shaw notes that in his work life he has had some “great managers and some real idiots” and that he could learn from both.  The good managers he copied and he did just the opposite of what the idiots did.

In his essay he provides six pieces of advice:

1. “Just do a good job, then everyone will want you.”  Doing a good job brings personal satisfaction and customer satisfaction, a winning combination. 
2. None of us is as clever as all of us.  Make use of the collective knowledge and wisdom of those around you.  Don’t waste those resources by pretending that you always have all the answers.  You are fooling no one but yourself!
3. Employ people who are smarter than you are.  Hiring better people is not a threat;  it creates greater strength in the organization.  Then give this stronger individual the opportunity to step up and show you what they have.
4. Democracy and Republican.  You need to get the most from those individuals who need to feel motivated, to have an opportunity to feel inspired to work hard, to go above and beyond.  This requires a democrat style of leadership, one which involves staff in decisions.  You debate, you argue, and you expect to come to consensus.  As a result, everyone is more committed to the project.  Sometimes it isn’t possible to make a decision this way or you can’t get consensus.  Then the leader steps up and decides.  Shaw calls this the republican mode of decision making.
5. Once we agree, we do.  Once the decision is made you implement it.  No excuses, no debate.  Just get the result.
6. Do as you would be done by. This is about leading by example.  Don’t ask someone to do for you what you are not willing to do.  I first heard this from my grandfather when I was about eight.  And, here it is again in this essay.

All of these philosophies are very good advice.  See which ones you can add to your tool kit now?

. . . jim