I recently read an article talking about Eliot Spitzer called Eliot Spitzer's Seven Deadly Sins. The article spoke about the seven lessons to be learned from his recent 14 month run as governor of New York. I don't particularly care about the Spitzer scandal, at all, but I found these seven lessons interesting and worth mentioning.
1. You've got to deliver consistently. You're only as good as your most recent accomplishment.
Truer words have never been spoken. This is the old, "What have you done for me lately?" mentality. No one is exempt from this.
2. No matter how attractive a new assignment or promotion seems, make sure it's one for which you're really suited.
Basically, just be realistic about you expectations. Just because somebody offers you the job doesn't mean you should take it. Remember lesson 1? You will be expected to produce consistently. If you are in over your head you will most likely not be able to consistently deliver.
3. You can't expect to get things done if you only have adversaries, not allies.
Getting things done can be hard enough, don't create more problems for yourself. Focus on your obligations and do what's right.
4. You can't tell people one thing and do the complete opposite. When it comes to light that you're not being straight with people, they feel foolish for having trusted you and it's nearly impossible to regain their trust.
Generally speaking, lying is not a good thing, but at work it is a very bad thing. Lying always causes irreparable damage to trust in any relationship. You do not want your boss not to trust you! So best thing to do is.... DON'T LIE!
5. No one is above the law; no one is untouchable, and no matter how smart you are, it doesn't matter.
In the software world this mentality is very common. People think that because they are sooooo smart, or because they are the only person who know how a system works, that they are irreplaceable. WRONG!!! I can't tell you how many times I've seen this and every time it just ends badly.
6. Be realistic about what's going on, and if you can't see it yourself, seek out a person who can.
This one pretty much says it all.
7. Know when a situation is beyond repair—or at least beyond your ability to repair it—and either bring in the right people to help you fix it, or move on, if appropriate.
Sometimes there comes a point where the ends no longer justify the means. This is when a good leader will step in and cut his/her loses. A great leader will have seen this coming and been able to anticipate when to get help.
Great leaders are hard to come by these days and I am certainly no expert, but if I can learn from somebody else's mistakes then that makes me wiser than I was yesterday. One step closer.
1. You've got to deliver consistently. You're only as good as your most recent accomplishment.
Truer words have never been spoken. This is the old, "What have you done for me lately?" mentality. No one is exempt from this.
2. No matter how attractive a new assignment or promotion seems, make sure it's one for which you're really suited.
Basically, just be realistic about you expectations. Just because somebody offers you the job doesn't mean you should take it. Remember lesson 1? You will be expected to produce consistently. If you are in over your head you will most likely not be able to consistently deliver.
3. You can't expect to get things done if you only have adversaries, not allies.
Getting things done can be hard enough, don't create more problems for yourself. Focus on your obligations and do what's right.
4. You can't tell people one thing and do the complete opposite. When it comes to light that you're not being straight with people, they feel foolish for having trusted you and it's nearly impossible to regain their trust.
Generally speaking, lying is not a good thing, but at work it is a very bad thing. Lying always causes irreparable damage to trust in any relationship. You do not want your boss not to trust you! So best thing to do is.... DON'T LIE!
5. No one is above the law; no one is untouchable, and no matter how smart you are, it doesn't matter.
In the software world this mentality is very common. People think that because they are sooooo smart, or because they are the only person who know how a system works, that they are irreplaceable. WRONG!!! I can't tell you how many times I've seen this and every time it just ends badly.
6. Be realistic about what's going on, and if you can't see it yourself, seek out a person who can.
This one pretty much says it all.
7. Know when a situation is beyond repair—or at least beyond your ability to repair it—and either bring in the right people to help you fix it, or move on, if appropriate.
Sometimes there comes a point where the ends no longer justify the means. This is when a good leader will step in and cut his/her loses. A great leader will have seen this coming and been able to anticipate when to get help.
Great leaders are hard to come by these days and I am certainly no expert, but if I can learn from somebody else's mistakes then that makes me wiser than I was yesterday. One step closer.
