Five things t learred (as of October 2017)

First, there are many attributes of work that guided me such as work life balance, integrity, ambition, getting it right. I believe in karma – and the Golden Rule

These are tenets of life, not lessons learned however.

So what have I learned?

1. Adaptability: have to accept and participate in change; l’ve had 7 CEOs – all good guys but different. I chose to participate rather than fight it

2. An “idea” is NOT a “plan”: many a good idea goes unfulfilled for want of execution. Have an idea? Enlist others to help — have a bias for action.

3. Communicating is hard – I learned more from listening than speaking. And by listening, I was more relevant by absorbing and applying what I heard

4. No one Cares what you did or know in your past… only what you do now. No one asks “tell us about software in the old days Mr Petersen”

5. Make your boss look good (and team) – offer your opinion and then be supportive of what the boss decides;

6. do what you can to help others succeed; offer praise, cooperation – and phrase critiques gently.

7. If you don’t have something nice  to say then don’t say it

8. Boy Scout Rule: Leave any plae cleaner than you found it

9. Respond quickly and meet you promises

10. Know your products

Bonus: have coping strategies: Pick your battles, be active, do stuff /press on

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The BLOG

Paul shares some tips and stories from his experience as a software executive. .