Street Smarts

The manager with "street smarts" knows:

• The benefit in the hand is usually better than the promised one over the horizon.


• Lateral moves are sometimes necessary to move up the mountain.


• Some jobs are swamps. Enter them and you'll never emerge.


• Pilot projects easily evolve into permanent projects.


• Assigning a project to a committee can be the surest way of killing it.


• Taking a vacation during a major reorganization shows you are either very secure or reckless.


• Never write an angry memo. They have a habit of being saved.


• Learning to say "No" will save you from a lot of sleepless nights.


• There are no "informal" moments when you are around your boss.


• Putting others at ease is an important skill.


• If you sense that something is too clever, consider yourself warned.


• Most company regulations are guidelines.


• Know all of your customers, both within and outside of the organization.


• Getting a simple idea through an organization is like moving an ocean liner.


• Get rid of people who pull down your team.


• Don't have hidden policies.


• Treat people at all levels with respect.


• Many people don't take hints.


• Talk first, then document.


• Always know what will get you fired.


• Control your temper and your tongue.


• "Go see" is better than "hear about."


• Care but don't care. All is balance.


• You rarely risk overcommunicating.


• Don't ascribe human characteristics, such as loyalty, to organizations.


• Sometimes you have to micromanage.


• Coordinate and consult. As one executive put it, "You always want to get a lot of fingerprints on the knife."


• Be as wary of perfection as you are of sloppiness.


• Know what your bosses fear.


• The person with the least to lose has enormous power.


• No single leadership style is best.


• Genius comes from a devotion to the basics.


• Neglect neither the technical nor the political parts of your job.


• Give a job your best performance and a whole lot of passion but never give it your heart.