Rules of Work

Rule 3: Goals and Plans

Rule 3.1: Know your short-term goals

TTO – What level is called short term?

It’s up to you.

I’m busy with three short-term plans:

a monthly plan,

a yearly plan,

and a 5 year plan.

This seems to give me enough information to plan my workload.

My short-term plan affects my family.

I can go on vacation,

change schools,

fix up the house or garden,

birthdays,

Christmas and the like.

* In the 1-month short-term plan,

you must list your current tasks

– due date,

priority plan,

daily routine.

That’s what you’re doing.

* In the 1-year short-term plan,

you make a list of projects that are being conceived

and are being discussed.

That’s for things that are planned rather than work in progress.

* Your 5-year plan should be for ideas,

dreams,

goals,

wishes,

desires.

Those are the things you hope to do one day.

Your long-term plan will include a path to your goal.

A short-term plan within 5 years will be the steps for you

to implement that long-term plan.

I will record the results of the three short-term plans separately.

The monthly plan is written on a piece of cardboard on the table.

On it will be a checkered sheet of deadlines,

to-calls,

and other to-dos.

It might look a bit like a calendar,

but it doesn’t list the days in a row like a calendar.

I’ll put my 1-year plan on the wall.

It’s not a chart or a year planner

but again just a piece of paper with 12 little boxes.

Each box is a month with information related to what

I want to do during that time.

That’s what I want to do more than I have to.

This is a short-term plan,

not a to-do list,

not a calendar or agenda.

I work for a salary so I have to work.

The work being done in a month

or a year plan is “bread and butter” for me.

It includes projects I want to do

and projects I have to do.

The things I have to do are bread

and the things I want to do are butter,

just like this book helps you to plan

and write it at the same time.

The 5-year plan will give me a general direction

– what I want to do in these 5 years.

Your short-term plan includes both the things

you have to do but mainly the things you want to do.

The shorter the deadline,

the more it will be like your schedule

and different from your wish list.

Every plan needs practical steps

to carry out what is stated in the plan.

Otherwise they will not be called plans but just vague ideas.

In every plan you should make room for the unexpected.

If someone suddenly calls you about something,

you can’t hang up

because it’s not part of your plan.

You need to be flexible

Rule 3.2: Study the promotion system

TTO – When you start a business,

you will be at the bottom

and you will look up at your boss,

manager,

or CEO with a mixture of awe and awe.

Of course,

one day,

you will be older,

gain more experience and reach a higher position.

You will either follow the predetermined path or find your own.

The vast majority of people think that’s what promotion is.

They wander forward,

sometimes getting lost,

and stopping where they feel comfortable,

joyful,

and happy.

That’s all.

Game over.

The ending is sad unless you want it too.

However, if you are a rule-of-thumb then I doubt it.

A person who abides by the rules of the game never wanders

or allows himself to go anywhere.

You plan.

You understand the steps to take and use it.

You understand how many steps it takes

to get from location A to location B

and understand all the ways to a certain Z location.

You must research the promotion system

if you are going to join and benefit from it.

It is useless to sit back

and wait for something to happen naturally,

waiting for fate to extend its hand

and take you to a higher position.

You have to seize the opportunity

and create your own luck.

You must know exactly how to avoid ruts

and elevate yourself in the system.

So what is the promotion system in your industry and do you know?

Have you studied that system?

Take a look at the profiles of successful people who came before you.

If you haven’t had a chance yet,

wait for luck to come your way.

This can happen and you will get what you want.

But it’s not certain.

It’s like playing the lottery in the hope that

you’ll get rich and be able to retire from work.

As such,

this can happen,

but the probability is very low!

Make a chart of your progression:

* In your industry,

look up to the highest position you can reach

(or the highest position you expect to be able to reach,

the position can be the same) – mark it.

* Now look at the lowest position – mark it.

* Now draw all the points representing the positions

between the two locations you just marked.

* Mark where you are standing.

You’ve got your own progression chart

and can cross out the steps once you’ve passed it.

(The rule for making a list of the steps above can also apply

if you want to be independent

and become an entrepreneur rather than just a shareholder in a company.)

While doing this,

you can also make a list of skills/experiences etc.

needed to successfully execute each step.

Then, write down the things you have to do to get those skills

or experiences

(where you have to go,

what to study,

what to research).

Finally,

you can add the above to your long-term plan

or your 5-year plan.

Rule 3.3: Develop a work plan

TTO – Working out planning is almost like an actor choosing a role

and learning his script by heart.

Your motto should be about the type of person you want to be.

Few people want to be the losers,

but most of them end up like that.

Don’t let that happen to you.

Once you have the initiative

and develop a work ethic,

that won’t happen to you.

The work motto is a form of personal slogan.

It’s different from setting goals that

dictate how to be human in your motto.

What kind of person will you become?

Successful people or losers?

Or someone who likes to give up halfway?

Or a person who quickly gets up in the face of failure,

shakes off the pain and starts over?

An outstanding career strategist?

A loser?

Or don’t you want to be one of them?

Of course you can decide to be callous,

rude, and always offensive.

But we assume you don’t want that,

because a person who abides

by the rules of the game is not going to be that kind of person.

Your work motto should include both the qualities

you want to have as well as the type of game you want to play,

such as

“I want to be a successful person but still be a good person”.

Very few people actually sit down

and do this exercise consciously.

This may seem simple,

but it’s a useful tool to get you where you want to be.

If many people do this together,

they will not become

“a thorn in the eyes of others”,

a person who is bored with work,

who specializes in “gossip”

or jealous of colleagues.

If we could all sit down

and write down our life motto

(and stick to it) we would all be better people.

It doesn’t hurt to do your best to be a pleasant,

cooperative,

friendly,

kind,

and sincere person

when dealing with people around you.

Who would sit down

and write the following statement:

“I’m going to be a jerk,

pissing off as many people as I can,

everyone hates me,

in short I’ll make myself as isolated as possible.”

Of course no one wrote that line,

but I do know a few people who live by that motto.

Maybe they also succeed

but I wonder how they can sleep peacefully?

How can they live with themselves?

I used to work with a very high-ranking person.

Every day when he comes to work,

he walks through the office,

scolds one after another,

then goes back to his office,

puts his feet on the table and sips a cup of coffee.

Thirty minutes later

he was as friendly as an angel again.

When I asked him why he did this,

he replied,

“This will train people to react quickly.

They won’t know what kind of person I am right now.”

Everyone didn’t like him,

they were more afraid of him and didn’t respect him at all.

Is that a good life motto?

No. of course.

Rule 3.4: Set goals

TTO – A goal is a simple tagline that helps you perform your daily tasks.

It’s nearly impossible to succeed

or get promoted if you don’t set goals.

An objective outlines the major and important components of your work.

Let’s say you’re going to have to go to a meeting.

We’re all fed up with meetings now

– meetings are always boring,

tedious,

unproductive,

even counterproductive,

an endless source of arguments and frustration.

You know in advance that Stephen

from the accounting department will come to that

meeting and say “smug” to you (he usually does this very well).

You also know that you don’t know what the meeting is about,

and end up arguing about moving to another place

when it has nothing to do with your task force.

You also know that

you’ll end up debating the cost of the booth at the show in the next 6 months

even though your company hasn’t even decided whether

or not to participate in the fair yet.

That is why you will set goals:

“I will only talk about issues that

I understand well and concern me in the meeting.

No matter what Stephen says,

I will refrain from being bitten.”

Now stick to that goal.

Suppose you have to present a report

to the Finance department about the cost of building a flower garden

in front of a newly built company building.

You know the Finance department rambles on for hours on unrelated topics,

such as whether to plant daisies or ranunculus bushes.

However, all you have to say is the cost of the seeds,

equipment,

and hay,

and not be interrupted

by a debate about which flowers look best in spring.

In this case, set a goal:

“I’ll present my report

and when the Finance department makes a comment,

I’ll apologize to close.

If this department insists on discussing matters unrelated

to my presentation,

I’ll say this and leave.”

Follow that goal.

Set goals for each area of your work.

Doing it only takes a few seconds

but it will help you realize:

* What’s wrong?

* Solution to the wrong problem

* How to prevent problems from arising.

Rule 3.5: Know your role

TTO – What is your role?

I know you are there to work,

to perform a certain function,

to complete a certain task

and to follow certain rules.

That is all.

But what is your role?

This is almost like having a work plan.

The work plan outlines the type of employee you want to be.

A role indicates the activities you want to perform.

Will you become an idea expert,

a mediator,

a messenger,

a diplomat,

a get-together,

or a driving force?

Basically,

your role is how well you fit in with your work team.

Of course, we are all people

who follow the rules of the game,

we always have to live in a group.

Dr. Meredith Belbin has spent more than 20 years studying the essence

of teamwork with the aim

of improving people’s strength.

He summed up nine distinct roles in a working group:

* locomotives – original thinkers,

they invent new ideas;

they offer solutions to problems;

They think differently,

holistically,

and have rich imaginations.

* Resource discovery staff

– highly creative;

they love to turn ideas into action;

They are extroverts and are well liked by everyone.

* Their associates have a high sense of discipline

and control of the situation,

they are able to focus on goals;

They are the unifying factor of the working group.

* Planners – they are results-oriented people;

They love being challenged and achieving results.

* Results evaluators – they analyze,

balance and measure the results;

They are calm and objective thinkers.

* Team members – they are supportive and cooperative;

They are diplomatic

because they only want the best for the group.

* Conductors – they have high organizational skills;

sensitive and practical;

they want to get the job done.

* Expert – they want to acquire a specific skill;

They are very professional,

have both energy and a desire to contribute.

Which of the above groups do you belong to?

What role do you play in your work team?

Are you happy with that?

Do you want to change?

Rule 3.6: Identify important times and events

TTO – A cobra has a lot of power and also a lot of venom.

But how many times have you witnessed them use that power?

Rarely.

They only use their full strength when it is:

* Fit

* Meaningful

* Take advantage of

* Helpful

* Necessary

* Important.

They attack when in danger or hungry.

Other times you will never know where they are.

They won’t reveal themselves unless the situation calls for it.

You will act like a cobra.

There’s no point in using up all your energy

and strength when you don’t need it.

What you have to do is identify the key moments and events,

then you will show off.

It’s easy to pinpoint important times and events

for the cobra because it’s just hunger and threat.

What about for you?

I think it’s much more difficult.

There’s no point in using up all your energy

and strength when you don’t need it

Of course there are many people waiting for the big moment,

be it a company party,

an exhibition or a high-level meeting,

and then they can completely ruin their fortunes.

They let me get drunk

or don’t know what I’m talking about,

they’re late,

they’re sick,

or they show up in their clothes unbuttoned

or the tops of their socks are exposed.

What about important events?

You need to show off.

If you do it right,

people will remember your performance.

If you misrepresent yourself,

you will be

forgotten by others.

You will not be allowed to misrepresent.

Identify important times and events

and make yourself stand out on those occasions.

Be like a cobra,

only attacking when it’s really appropriate.

Rule 3.7: Know your strengths and weaknesses

TTO – If you are going to be a rule-of-thumb

then you have to be extremely objective when judging yourself.

A lot of people don’t do this,

they don’t see them the way other people see them.

This is also not simply how others see me,

but also how I see myself.

We all carry in our minds images of who we are

– what do we look like or what do we look like,

what do we live on?

and how do we work

– the question is, how authentic is that image?

Maybe I think I’m a creative

and a bit out-of-the-ordinary worker

while others see me as messy and disorganized.

Which is the correct comment?

Where is the truth?

To recognize strengths and weaknesses,

you must first understand your role

(i.e. understand how you work).

I can say that creativity is a strong point,

the expression of creativity is a series of interesting ideas,

not paying attention to details,

coming up with new projects,

not researching and practicing it.

Are these traits a strength?

If I’m just the doer and the executor,

that’s a weakness.

Or for example,

my strengths are perseverance,

diligence,

predictability,

consistency,

compliance with order and rules,

is that a weakness?

You have to know your role first,

then you can make objective judgments about your own strengths

or weaknesses.

If you are in doubt, make a list,

I always think it is necessary.

Write down what you consider to be your strengths and weaknesses.

Then give that list to a close friend

who doesn’t work with you

and ask that person for an objective assessment.

Next, give that list to a trusted person who works with you.

Is their assessment any different?

I’m sure there is.

The reason for that difference is that

the skills you show in friendships are different from

those you show in workplace friendships.

This rule advises you to recognize your own strengths

and weaknesses,

not to force you to improve them,

eliminate them,

review and change them.

We are who we are,

that’s what we have to consider.

You can be a person with no organization,

good or bad,

and mood swings.

Is this a strength or a weakness?

That depends on your role.

Perhaps you should shift your role

so that it is more relevant to your strengths and weaknesses.

The vast majority of people think that identifying strengths

and weaknesses is to eliminate weaknesses

and only use their strengths.

That’s not right.

That is not a reasonable solution.

This is a real world and we all have weaknesses.

The trick here is to learn how to take advantage of it,

not to strive to become a complete person

because that is impractical and impossible to do.

You can still capitalize on

and know how to use your weaknesses,

but when they become strengths,

do you know how to use them as well?

Just think about it.

Rule 3.8: Anticipate risk

TTO – Danger can come to us every day,

every hour

– it can be the decision to lay off workers,

downsizing the payroll,

merged company,

petty colleagues,

irritable boss,

new technology,

new system,

new regulations…

In fact, most books are about risk,

mainly the dangers of change,

such as Who moved my cheese

or How to handle tough situations at work.

If we have the right attitude,

stay out of the ruts,

be flexible and fast moving,

ignore the gossip and move forward,

we will not only survive the change

but also become the highest ranked athlete.

Of course we can’t do all of that.

There will be times when danger overwhelms us

and makes us losers.

This can happen to everyone.

There’s no escaping the fact that

life can hit us at some point

and we can’t avoid it.

But that’s what people call danger.

Only when the danger becomes present can we deal with it.

When still in the form of danger,

it only scares people,

does not harm anyone.

That is why,

discovering what risks can become a reality is an art.

It is a manifestation of talent.

Life is full of dangers

and we cannot deal with all of them.

But we must deal with the dangers that have become real.

It is more helpful

if we do not see the threat as a threat,

but see it as our opportunity.

Every time danger becomes present

In fact,

it is an opportunity for us to grow and change,

adapt and find new methods and styles of working.

If we have an optimistic attitude,

we will tend to see risks as more of a positive than a negative

because they will give us an opportunity for self-improvement.

Having never been tested means we have never progressed.

I used to work as a manager of a company

that was merged into another large company.

The new bosses brought their managers with them.

So me and two other people were “demoted”,

or in other words,

one level lower.

We have no choice but to leave the company.

At the time,

I was already a very rule-of-thumb

so I saw this as an opportunity

to prove to the new owners that

I was qualified to be one of the managers.

Three months later,

I was back in that position.

Meanwhile, the other two,

one leaving and the other standing still in that “lower” position.

Both complained and complained

and felt that the demotion had damaged their reputation

and offended them.

It might as well be,

but I’m not too disappointed about that.

I needed to go back to my previous ministry

– that is,

step forward.

Rule 3.9: Look for opportunities

TTO – I have said I have long-term and short-term plans,

but there are times

when those plans are thrown into the trash.

But those are the opportunities.

I have a friend who is not “going smoothly”

with his promotion plan.

Once he accidentally sat in the same train car with his boss.

That’s your chance.

He might stammer at a loss for words,

make himself sound like an idiot,

or be too confused

or scared to take advantage of an opportunity.

Luckily he didn’t fall into one of the above categories.

He took advantage of that opportunity perfectly.

All he did was chat informally

but not casually with his boss,

showing his understanding of the company’s history,

motto and purpose.

He showed himself to be a communicator,

intelligent,

expressing exactly what needed to be presented.

Most importantly,

he doesn’t stress too much about his strengths

– he knows how to stop at the right place

to avoid tiring the listener.

This trick has really worked.

The manager told his department head that

she “has a promising young man,

can the manager give him a little support?”.

At this point,

what choice does the head of the department have but to promote him?

That is knowing how to seize the moment.

You can’t write those things down in your plan

because the right times will present themselves.

When they appear, you must:

* Realize the opportunity

* Take advantage of the opportunity

* Calm and delicate

* Don’t realize the moment

– the opportunity will pass by your hand

* Panic

* Too reckless

* Being so excited that I made a fool of myself.

Think of opportunities as balls,

once they appear in front of you,

you only have a split second to catch them.

There is no time to ask questions,

to look ahead,

to compare,

or to enjoy.

Either you will catch the ball,

or you will miss.

You should take a moment to look back at the opportunities you missed

and ask yourself what you would do if you had them again.

Would you do the same again?

Where did you go wrong?