Jul 1 2010

My reflections on professional and life lessons re-learned

My reflections from the past two weeks on lessons I learned (or re-learned) during a very hectic (and rewarding) work schedule. Here they are in all their tweet-ready glory:

  1. Those who work the hardest (and the longest) end up with more opportunities.
  2. Always under promise and over deliver.
  3. A good team makes all the difference.
  4. If you wait until things are perfect, you’ll never get anything done.
  5. You can’t forget to take care of yourself. (I need to remind myself of this OFTEN.)
  6. Priorities REALLY matter. You can’t always get everything done, but you better get the right things done.
  7. We all make mistakes. It’s what we learn and how we change after that can redeem us.
  8. Business titles shouldn’t determine who receives your respect. You may end up reporting to those people someday.
  9. When you know your values, it’s easy(ier) to make big decisions. (Former mentor did great exercise to help me w/ this.)
  10. You don’t become irrelevant if you go off-grid for 48 hours or more.
  11. Recognize those who do an amazing job. There are many professionals who go above and beyond b/c they love their jobs.
  12. Sometimes it truly is better to ask for forgiveness than permission.
  13. Fun ways to reward and recognize your team via social media can really pay off. A team who tweets together, stays together???

21 Comments on this post

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  1. Nikki Stephan said:

    These are great reminders. Number four hits home with me because I learned (and still need to remind myself every day) early in my PR career that being a perfectionist can hinder your ability to be productive. Thanks for sharing these reflections!

    July 1st, 2010 at 11:16 am
  2. Escort Agency London said:

    I love the last line. “A team who tweets together, stays together” Every tips are useful reminder to all working professionals and members of the team not as a group member.

    July 1st, 2010 at 11:37 am
  3. sell textbooks said:

    Number 2 and 10 are great but especially number 2. It is good practice to under promise and over deliver. Ti show the company that you are an asset and will help them not hinder or only do just par to what they ask for.

    July 1st, 2010 at 1:31 pm
  4. viral marketing said:

    This is true. Also it seems like the more you work the luckier you get.

    July 1st, 2010 at 2:12 pm
  5. Plumber Sydney said:

    I;m a fan of number 4 – it really rigns true with me. Im always waiting for the perfect moment to do something and while I do i sit there watching every opportunity go by. Thanks for the great list.

    July 1st, 2010 at 6:28 pm
  6. used tires said:

    Fantastic life lessons you’ve put down, I think we all need a little reminder of these from time to time to put us in the right mode, and ready to reach the goals we want both in our professional and personal lives.

    Till then,

    Jean

    July 1st, 2010 at 8:07 pm
  7. Outdoor Cat Enclosures said:

    Sarah all of these points were very insightful, and in my opinion VERY wise. I actually wrote a couple of these points down as I’m sure they will be useful to refer to in the future. One of my favorites was “Priorities REALLY matter. You can’t always get everything done, but you better get the right things done.” which I think is quite correct.

    July 1st, 2010 at 9:21 pm
  8. Melinda said:

    Great points, Sarah, and you posted them on a day that I really needed to be reminded of many of them! Printing them out and putting them in a place where I can refer to them often. We all know what we need to do, but “re-learning” is necessary — almost on a daily basis.

    July 2nd, 2010 at 12:58 am
  9. telefon dinleme said:

    But I would have to get my foot out of my mouth cause how would I categorize quality of life. They may be in poorer living conditions but they could be happier than I am because of their belief system. So alas I don’t know. This is what blogs are for.

    July 2nd, 2010 at 11:27 am
  10. temizlik sirketleri izmir said:

    I agree. Sometimes the less you know the better off you are quote from a Bob Seger song “wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know :)

    July 2nd, 2010 at 11:28 am
  11. Curious Cat Investing Blog said:

    I think working hard is important. But I believe working intelligently is even more important. Too often people just plug away instead of thinking and attacking the work more intelligently. Part of that thinking is prioritizing the right things. But an important part is also thinking of what wasted effort can be eliminated and not harm (and sometimes even help) the end result.

    July 3rd, 2010 at 7:56 am
  12. Soyini said:

    Good tips, but number 12 is some scary advice: “Sometimes it truly is better to ask for forgiveness than permission.”

    But I totally understand the reasoning. Asking sometimes introduces too many people to the decision making matrix, particularly those who may not have the infomation necessary to make a good decision anyway ie the client. They might know what they want, but not how to get it, and seeking their imput every step of the way might handicapp your results.

    July 4th, 2010 at 11:16 am
  13. Escort Service London said:

    #2 is the most professional way of achieving a successful way of providing your service online.

    July 5th, 2010 at 8:24 am
  14. Diahann said:

    I’m going to be the lone voter for #6. Your first priority should be your team / employees. If they are happy, your customers will be happy. Second is taking care of self so you can — Third, work on the right things, which will enable over delivering.

    July 6th, 2010 at 7:17 pm
  15. denemecelik said:

    These are great reminders. ;)

    July 7th, 2010 at 10:44 am
  16. Escort Service London said:

    #3 is always on my head because currently im in a group not a team. each has its own key difference.

    July 8th, 2010 at 6:42 am
  17. Immigration Guy said:

    Thanks for the great points Sarah? Do you have a post or example on how you reward your team via social media?

    July 11th, 2010 at 11:49 am
  18. Beauty Salon said:

    Nice post & the things you said i think every once had experienced once in a life.For me #3 & #4 are most applicable because i have to manage my team & also i can’t wait that if any issue among them making problem in my work i have to wait so that issue get resolved by them…i have to make initiative so i can sort out that as early as possible & make things going on smoothly…I think every team leader has gone through it….

    July 12th, 2010 at 1:28 am
  19. Bidet said:

    Great post, all these lessons are great to know. Im glad you learned them. One of the things I forget to do as well is 5.

    July 12th, 2010 at 4:22 am
  20. zayiflama yöntemleri said:

    Great points, Sarah, and you posted them on a day that I really needed to be reminded of many of them! ;)

    July 12th, 2010 at 10:18 am
  21. Home Plans said:

    #1 is so true. I live by that saying.

    July 12th, 2010 at 2:11 pm