First, refresh on our first installment.
- Use the phone, but not voicemail.
- If you bold or highlight text in an email to draw attention to the important points, you’ve written too much.
- Always always always have something significant to report.
- If colleagues made bingo cards about conversations with you – frequent phrases, word choice, body language – would you be proud of what was on it?
- Quote great movies and songs; when your audience misses the reference, shrug and move on without lingering on the topic.
- Quote the Secretary of Defense; when your audience misses the reference, educate them.
- A conference call is a great time for pushups.
- Drinks in the office? We’re on board, but everyone present has been offered a glass, you’ve toasted to your mission, and the door is open because you’ve got a spare glass for whomever drops by.
- Books.
- Dumb meeting? Leave, or stay and force yourself to write down three new facts to pass back to your team.
- Read all the news, all on your own time.
- Be self sufficient. Your subordinates have a job and it’s not to help you do yours.
- Your boss should want face time with you more than you want face time with him.
- TDY is not for fucking off.
- Worry about yourself.
- If you’re in the mood to motivate and empower: engage.
- If you know your mood will lead to counter productive engagement: don’t engage.
- Solutions.
- Ideas.
- Be good at your job first, then help the rest.
- Stay properly caffeinated.
- Never refuse a piece of gum.
- Try hard not to have offensive breath.
- Look people in the face.
- Don’t touch.
- Never sit on someone’s desk.
- Time is our only limited resource; patience is not. Understand the subtle, yet crucial, difference.
- Shake hands firmly.
- When we can’t hear you, you don’t get to talk.
- Have some self control.
- Give credit to your team.
- Literally everyone says literally.
- Don’t believe the words on your evaluation report.
- Never cook fish in the microwave.
(Photo by Cpl. Danny Gonzalez, DVIDS)
