52 Maxims

How to update your client in 30 seconds or less

"The Elevator Test" refers to when your top customer (or boss or board member) walks into an elevator that you are on and asks, "So, how is everything going?" You have approximately 30 seconds to say something meaningful that the person can take away with him or her, which is roughly the time of a typical TV advertisement or news feature.

Jot it down! Why note taking is critical to your success

There are a couple of other good reasons to take notes. Taking notes during a meeting is respectful. It tells the person speaking or presenting that you are actually interested in what they have to say. It also forces you to listen more intently to the actual points being made.

The subtle problem of a disorderly work area

“Broken windows” of various sorts are common in most businesses from obvious work flow clutter to less obvious errors or inconsistent formats in a presentation, spelling mistakes in a memo, etc.

Where is your focus?

In most businesses there are many opportunities that require attention but with limited time and resources management must focus their energies on the critical few.

So, what do you suggest we do about it?

In our world, information obstacles are common on a project. The information we need is rarely in the form that we need it and is often difficult to access.

Business problem solving 101

Business problem solving requires clear structured thinking. This is the basis of this Maxim. Being clear and logical requires the consistent application of MECE.

Why sharing information is often the best idea

This maxim refers to the natural tendency of people to try to decide whether something is important enough to let their manager know about it.

The simplest way to learn more…

Many intelligent and well-educated people mistakenly believe that asking questions makes them somehow look less intelligent. Ironically the tendency to avoid asking questions actually reduces your ability to learn.

Accountability in business drives results

People take on a victim position when they refuse to accept the accountability for the job they are assigned.

The importance of the ‘double check’

Nothing damages someone’s professional credibility as quickly as an error, even a minor one. While a simple calculation error or typo can seem trivial in the scheme of things, it implants doubt into your customer’s mind.

The first thing to do when a client (or manager) asks you a question

Many people have a knee-jerk reaction to questions, and answer too quickly, assuming the question is challenging them in some way.

How a “work hard, play hard” culture can help drive success

Working hard is a good idea, but so is playing hard. We find our most successful individuals and project teams pursue out-of-work interests just as vigorously as they do project work.