The Rules of Management: A definitive code for managerial success

<p><strong>Managing your team</strong></p> <p>1. Get them emotionally involved</p> <p>2. Know what a team is and how it works</p> <p>3. Set realistic targets – no, really realistic</p> <p>4. Hold effective meetings . . .</p> <p>5. No, really effective</p> <p>6. Make meetings fun</p> <p>7. Make your team better than you</p> <p>8. Know your own importance</p> <p>9. Set your boundaries</p> <p>10. Be ready to prune</p> <p>11. Offload as much as you can – or dare</p> <p>12. Let them make mistakes</p> <p>13. Accept their limitations</p> <p>14. Encourage people</p> <p>15. Be very, very good at finding the right people</p> <p>16. Hire raw talent</p> <p>17. Take the rap</p> <p>18. Give credit to the team when it deserves it</p> <p>19. Get the best resources for your team</p> <p>20. Celebrate</p> <p>21. Keep track of everything you do and say</p> <p>22. Be sensitive to friction</p> <p>23. Create a good atmosphere</p> <p>24. Inspire loyalty and team spirit</p> <p>25. Have and show trust in your staff</p> <p>26. Respect individual differences</p> <p>27. Listen to ideas from others</p> <p>28. Adapt your style to each team member</p> <p>29. Let them think they know more than you (even if they don’t)</p> <p>30. Don’t always have to have the last word</p> <p>31. Understand the roles of others</p> <p>32. Ensure people know exactly what is expected of them</p> <p>33. Have clear expectations</p> <p>34. Use positive reinforcement motivation</p> <p>35. Don’t try justifying stupid systems</p> <p>36. Be ready to say yes</p> <p>37. Train them to bring you solutions, not problems</p> <p><strong>Managing yourself</strong></p> <p>38. Work hard</p> <p>39. Set the standard</p> <p>40. Enjoy yourself</p> <p>41. Don’t let it get to you</p> <p>42. Know what you are supposed to be doing</p> <p>43. Know what you are actually doing</p> <p>44. Value your time</p> <p>45. Be proactive, not reactive</p> <p>46. Be consistent</p> <p>47. Set realistic targets for yourself – no, really realistic</p> <p>48. Have a game plan, but keep it secret</p> <p>49. Get rid of superfluous rules</p> <p>50. Learn from your mistakes</p> <p>51. Be ready to unlearn – what works, changes</p> <p>52. Cut the crap – prioritize</p> <p>53. Cultivate those in the know</p> <p>54. Know when to kick the door shut</p> <p>55. Fill your time productively and profitably</p> <p>56. Have a Plan B and a Plan C</p> <p>57. Capitalize on chance – be lucky, but never admit it</p> <p>58. Recognize when you’re stressed</p> <p>59. Manage your health</p> <p>60. Be prepared for the pain and pleasure</p> <p>61. Face the future</p> <p>62. Head up, not head down</p> <p>63. See the wood and the trees</p> <p>64. Know when to let go</p> <p>65. Be decisive, even if it means being wrong sometimes</p> <p>66. Adopt minimalism as a management style</p> <p>67. Visualize your blue plaque</p> <p>68. Have principles and stick to them</p> <p>69. Follow your intuition</p> <p>70. Be creative</p> <p>71. Don’t stagnate</p> <p>72. Be flexible and ready to move on</p> <p>73. Remember the object of the exercise</p> <p>74. Remember that none of us has to be here</p> <p>75. Go home</p> <p>76. Keep learning – especially from the opposition</p> <p>77. Be passionate and bold</p> <p>78. Plan for the worst, but hope for the best</p> <p>79. Let the company see you are on its side</p> <p>80. Don’t bad-mouth your boss</p> <p>81. Don’t bad-mouth your team</p> <p>82.Accept that some things bosses tell you to do will be wrong</p> <p>83 Accept that bosses are as scared as you are at times</p> <p>84. Avoid straitjacket thinking</p> <p>85. Act and talk as if one of them</p> <p>86. If in doubt, ask questions</p> <p>87. Show you understand the viewpoint of underlings and overlings</p> <p>88. Add value</p> <p>89. Don’t back down – be prepared to stand your ground</p> <p>90. Don’t play politics</p> <p>91. Don’t slag off other managers</p> <p>92. Share what you know</p> <p>93. Don’t intimidate</p> <p>94. Be above interdepartmental warfare</p> <p>95. Show that you’ll fight to the death for your team</p> <p>96. Aim for respect rather than being liked</p> <p>97. Do one or two things well and avoid the rest</p> <p>98. Seek feedback on your performance</p> <p>99. Maintain good relationships and friendships</p> <p>100. Build respect – both ways – between you and your customers</p> <p>101. Go the extra mile for your customers</p> <p>102. Be aware of your responsibilities</p> <p>103. Be straight at all times and speak the truth</p> <p>104. Don’t cut corners – you’ll get found out</p> <p>105. Find the right sounding board</p> <p>106 Be in command and take charge</p> <p>107 Be a diplomat for the company</p> <p><strong>The Rules for entrepreneurs</strong></p> <p>1 Don’t borrow money</p> <p>2 Find a balance</p> <p>3 Plan for the worst</p> <p>4 Have a mission</p> <p>5 Be brutally honest</p> <p>6 Get all the help you can</p> <p>7 Set up a strong culture</p> <p>8 Don’t say yes to everything</p> <p>9 Stick by your decisions</p> <p>10 Your time is everyone’s time</p> <p><strong>End game</strong></p> <p><strong>Had enough yet . . .?</strong></p>