Nothing new here: Old ways to find success
Want some exciting new thoughts on how to be successful this year? If so, don’t read this column.
Instead, I come to you early in this new year to share some “old” ideas on how to get ahead in work and life. Sure, you may have some trendy new management books with “new” theories on how to get more done in less time. And you may have some new technology that will help you multi-task with the best of your Type-A colleagues.
But some insightful words in the Good Book help put all those new toys in perspective. I came across those words while working on a Sunday School lesson for the last class of last year. I was looking at what the Bible says about new things when I came across these famous words in Ecclesiastes 1:9: “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; and there is nothing new under the sun.”
Those are very scary words for every management guru or leadership whiz who has come up with a breakthrough new strategy for success. Let’s face it: We are infatuated, especially at this time of year, with “new” theories and “new” ideas on how we can be the leader we really want to be.
But I think Ecclesiastes has it right: There really is nothing new out there. Sorry to burst your bubble.
So this year, if you really want to get more done than last year, I offer you these humble and old school thoughts:
* Work hard. There is no substitute here. Yes, you can work smarter, but you still need to put your time in. You are only fooling yourself if you think otherwise.
* Try some low-tech ways to connect with your staff and your customers. When was the last time you wrote a personal note to someone to thank them for a job well done? In a vast sea of email, a personal letter stands out.
* Escape from the prison of technology. Are you too busy checking email and voicemail every second of every day to give yourself some time to think? Leave the laptop on your desk and go to Starbucks for a quick getaway. While you are there, do something bold: Think about what you want to accomplish in the week ahead.
That’s my quick take on some old school tips for success in the new year. Good luck to you. I hope 2007 is a great year for you and your company.
DAN MOCIAS commented:
Thank God......Someone makes sense....
Dave Garretson commented:
So true! Retailers often compliment me (as recently as today, for instance) on being such a tech-savvy rep because I do a lot for emailing and blogging and other neat 21st century stuff... but the truth is, it's just a newer and faster way for me to do the same old thing, converse with customers. If more of us would would stop looking at our Blackberries so often, we'd take better notice of what is going on around us. Thanks for the reminder, Dave!
