13 rules for corporate survival

Michael Hasler Lecturer, UT Austin McCombs School of Business 20+ Years in leadership at Applied Materials, General Motors, & Nissan http://www.today.mccombs.utexas.edu/

YOU HAVE A NEW JOB. CONGRATULATIONS!

DON’T BLOW IT.

§ Our source: Mike Hasler § UT Austin McCombs School of Business, operations management

lecturer

§ More than 20 years as an executive at General Motors, Nissan, and Applied Materials

§ Helped create Applied Materials’ Leadership Development Program

§ Ph.D. in Human Resource Development

§ “I created these rules after making the mistakes myself.”

http://www.today.mccombs.utexas.edu/

FOLLOW THESE RULES, KEEP YOUR CAREER ON TRACK

§ Know your manager’s assistant by name. He or she is the gatekeeper.

§ Never think of yourself as superior.


§ Respect personal boundaries. § At some point you will work for someone who was previously a peer. Don’t overstep your friendship or put your boss in a position of having to defend your friendship.


§ Business requires confidentiality. § Starting a sentence with, “Don’t tell anyone, but …” should sound your internal alarm to keep quiet.


§ List action items and deadlines up front or in the subject line, not buried in a rambling message.

§ Avoid “Reply to All.”


§ You’ll be happier and more successful in an organization that fits you best, even if you start at a lower salary.

§ Don’t be surprised if it takes a few tries to discover what you like.


§ If you’re habitually late, you will lose credibility.

§ Make punctuality a priority now. It’s more difficult to break a bad habit later in your career.


§ Applied Materials chairman emeritus Jim Morgan’s philosophy as a manager: § Good news is no news. In other words, it shouldn’t be news that things

are going well. § No news is bad news. That means the manager is in the dark. § Bad news is good news. The problem has been identified and now we

can fix it.

§ Make sure the boss doesn’t hear your bad news from

someone else first. Never let your boss be blindsided.


§ Bad news should be followed by solutions. § Unloading your problem on your boss’s shoulders doesn’t help him or her solve it.

§ Think of multiple options and your recommended course of action before you go in.


§ Back up your position with data, not random opinions.

§ If the data goes against your intuition, don’t ignore it. Gather additional or different data.


§ Try to work for someone who develops and promotes staff.

§ As a manager, be the person people want to work for because they know they will be developed.

§ Train your own replacement so that your department can promote you without suffering.

§ Be an expert, the go-to person, at something, especially early

in your career.


§ Don’t ever be that person who goes too far. Know your drink limit, and never exceed it with business colleagues.

§ Your reputation is always on the line.


§ A lot of people work hard and get good results.

§ Learn about other departments and companies. Be the person your boss turns to for information.

§ Participate in company charity events, volunteer for committees. Be known. But be genuine.

§  “Successful networking is not how many people you know, it’s how

many people know you.” --John Daly, communications and management professor, University of Texas at Austin


§ Say “Good morning” to everyone.

§ Write hand-written notes of congratulations, appreciation, and condolences.

§ You will meet thousands of miserable people in your career. Don’t be one of them.


GOOD LUCK OUT THERE. YOU’LL BE GREAT.

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13 rules for corporate survival

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