At first I was going to do a “top lesson from 2009″ post, however the more I thought about it the harder it was to determine the “number one” lesson of the year, as I’ve been fortunate to learn a lot. So here the top ten lessons I learned in 2009, in no particular order.
- In life, it always has been, and always will be, about relationships.
- Meeting people in-person is still the best way to form relationships, and strengthen those first created online. And while meeting people is great, introducing people to others is even better.
- Reading a metric ton of material every day is great, but commenting on all those blogs and writing response posts is even better. The same goes for Twitter and Facebook.
- Being 100% honest with employees is the only way to go, even if you think they’ll freak out over bad news. The best people will stay on board and kick things into high gear.
- The way to be most effective is finding out what people want, the root causes of what’s holding them back, and then removing those impediments using your experience and knowledge. This is particularly true when helping teams implement Agile.
- There is no such thing as failure. Trying new things is the best way to learn. There is no failure, just lessons to be learned. Learning sooner rather than later is always good. Face brutal facts, and face them often.
- Education of any sort is always a very good thing, whether it’s getting an MBA, attending conferences and workshops, reading books and blogs, or teaching others.
- Marketing is where it’s at. Inbound marketing is the best. True marketing is about cultivating relationships that are win-win. One-way marketing sucks. Â Thankfully, social media has helped to change this. Many people still don’t get it though.
- To be able to continue to compete, we must change as often as necessary. There is talent all over the world, and our teams are no longer bound by geography. Understanding cultures beyond our own are absolutely necessary. Living in a bubble is asking for a whole lotta #FAIL.
- Never lose sight of what is truly important – being happy, and the happiness of those around you.
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