That’s how you build trust. Especially in sensitive situations. As soon as the counterpart perceives you to be doing something behind the scenes, suspicions arise. Suspicions rapidly escalate to paranoia and breakdown in trust. You need to trust if you want to win. Do everything out in the open.

There are lots of paths to follow. Lots of opinions to heed. Lots of voices in the room. In the end, it’s only your choice that matters. Only your opinion that matters. Find your own path.

If you have a heart, its hard to idly sit by when a good company goes down. But that’s what you have to do. Bailing a company (or a person) out is just delaying the inevitable. It’s making the end even worse. Your job is to ensure people confront reality, fast. Don’t bail anyone out.

Ultimately your reputation is based on one thing: Do you deliver the goods? Do you keep your promises? Are you good for it? The rest is noise. If you want to be taken seriously, there’s only one way: Deliver the goods.

Most times, it’s good to have options. It’s gives leverage and limits downside. But, as with love, if you never choose a path, you risk losing all paths. Sometimes you just have to choose a path and commit.

From birth we get programmed to follow.  Parents, teachers, the system: they teach us to conform.  To stay in the tram lines.  To stick to the rules. To be an excellent sheep. Are you an excellent sheep?

Sometimes you buy a coffee, but it’s crap. The temptation is to finish it. But why? If it’s crap, throw away the coffee.

Well done. But there’s no need to tell everyone. If you have, you have. No one cares for excuses. The only thing that matters is victory.

Optionality is golden. It gives you freedom of choice, it gives you plan B’s and C’s. Until you need to make a decision. Then, suddenly, options are a nightmare. Which option to take? What is the right path? Sell or hold? Defend or grow? The best way to make sure you make the right choice…

Take every meeting. Take every call. Meet people, give them time, respect, even if you’re sure you have better things to do. Every person is a dot in your network. The more dots in your network, the more likely you are to connect them. Connecting the dots is where success lies. Before you connect the…

You have to remind yourself of this, over and over. Work your ass off until you’ve done everything you can do. Then wait. Don’t try to busy yourself after you’ve already done everything you can. That jeopardises the outcome. The die is set. Wait.

Same for respect. Same for everything. It starts with you. If you don’t love yourself, you will never love others. Figure out what it is that stops you from loving yourself. The rest follows.