Sunday, June 12, 2005

Success Rules--Bob Parsons

Bob Parsons has lost more money than most people ever make. He's also a serial entrepreneur with a net worth greater than the entire treasury of some countries, I'm sure. (Also notice he blogs--there really is something to this). When asked to speak at a business breakfast about what advice he would give someone just starting a business, he gave it some quality thought and developed the following list of rules by which he lives and succeeds. They are both concrete and philosophical, as encouraging as they are challenging.

Bob Parsons

Here are the 16 rules I try to live by:
1. Get and stay out of your comfort zone. I believe that not much happens of any significance when we're in our comfort zone. I hear people say, "But I'm concerned about security." My response to that is simple: "Security is for cadavers."

2. Never give up. Almost nothing works the first time it's attempted. Just because what you're doing does not seem to be working, doesn't mean it won't work. It just means that it might not work the way you're doing it. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and you wouldn't have an opportunity.

3. When you're ready to quit, you're closer than you think. There's an old Chinese saying that I just love, and I believe it is so true. It goes like this: "The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed."

4. With regard to whatever worries you, not only accept the worst thing that could happen, but make it a point to quantify what the worst thing could be. Very seldom will the worst consequence be anywhere near as bad as a cloud of "undefined consequences." My father would tell me early on, when I was struggling and losing my shirt trying to get Parsons Technology going, "Well, Robert, if it doesn't work, they can't eat you."

5. Focus on what you want to have happen. Remember that old saying, "As you think, so shall you be."

6. Take things a day at a time. No matter how difficult your situation is, you can get through it if you don't look too far into the future, and focus on the present moment. You can get through anything one day at a time.

7. Always be moving forward. Never stop investing. Never stop improving. Never stop doing something new. The moment you stop improving your organization, it starts to die. Make it your goal to be better each and every day, in some small way. Remember the Japanese concept of Kaizen. Small daily improvements eventually result in huge advantages.

8. Be quick to decide. Remember what the Union Civil War general, Tecumseh Sherman said: "A good plan violently executed today is far and away better than a perfect plan tomorrow."

9. Measure everything of significance. I swear this is true. Anything that is measured and watched, improves.

10. Anything that is not managed will deteriorate. If you want to uncover problems you don't know about, take a few moments and look closely at the areas you haven't examined for a while. I guarantee you problems will be there.

11. Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you're doing. When you look at your competitors, remember that everything looks perfect at a distance. Even the planet Earth, if you get far enough into space, looks like a peaceful place.

12. Never let anybody push you around. In our society, with our laws and even playing field, you have just as much right to what you're doing as anyone else, provided that what you're doing is legal.

13. Never expect life to be fair. Life isn't fair. You make your own breaks. You'll be doing good if the only meaning fair has to you, is something that you pay when you get on a bus (i.e., fare).

14. Solve your own problems. You'll find that by coming up with your own solutions, you'll develop a competitive edge. Masura Ibuka, the co-founder of SONY, said it best: "You never succeed in technology, business, or anything by following the others." There's also an old Asian saying that I remind myself of frequently. It goes like this: "A wise man keeps his own counsel."

15. Don't take yourself too seriously. Lighten up. Often, at least half of what we accomplish is due to luck. None of us are in control as much as we like to think we are.

16. There's always a reason to smile. Find it. After all, you're really lucky just to be alive. Life is short. More and more, I agree with my little brother. He always reminds me: "We're not here for a long time; we're here for a good time."
The preceding excerpt is included with the permission of Bob Parsons (http://www.bobparsons.com) and is Copyright 2005 by Bob Parsons. All rights reserved.

50 Top Words of 2005

When you write for a living like I do, you had better like your words. I pay close attention to the latest breaking world word news.

Beyond that, this blog can help me fulfill a civic duty by keeping you, my loyal reader, up to date on the latest linquistic developments. To wit, let me introduce you to Cambridge Dictionaries Online's faithfully updated list of the 50 Top Words of 2005. These 50 words are the most often requested online during the year, the list constantly changing to reflect our dynamic language.
Cambridge Dictionaries Online

Number one is "advice." Imagine the legions of people confused about the difference between advice and advise? Advise is what you do, advice is what you give. One little letter can make a big difference, which I suspect is at the root of this word's popularity.

Number two is "liase." As in liason. Now I like to liase as well as the next person, but frankly, I'm a bit surprised at its popularity. I don't think I've ever heard that word in casual conversation. Then again, I've noticed an odd phenomenon. Once I've run into an unusual or new word, I begin to see and hear it everywhere. This recently happened to me with the word "bespoke." I'd never heard it before six months ago, and now I see it everywhere.

Number three is "effect." I'm glad to see people concerning themselves with this little word. There's an enormous difference between "effect" and "affect" that is too often the victim of confusion, an effect which affects too many.

Let me advise you with this bit of bespoke advice: liase as often as necessary with Cambridge and the like until its effect has affected you. (I'm so sorry, I put my tongue in my cheek and I can't get it out.)