These tips have bee adapted from the book- The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
In both business and career development, reading a strategy book is an invaluable thing that will propel you to great heights. Below are some tips that will help you.
1. Law 5- So much depends on reputation, guard it with your life:
Reputation and personal branding go hand in hand. You need to ensure that at all costs you avoid scandals that will ruin your reputation. Engage in honest deals both at your place of work and away from it.
A damaged reputation, especially if brought about by a disgruntled client can be almost impossible to repair.
2. Law 9- Win through actions, not argument:
In the course of doing your business or working at the venture that you are employed, criticism is bound to come sooner or later. In a desperate attempt to clear their name, most people get into heated and very emotional arguments.
That should not be the case, if criticism comes your way let your actions prove people wrong. If a client criticised your products, offer an apology and deliver quality so that the next thing they do is give a testimonial about your products. Same goes for the quality of your work at your workplace.
3. Law 23- Concentrate your forces:
It pays off to be good at what you do. Being a jack of all trades is good but being an expert at something makes you indispensable. As you start your business you may be selling a lot of goods and services but as time goes by, try and focus your efforts on a particular line of business. In your career as you start off, have a variety of skills and then later as you scale up, learn more and more of one thing till you become a specialist.
4. Law 28- Enter action with boldness:
The number one rule of success is showing up. When you decide to embark on something, be as bold as you can be about it. A lack of confidence is going to spell doom for you in your business and career.
Self doubt makes you have reservations about doing something which eventually leads you to doing that thing in a poor way and the results eventually become poor. When you launch a new business or line of products or if you decide to choose a new career path, confidence will help you succeed.
5. Law 29- Plan all the way to the end:
Having plans is essential in helping you stay on course towards your goals. When making plans for both your business and your career no room should be left for 'We shall cross the bridge when we get there...'
This phrase more often than not, reveals a lack of confidence or a failure to face the reality on the ground. You're sure to face uncertain times, but that should not deter you from planning all the way to the end.
BONUS: Law 47- Don't go past the mark you aimed for. In victory, learn when to stop:
Being ambitious is good, being overly ambitious is fatal. After you have set your goals and achieved them, focus on maintaining that status quo rather than stretching yourself more past your limits.
Most people forget to cover the ground as they scale up, your business grows and you pay more attention to growing your business rather than keeping your customers satisfied. You need to learn when to stop so that greed doesn't drive you off course and ruin all that you have built. Always have an exit strategy.
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