Page 87 - Gary's Book - Final Copy 7.9.2017_Active

Your actions must be effortless. Avoid going into detail on how you made the
accomplishments. Teach no one your methods or approaches. Working late or
taking work home indicates you are over your head in your current assignment;
therefore, why should you be considered for a promotion or additional or larger

responsibilities?
Control all options because you are the card dealer; others will play the cards you

dealt them. Be a master of timing, and never seem to be in a great hurry because
hurrying portrays a lack of control over yourself and the project. Learn to stand
back when the time is not yet ripe and to strike fiercely when it has reached
fruition. An excellent strategy is to attend meetings, letting the attendees fully
discuss the pros and cons of the issue, and when you sense what the solution

appears to be, summarize as a conclusion. You will be the winner of the group
every time.

Anger and emotion are strategically counterproductive. You must always stay calm
and be objective. If your coworkers get angry while you are staying calm, you gain
a decided advantage. They become off balance which places you in control.

Avoid attempting to step into a great successful person’s shoes and immolate him;

you will lose. You must establish your own identity by changing course. You never
overcome a legacy. Coercion creates a reaction that eventually works against you.
You must “condition” others into wanting to move in your direction. That seduced
person literally becomes a pawn. Everyone understands the need for change in the
abstract, but on a day to day basis, they are comfortable with current habits. Too

much innovation is traumatic and leads to revolt. If change is necessary, make it
feel like a gentle improvement on the past. Appearing better than others is always
dangerous, especially if you appear to have no faults or weaknesses. Envy creates
silent enemies; admit harmless vices. Do not go past the mark you aimed for in
victory; learn when to stop. Do not let success go to your head.

Take the time to write well. Write early and often. You will find out it is reassuring

to have a paper trail, especially if you are working with attorneys. Write to
emphasize, to give thanks, to confirm, to clarify, and to give praise. Remember the
best speech you will ever give will be forgotten within minutes of your finishing,
but the worst writing will live on forever and will tarnish your name.

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