100 Secrets

Only the paranoid survive.--Andrew Grove

I'm not talking about paranoia with respect to your co-workers and your boss, though that might make sense in your situation. I'm talking about being paranoid about your own work product.

Whether you are writing some code, designing a network, or just opening a few ports on your firewall, being paranoid is a very good thing...

Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
--George Santayana

Are you committed to life-long learning? I am.

Why? Because, to paraphrase George Santayana, "those that don't learn from their mistakes are doomed to repeat them."

How do you learn? Some might answer, "I'm a kinetic learner" or "I learn by reading" or "I am an auditory learner". And that would be true for them, to some extent. There are many learning styles, preferences, and methods, but there is only one common method that is makes such an impact that almost everyone learns something from it. I'm talking about FAILURE.

Many of the most memorable lessons I've learned have came from my failures, not my successes.

People who think they are smart tend to think that when they are asked a question, they should be able to immediately provide an answer.

Not so.

The problem with that is, because we are human, we tend to misunderstand the question and provide either the wrong answer to the right question or the right answer to the wrong question.

If you really want people to think you are smart, and you want to answer the actual question, first, ask some good questions. That way, you know what the question really is about, only then should you start answering the question. AFAS: Ask First, Answer Second.

Won't that annoy the person asking the question? Yeah, sometimes, but I'd rather answer the right question correctly than any of the alternatives.

There are many reasons why people ask the wrong question, but some of the ones I've run into include:
* They are trying to solve the wrong problem
* They don't understand the problem correctly

Everybody makes mistakes. Even I made a mistake once. One time I thought I was wrong, but it turned out I wasn't.
--Me (among others)

Everybody makes mistakes. Everybody.

Think about the people you know. Is there someone that stands out in your circle that you consider to be wise? If not in all things, I'm sure you know someone wise in a particular area of life or work. How do you think they acquired that wisdom?

Was it by reading what others were doing? Maybe a little...

Was it by hanging around watching smart people succeeding or others failing? Maybe some...

One of the best ways to use the few resources you have is to take advantage of open source software.

If you say, "I can't, we have a policy against using open source software", then you should be aware that you probably already use open source software. Are there any Apple Mac computers under your control? Aficio networked printers? Linksys access points? Do you host your website somewhere else? If any of your answers are yes, then you are probably already using open source software. The question isn't if you are already using it, it is if you are actively pursuing it.

Why Open Source?

• Money: money is part of it, but freedom is even more important. Even if you don't exercise that freedom, someone else can and that will make your life easier and better.
• Freedom: you control your own destiny.

There is a lot to know about time, project, and work management. But, to me, it all seems to come down to one thing: the power of the list.

There are some great websites (http://www.43folders.com) and books (Time Management for System Administrators) about time management and getting organized, but the two most important things you can do to get and stay organized are to "commit to the list" and to "commit to the cycle."

Doing these two things keeps me from bouncing around, forgetting things, working on the wrong priorities, worrying about what I should be doing, and feeling stressed by incoming work that is exceeding the outgoing work.

Here's what I do...

Tu ne quaesieris, scire nefas, quem mihi, quem tibi finem di dederint, Leuconoe, nec Babylonios temptaris numeros. ut melius, quidquid erit, pati. seu pluris hiemes seu tribuit Iuppiter ultimam, quae nunc oppositis debilitat pumicibus mare Tyrrhenum: sapias, vina liques et spatio brevi — spem longam reseces. dum loquimur, fugerit invida aetas: carpe diem quam minimum credula postero.

Leuconoe, don't ask — it's a sin to know — what end the gods will give me or you. Don't play with Babylonian fortune-telling either. It is better to endure whatever will be. Whether Jupiter has allotted to you many more winters or this final one which even now wears out the Tyrrhenian sea on the rocks placed opposite be smart, drink your wine. Scale back your long hopes to a short period. While we speak, envious time will have {already} fled Seize the day, trusting as little as possible in the future.

Horace (23 BC)

"Carpe diem" is a latin term that translates to "seize the day". It is generally understood to mean, "take advantage of opportunties now, before time passes".

One of the skills any IT person should develop is an "eye for opportunity".

"And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
-- Luke 6:31 (KJV)"

The "Golden Rule" is generally stated as, "do unto others as you would have them do unto you". As long as you are a relatively normal person, to treat others as you would want to be treated reflects your true character, puts your ethics into action, and makes the world a better place at the same time.

However, many people miss the logical extension of this rule. Don't just treat other people the way you want to be treated, "treat others as they would like to be treated."

The difference here is that, before you can treat people the way they want to be treated, you must put some thought into what the other person wants or needs. You can't just think about things from a self-centric point of view. You need to start thinking about things from the viewpoint of others. Walk a mile in another person's shoes.

"Paper and ink are all but trash, if I cannot find the thought which the writer did think."
-- Dr. Walter Smith

When I was just starting out as a consultant, I learned many important lessons from a particular older gentleman who owned my first client. By first client, I mean it was the first client I had that was all my responsibility from the very beginning. I had worked on other accounts and had even taken over a few as the account manager, but this account was the first one I "owned" from the sales call on.

Anyway, this guy was full of great pearls of wisdom and at least 5 of the "100 Secrets" that I'll be sharing came directly from him. He had retired at least 3 times before he started the company that was my client. They made guitar strings under their own brand and also made strings for other brands. They happen to be some of the best strings available and the company had an outstanding reputation.