Nine Rules To Work / Live By

As a developer one of the greatest tips I have received was to share and be explicit about what my values are. Values that govern my work life, what motivates me, how I work etc. The tip was provided in the context of accelerating the on-boarding process for new team members but I have found it to be useful beyond that.
After a bit of self reflection I had a small list that in a burst of creativity and imagination was titled “The Rules”. They reflect my values and perhaps more interestingly are sourced from life lessons, some from good experiences and some that were not quite as delightful as one would have preferred. But as they say we are but a collection of our life experiences.

Summary:
Rule #1: Always have clear lines of ownership. Know exactly what you are supposed to do and ensure others know that exactly.
Rule #2: Always have your act together. You can’t know everything, but what you can know try to know it well.
Rule #3: Under promise, over deliver. You will always come out on top.
Rule #4: Never make yourself indispensable. If you do you’ll stay where you are because you are, well, indispensable.
Rule #5: Credibility is king. Period.
Rule #6: Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. You can teach anyone anything, you can never teach right attitude.
Rule #7: If you find yourself in a hole the first thing to do is stop digging. Old cowboy saying.
Rule #8: “Skate to where the puck is going, not to where it is (or where it has been).” The Great One, Wayne Gretzky.
Rule #9: At the end of the day always remember that it’s just a job.

**From Management Guru...