Sunday WSJ — Part 2
The last five “mantras” from the Sunday Wall Street Journal article are…
6. It’s a team effort. Unless you are a one person show, you’re part of a team…or are you? I know I could think of myself as a star and act accordingly, but I also know how much more we can all accomplish together. Even stars need to be bailed out from time to time. That’s when being a team player means a lot. Writing this just made me think of the Brian Piccolo story, teammate of Gale Sayers for those of us old enough to remember.
7. Stay on the reader’s side. Just replace reader with customer and this makes ultimate sense.
8. Don’t get carried away. This is similar to the first point, “stick to the mission.” Maybe better said, KISS-Keep It Simple Stupid (I left out the comma to give it a new slant).
9. Buy low. Sell high. It’s important to make a profit. Like most travelers, I like to see good deals on airfare, hotels, etc. But, if the airlines don’t make money, how long can they afford to keep the planes in good shape and provide the service we all really want? If you sacrifice profits for say growth, you better think carefully. It’s even worse if you’re sacrificing profits just to maintain market share. GM and Chrysler are to some extent examples of what happens (you get a government bailout. Don’t count on it).
10. Remember how you got here. Remember who brought you to the dance. Also as philosopher George Santayana so famously said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”