•There are two sides to every question. (Variant: Everybody’s entitled to anopinion.)•Behave consistently if you want other people to respect you.•Always insist on getting credit for your ideas–and on giving it when it’s due.•To get people to do things for you, you first have to get them to like you.•The best way to deal with other people is to treat them as you would like to betreated. (Did anybody ever ask you to treat them the way you like to be treated?Sure it’s the golden rule, but nine times out of ten it’s just as bad for others as itis for you–or worse.)•Nonconformity has no place in business–you have to fit in and be a team player.Do these opinions sound like an inventory of the mental baggage you’ve beenlugging around? If so, good. We’ve got something to work with.
A Note on Morals
I do not condone immoral or amoral behavior. What I do advocate, however, is
getting things done
by throwing out an overblown, overly polite, crippling world viewthat keeps most of today’s executives tripping over themselves to avoid offending otherpeople. I advocate acting aggressively and effectively–something that, in the end,benefits everyone.Will you take a chance with me? If I can get you to toss out or just
bend
one ortwo of the stale, outmoded, useless ideas I’m about to impart in the following pages, I
guarantee
your career will change in ways you’ll hardly believe. If you’re ready, herewe go.
Your Political Roadmap
B
efore you can apply the techniques explained in this book, you’ll need an organized,clear picture of the lines of power that exist within your workplace.Start with a sheet of ledger-sized paper and follow these instructions. Whendone, you’ll have a directory of up to 40 people–enough to list all your contacts if youwork for a small firm. If you work for a larger company, select the people you’llinclude based on a roster of your department and allied departments. Include every-one with whom you’ll be likely to interact on the job. (A company phone list is a greattool for this purpose.)