Golden Rules

If something you weren't told about, because you didn't want to hear about it, becomes a problem; you own the problem - which is you didn't listen. You can't know if you need to hear something if you haven't listened to it. You won't know if something is important if you don't shut up and listen.

There are dumb questions. They're the ones you ask then don't listen to the answer. Don't waste other peoples' time by not listening to their answer to your question - all of it.

Don't rush. It makes you look even farther behind than you already are from correcting what you missed from being in a hurry to begin with. Expedience exudes confidence. Haste exudes incompetence.

Discern delegating from buck-passing. Your job tasks don't belong to someone else. Keep your job tasks off other peoples' plates. If you delegate what you are capable of doing yourself, for what does the company need you?

Responsible people don't need to be reminded of what they need to do.

Speak to others through your own mouth.

Thou shalt not denigrate.

Consider the cost of putting in your two cents worth. Words are currency. Dispensed sparingly, they are valuable; too many in circulation, they devaluate.