A Letter To Myself

I had to do this as a work requirement and thought that others might find it helpful!

Dear Daniel,

I’m writing this note to you to share with you a little of the insight I’ve gained after spending almost a quarter of a century managing sales teams of one type or another. I hope you will find some of these observations and suggestions helpful.

• Make sure that any comments you make at meetings with your peers and superiors are not negative in tone. I know you are not a negative person, but sometimes your passionate views on things might lead others to think you are being negative.

• Pick your business friends carefully…top performers tend to gravitate towards each other, but so do complainers and naysayers. Make sure you are aligned with the former and not the latter.

• Don’t be afraid to share your successful methods with others…it’s not only the right thing to do, but you will learn from them too!

• Be considerate and nice to everyone along the way. Peers of yours may become the senior vice presidents of tomorrow and if you had their trust and friendship as peers, you’ll have it forever.

• Embrace the changes that will surely come along the way. Be supportive of the company’s initiatives even if you can’t fully understand the reasons behind them.

• Make sure you maintain a life and work balance as you’ll turn around one day and find your children are all grown up and the nest empty. It happens fast, and you can’t make up for lost time.

• Even if you work for a difficult boss (and you will), look at it as an opportunity to grow. Trust me; you will learn something from them, even if it’s to avoid treating others like they treated you!

• Share the glory of any successes you will have with as many co-workers as you can. They probably deserve it  AND, it will keep you humble.

• Don’t get discouraged if you don’t get the promotions you think you deserve. It will just lead to negativity, resentment, and a poor attitude. Do your very best with the position you have.

• Don’t worry if your subordinates don’t all like you. Do worry if they don’t respect you.

• When you ask other areas of the company for help, do it with a smile, thanking them in advance for their assistance. Bullying them to help you might gain short term results, but will get you a well-deserved bad reputation.

• Worrying about stuff will never ever make it go away, but it will lead to sleepless nights and a lot of stress. You can only control your reaction to events, not the events themselves.

• Last, but not least, maintain the sense of humor you have. It will help you get thru the stressful times and reduce the tension and stress of everyone around you. Laughter is the best medicine.

Good luck Daniel! I look forward to watching you grow as a person and as a  valued member of our team.