During a recent office tidy up, I stumbled across a small book I’d bought about 14 years ago. It’s called Never Confuse A Memo With Reality (and according to Amazon you can pick up a copy for as little as 1p).
It’s simply a series of pithy business aphorisms – and if anything exemplifies the idea of "plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose", this is it.
Here’s a few worthwhile nuggets:
124: Give presentations that tell stories, not just provide data.
135. Spend your department’s (or client’s) budget as if it were your own.
150. Never go to more than two meetings a day or you will never get anything done.
168. Use metaphors to convey your point.
169. Be the first to use technology don’t fight it. People talk about the Luddites, but they’re history.
171. Being good is important; being trusted is essential.
199. The size of your office is not as important as the size of your pay check.
342. Career planning is an oxymoron. The most exciting opportunities tend to be unplanned.