To succeed, whether that be in business or in life, many people will give you their advice. And that is what James Dale did ten years ago in his neat little book titled, The Obvious. Nothing much has changed and all his ‘obvious’ tips are just as useful. Here are a few that caught my attention:

·       Work is a verb – it’s an action. Not everyone wants to exert themselves which means there’s immense opportunity. Work hard.

·       Be a Problem Solver.

·       Put everyone ahead of yourself – help others get what they want – be nice.

·       There are many jerks in your workplace – they make you look better.

·       Listen more than you talk – stop talking, start listening. Hear the answers. You will look brilliant when all you’re doing is giving people what they’re asking for. Be curious and ask questions.

·       The best way to sell is to solve. Solving is selling. Give people what they want. They are always right.

·       Kill meetings. If you have them, make them short. Spend more time in the preparation than in the meeting.

·       Apologize – when you’re wrong, take the blame. Say you’re sorry.

·       Open your mind – whatever you think, think the opposite – think of new ideas.

·       It’s inevitable – you’re going to fail. Consider it as a process to expect failure.

·       Life isn’t fair. Get over it. Don’t dwell. Get back to your goals.

·       Learn from the past. Don’t live there. It’s all about what you might do tomorrow.

·       Derive satisfaction from the work you do, doing it well, nurturing talent, building a company, from your personal and professional reputation from your integrity.

·       Ignore titles, especially your own. Don’t be intimidated by titles and don’t be impressed by your own. Titles are simply labels to increase organisational efficiency.

·       Show up. Physically and mentally. Be in the moment.

·       Not tomorrow, today. Procrastination is contagious. The exciting part of business is dreaming up ideas. Carpe diem.

·       Take notes and make notes (especially if speaking in public). You’re a business person, not a stand-up comedian.

·       People who get things done don’t easily accept getting turned down or aside. They push back when resisted. They fight rejection. Sometimes you have to beat the door down.

·       Whatever you do, from time to time, get away from it. Give yourself breaks to enable you to do your job better.

·       If you’re not good to work for, sack yourself. Find a role model you’d rather work for and start being that person.

·       Be the boss. Don’t be bossy. Complete the 30 Day Low-Bossing Workout!!! The best bosses are always studying, always learning.

·       Find people with talent. Motivate them. Challenge them. Move them up. What they don’t know they will learn … fast.

·       Trust someone – besides yourself. Trust them.

·       Every once in a while, ask yourself, “Am I Happy?” “Am I Challenged?” “Am I fulfilled?” Sleep on it. Then make a plan for the near future.

·       If you have to ask for a raise, quit!

·       Put your obvious to work. Tomorrow is a chance to do better.

What do you think of this list? There are many more tips in the book; I've just highlighted the ones which caught my attention. I read books for our development. Let me know if you have a book which you’d like us to learn from and I’ll aim to read it. I really enjoy receiving books from authors and especially from friends. Thank you Lynne Cazaly for this book.

Scroll down further and you can read a quick review of the other 36 books which I have read as part of my '52 Books in 52 Weeks' Challenge.