Guide to Retirement

A tool from CNN.com for planning one's retirement. Worth checking out.

Always make saving a priority.

What Not to Spend Your Time On?

From an HBR article of the same title,

(As a leader of a group) the question is not who's best at performing high-priority functions, but which things can you and only you (as the CEO) get done?

Parenthesis was from me.

Managing Oneself

Lessons from Peter Drucker's classic article:

Most people, do not really know where they belong until they are well past their mid-twenties. By that time, however, they should know the answers to the three questions:

1.What are my strengths?
A person can perform only from his strength. One cannot build performance on weaknesses. What do I find myself doing repeatedly and that comes easily?

2.How do I perform?
Am I a reader or a listener? Do I perform better when most are written out or told? How do I learn? Do I need structure? Do I work alone? Do I like big or small organizations

3.What are my values?
Is the way of doing things at your work align or conflict with your principles? Do I like the way this company does things?

"And then they can and should decide where they belong. Or rather, they should be able to decide where they do not belong."

The answers to the three questions above should somehow be let known not only to yourself but to the other people you work with, so that expectations on how and when a certain work will be done, match or at least nearly meet.

What to contribute (then)?
A plan can usually cover no more than 18 months and still be reasonably clear and specific. So the question should be, Where and how can I achieve results that will make a difference within the next year and a half?

How Will You Measure Your Life?

Some excerpts from the HBR article by Clayton M. Christensen

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One of the theories that gives great insight on the first question—how to be sure we find happiness in our careers—is from Frederick Herzberg, who asserts that the powerful motivator in our lives isn’t money; it’s the opportunity to learn, grow in responsibilities, contribute to others, and be recognized for achievements...

My conclusion: Management is the most noble of professions if it's practiced well. No other occupation offers as many ways to help others learn and grow, take responsibility and be recognized for achievement, and contribute to the success of a team. (My note: it can also be the hardest of professions)

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For me, having a clear purpose in life has been essential..

The choice and successful pursuit of a profession is but one tool for achieving your purpose. But without purpose, life can become hollow..

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If you study the root cause of business disasters, over and over you'll find this predisposition towards endeavors that offer immediate gratification. If you look at personal lives through the lens, you'll see the same stunning and sobering pattern: people allocating fewer and fewer resources to the things they would have once said mattered most.

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About culture: They embrace priorities and follow procedures by instinct and assumption rather than by explicit decision- which means that they've created a culture. Culture, in compelling but unspoken ways, dictates the proven, acceptable methods by which members of the group address recurrent problems. And culture defines the priority given to different types of problems..

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It's easier to hold your principles 100% of the time than it is to hold to them 98% of the time.. You've got to define for yourself what you stand for and draw a line in a safe place.

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One characteristic of these humble people stood out: They had a high level of self-esteem. They knew who they were, and they felt good about who they were. We also decided that humility was defined not by self-deprecating behavior or attitudes but by the esteem with which you regard others.

Generally, you can be humble only if you feel really good about yourself - and you want to help those around you feel really good about themselves, too.

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Choose the Right Yardstick

I have a pretty clear idea of how my ideas have generated enormous revenue for companies that have used my research; I know I’ve had a substantial impact. But as I’ve confronted this disease, it’s been interesting to see how unimportant that impact is to me now. I’ve concluded that the metric by which God will assess my life isn’t dollars but the individual people whose lives I’ve touched.

I think that’s the way it will work for us all. Don’t worry about the level of individual prominence you have achieved; worry about the individuals you have helped become better people. This is my final recommendation: Think about the metric by which your life will be judged, and make a resolution to live every day so that in the end, your life will be judged a success.