Rules for Success

One of the best gifts I was ever given.

When I was twenty-one years old, fresh out of college and about to start my first job, my father gave me a handwritten list of instructions.

Here are my dad’s rules for success:

Do at least 10% more than you are asked.
Never, ever, to anybody, present as fact, opinions on things you don’t know. Take great care and discipline.
Be courteous and considerate always— up and down.
Don’t knock, don’t complain—stick to constructive, serious criticism.
Don’t be afraid to make decisions when you have the facts on which to make them.
Quantify where possible.
Be open-minded but skeptical.
Be prompt.

I’ve passed these same rules on to my own children and the original copy hangs next to my bathroom mirror.

- Marc Randolph via Twitter/X