Lessons from Donald

I am very fortunate to be surrounded by some amazing people. Some of them I learn something from. These are lessons from Donald.

#1 Help if people are asking for your help.
There is one pattern I see Donald do that continuously makes him a great resource. Donald will help you if you legitimately asks you for help.

#2 Don't correct people's mistakes before they make them.
This one goes hand in hand with #1. When Donald told me about this it was in a context of football, it went something like this: “a smart blocker doesn't take the ball away form a player because he is scared of a fumble, a smart blocker just gets ready to jump on the ball the second the fumble actually happens”

#3 Ask people for help if you can use it.
Asking people for help gets them bought into your goals. If they don't like your agenda you will hear it early, if they do then they will feel like a part of the team.

#4 People don't like surprises.
Marriage proposals and occasional flowers notwithstanding people don't like surprises. Prep people if you can prep them. It's best if they are bored in a meeting instead of defensive or scared.