It's been the case in the last couple of years that I have learnt some valuable life-lessons by watching other people make mistakes. It's taught me a lot about how NOT to live my life. How NOT to build trust and manage relationships. How NOT to be a lousy people manager. How NOT to be a lousy boss, co-worker, daughter-in-law, friend or son.
I've learnt (and yes, we all know these things, but seeing other people know them and still make mistakes...that provides a lot food for thought and makes it's application in your own life a lot easier)
Life is too short for regrets. Any kind, big or small. Regret can blight your present and the future and strip every enjoyment from it. Let it go.
As a corollary - Enjoy the here and the now. Don't hanker after anticipated future bounties, nor look back on the past (even if it was glorious).
Be nice. But never be a doormat. Accomodate, just don't allow people to take you for granted.
Building a great team or company is all about building trust and relationships. It's got very little to do with how brainy or competent you are. Beyond a certain point, a leader's personal competence is irrelevant; what is relevant is only her ability to create and nurture a team that can do great things.
Unfortunately one of the things they don't teach you at b-school (Harvard or lesser) is how to be a good leader, someone who inspires and nurtures, whom people look up to, someone who is secure enough to create the people who will replace him.
Yes, there is a lot to learn from the people around you! Hopefully, NOT doing all the wrong things will mean that I DO get some things right!!
