I posted this last year on my personal blog and it’s always inspirational. We have the best leaders at work – well, more like best executives because where the level is a bit lower, some of the leaders we have are mediocre, as with any other company. This was a message from our former VP of Product Operations, now VP of Global Technical Operations of a truly global company. This guy is a genius and I truly cherish his words. Fortunately for me, he has a blog that he updates fortnightly, and as long as he is or I am with the company, I will always grab the opportunity to learn from him from a distance, with 8 steps of the corporate ladder separating us (it used to be 6, but he was promoted LOL!).

I have this posted on my desk. These words were said for the work environment but they are very much applicable to our daily life, the challenges we face outside of work and within our own.

Please quote him accordingly; his name is Pat Yang.

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Published: March 23, 2009

Be yourself. Be authentic.
No matter how menial the task may seem, give it your best shot.
Recognize the skills and traits you don’t possess, and work with people who have them.
You are right, not because others agree with you, but because your facts are right.
Get good, or get out. If you can’t win, don’t compete.
When you negotiate, leave a little something on the table.
Control your destiny, or someone else will.
Have the courage to stick with a tough job.
Take ownership and manage your career. After all, it is your career, not your manager’s.
Don’t confuse the manager-employee relationship with a parent-child relationship. It is not the same.
Having knowledge and skills is not enough to succeed. You need passion in what you do to be really successful.
Focus on interpersonal productivity, not just personal productivity.
High IQ is good, but high EQ is crucial.

He sat with us while we were having breakfast a couple of months ago before his quarterly town hall meeting. It was like having a rock star among us. Conversation pieces: Jack Welch, NASA, and the iPhone.