17 Life Lessons from Linnie

A friend was scheduled to speak to a group of graduate students and wanted to share pearls of wisdoms with them. When she asked for my thoughts, I wholeheartedly shared my life lessons with her and asked her to pay them forward to the graduate students.

Following are some lessons I have learned – and am still learning:

1. Balance your professional and personal lives
2. Be honest and straightforward, yet tactful
3. Become active in professional associations and make your mark early
4. Do not call everyone your friend
5. Document everything – good and bad
6. Don’t forget from whence you cometh
7. Get rid of employees who consistently exhibit poor work performance and help them find a better fit (it’s your professional duty to them and yourself to do so)
8. Give more than 100 percent, and you will be rewarded
9. Identify a few people you can trust and, right away, mutually agree to the “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” concept
10. Live by your core values – in words and deeds
11. Maintain boundaries and be careful about mixing business with pleasure
12. Master the English language
13. Master excellent written and verbal communication skills for use at work (save your informal communication for family and friends)
14. Put people first
15. This one is especially for African-Americans: Remember that not all White folks dislike you and that not all Black folks like you (advice shared with me when I was 17 by a wise African-American woman who is now deceased).
16. Seek mentors of different genders and races
17. Stay abreast of the trends and changes in your profession and become an expert in your profession

If you were asked to speak to a group of young people, what life lessons would you share?