Ten things you must learn to do

In this world you can escape a lot of things and still be successful, but there are things you can't take shortcuts at all.

Business leaders do not exist in a vacuum. Success is always about competition. You may have great products, services, concepts, strategies, teams, etc. If it doesn't outweigh the competition to some extent, it makes a lot of sense to the customer, then you will eventually fail.

This is the first rule in business: there is no absolute thing; everything is about competition.

In this world you can escape a lot of things but still succeed, but if you want to be a successful entrepreneur, executive or business leader, then there are things you must learn to do.

1. The first thing is to stay ahead of the competition.

There are nine other things below. If you like, you can take shortcuts, but I tell you that this will not work.

2. Learn from experience. Experience is undoubtedly the best teacher.

Not only your own experience, but also the insights shared from others. Former CEO of Intel, Andy Grove, was a mentor to Steve Jobs. In turn, Jobs advised Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Experience is like a huge waterfall that is full of endless wisdom and knowledge.

3. Handle priority and delegate tasks.

According to Fred Wilson of the venture capital firm of Union Square Investment, the CEO should focus on only three things and delegate the rest: “Develop and communicate the company’s overall vision and strategy; recruit, hire and Retain the best talent; and make sure there is always enough cash in the bank." Your three things will be different, but the less you care about, the better your chances of getting things done.

4. Do things according to wise decisions.

This may sound simple, but the strange thing is that even the most successful leaders are the easiest places to fall. They become lazy, take shortcuts, listen to the opinions of those who are unassuming, be obsessed with nonsense, overreact to a single data point, or simply cannot take appropriate action. This is the most preventable cause of leadership failure.

5. Engage key stakeholders.

The chief stakeholders of the CEO are customers, employees and investors. Yours may be different. It's ok. You must get them involved regularly. Tell them what they need to know and give them directly. Ask for guiding questions and really listen to what they say. Motivate them. Yes, I know that doing all these things is not easy, but this is what a boss needs to do.

6, praise the winner, dismiss the loser.

Every organization has employees who can't be lost and employees who can't afford it. Learn to recognize them. Praise and fierce the former, get rid of the latter. This is called the relationship between weeding and feeding. The result is a perfect organization.

7. Pay attention to the numbers.

If your customers like your products and services, your employees are efficient and involved, and you run the business well, it will show up in numbers. The income statement and balance sheet provide important indicators of your business health, especially year-to-year comparisons.

8. Solve difficult problems.

Business life is full of very difficult problems and difficult choices. There are product issues, technical issues, organizational issues, customer issues, and this list is long and long. You don't have to be Socrates, but if you are a discreet deductive thinker, this will help you.

9. Never give up, never surrender.

The courage, perseverance, and persistence in the face of adversity are the qualities of every outstanding leader I know. They never give up. Of course, there are times when they may have given up but have not given up, but in general, they are still ahead.

10. Effectively negotiate.

I have heard many people say that they hate negotiation, but I have never heard the CEO say this. This is one of the most basic aspects of business. Think of it as a challenging strategy game. Personally, I found it very encouraging and very satisfying.