Golden Rules

Here are two golden rules guaranteed to help you make a good first impression:

1. After the person you are calling picks up the phone, say hello, identify yourself and ask: "is this a convenient time to talk?" Rocket science? Not really. But you can bet it is a critical step in having your contact pay attention to the next 15 words you say.
   
   
2. When going to a meeting, be there when you say you will be there. If you can, be there early. There's nothing worse than showing up late. We've all been late before. Sometimes things happen that are out of our control. The mobile phone was (and still is) a great invention. Use it.

No one is perfect. I'm sure as hell not. But making your very best effort and being respectful of others' time is a great place to start.

Thanks to Mike Figliuolo of thoughtLEADERS for a great coffee discussion on Friday, which reminded me to write about the golden rules.