Happy CEO

The job of export manager is an exciting position. But sometimes hard.
Here are some tips that I have learned over the years and that I have integrated into my habits and my organization.

Key principles of self longevity and performance

• Family is your #1 customer. Try never to forget it.
  
  
• Always keep an notebook with you and write down everything that relates to your personal development, your projects, your culture, your ideas, your thoughts. Mindmapping and the ability to set personal goals is key to success.
  
  
• Call people by their first name and learn to memorize people’s names quickly.
  
  
• Despite all the affection you have for the people you meet in the different countries you visit, make sure you never mix business and friendship. Sometimes in certain tense situations, you will have to be intransigent and feelings do not mix. But it’s very hard, some of my partners have become friends.
  
  
• Build your network and update regularly your address-book. Not the company’s one, your own network. Make sure to maintain the link as long as possible. This is your added value. These people will follow you regardless of your employer.
  
  
• Each week or month, try to include in you agenda a lunch with one of them and develop new professional or personal projects.
  
  
• In the digital age, sending a handwritten letter, a word written by your hand, is a sign of strong attention that you give to the person who receives it. Moreover, they will read it in 100% of cases. Send one regularly to an important person for your development.
  
  
• Leave the office not too late after the scheduled time. Maintaining a balance in life is an absolute necessity to last over time. If you spend too much time in the office, you’re either unorganized, unable to delegate, or your department needs reinforcement before mistakes happen. You must spend time outside of your work taking care of your personal projects, your spiritual and cultural self-development and your body health.
  
  
• Likewise, try not to bring work at home. On the other hand you must study, explore new ideas and thoughts, write, take an interest in new passions and teach your knowledge to your children or your local community. This is your role and your responsibility as a parent.

“What is the purpose of life ? Maybe do your part and improve the lot of humanity.” Tony Robbins

• Sleep is a top priority. But try to organise your agenda to include in your habits a morning routine. Get up earlier. All successful people take advantage of an early awakening to do lot of work. It is in the early morning before the incessant disturbances start that you are most effective. Try.
  
  
• To sell successfully, work hard on your pitch and make great presentations. All great leaders have mastered the art of communication. Work. I like this Daniel Priestley quote. “You get what you pitch for, and you’re always pitching.”
  
  
• Try to spend less time on paperwork (Business plan, strategies, meetings, reports, emails…) and more time on action and relationships. One technique is to check your social notifications and inbox only once a day or once in the morning and once at the end of the day. Start by unchecking the automatic alerts system.
  
  
• Try one day a month to work out of the office in a quiet place without laptop, email or mobile. (Nature, library, garden…) Take a look at your personal goals and future actions, projects, achievements to come. Go back to your Notebook, all your notes and design your new action plan to be more efficient.
  
  
• It is now something that I have great pleasure to do every year. I enrich my life with one new passion. I rediscover myself completely starting from zero like a child. Sport occupies a large part of my life but also other new cultural or artistic activities. You will learn new techniques, solutions, skills, strenghts, thoughts, increasing new parts of your neural network. You will change your point of view on things and the world. Above all, by failing and succeeding again and again, you will acquire experience that will serve you in your professional expertise. Every year a new hobby !

“Learn continually. There’s always “One more think” to learn.” Steve Jobs.

• Do not regret anything. The past is the past that cannot be redone. Instead, be optimistic and look to the future and that of your children. We must live the present, plan the future and forget the past.
  
  
• Analyze the market in which you operate. Is it growing, declining ? For your future, developing skills on a surviving product or dying industry is pointless. Focus on preparing yourself to face the new challenges of the modern economy and stay up to date in your skills. Tomorrow, you will have in front of you a fast and efficient new generation. Work with today’s weapons and train to stay the best, unbeatable.

“Make it a rule of life never to regret and never to look back. Regret is an appalling waste of energy, you can’t build on it it’s only good for wallowing in.” Katherine Mansfield