Allison Levine: Some Optimism, and Good Advice

from her comments at IBM Vision 2012 in NY Levine offered the following ten pieces of advice:
·It’s all about assembling the right team, with the right skills. Recruiting mistakes can be quite costly.
·When you set lofty objectives, break them down to checkpoints along the way. Objectives become easier to tackle.
·You have to go backwards to move forward.
· Being afraid is fine, but complacency is what will kill you.
·Form partnerships early and collaborate often. You’ll need strong relationships before you’ll need help and those are the people you can rely on.
· No matter how good or prepared you are, things can and will go wrong, but the “storms” are always temporary.
· Key to surviving is taking action based on the situation at the specific time. Not based on some plan.
· Turning back and walking away from a deal is harder than moving forward, but it’s necessary for survival. If the conditions aren’t right, cut your losses and walk away.
 · Remember that every move you make, will affect everyone else around you. Sometimes, one person’s bad judgment can bring down an entire organization or team.
 · Have to give yourself room to fail as long as you come back from it better and stronger.

She completed her session by admitting that even though she had reached the top of all seven of the continents highest peaks, it “was not really that big of a deal.” “It’s important to remember all of the people who help you on your journey,” said Levine. “No one gets to the top by themselves.” Great advice.