In this day and age it is important to keep two things in memory.
One, somebody knows something that you don’t and two, to increase your chances of success you need to know everything they do.

In this day and age it is important to keep two things in memory. One, somebody knows something that you don’t and two, to increase your chances of success you need to know everything they do. Information overload is possible now as a result of the developing worldwide technology. Instantaneously you can acquire mass amounts of information with a couple of keystrokes. The key is not figuring out what you need to know but what you don’t need to know. Even the most minuscule piece of information can be valuable when you find it the big picture. The United States Government has people whose job is to do nothing but look at the bigger picture. Your mission to succeed is to figure out the big picture.

The key is to grab everything and weed it out later. Take anything and everything you hear and store it. Scratch ideas, concepts down, jot it on anything from a piece of paper to a leftover tissue. Some of the greatest ideas came from deciphering what I wrote at 3:30 in the morning. A bedside tape recorder is also very handy. The key is retention of the information. Put it away once you have it down. Let it simmer and season, for when you hear something else it will only boil to the top. My father told me when I
was seven that the key to life, and me surviving another trip to grandma’s house was to keep my big mouth shut and keep my ears open. Information is being spilled out all over the place. Read the trades, scan the net, listen to co-workers, bosses anyone who will talk to you.

How do most rumors get started? They start with one person telling one person and then they tell two friends and so on. The tightest secrets in the world always seem to leak out don’t they? Why? Because it is the nature of people to either, a. brag about their part in the plan, b. is an intricate part of the plan or c. is left out of the plan. Every one now is consulted and sometimes the consultants are consulted. Every idea person has someone who listens to his or her first draft. Every major speech giver normally has someone who drafts the speech for them. Be the listener.

Information is loose in this society. The world is getting closer each day. Radio consolidation has put stations that were enemies in the same building. You can take advantage of this? Simply listen. Every person in your organization has goals, dreams, and wishes. They talk. Why don’t you listen? By listening you can see what they need and how you can help them. Why help? Your help will assist you in gaining a valuable contact in the future. For every person that you help you simply ask for a quid pro quo.
You gain a favor in the future that may help your thought process. You gain an adviser and a resource in the future. This favor is not something that you hold over their head, but a by the way what have you heard about this.

The movie Wall Street had a warped message; Greed is Good. I am telling you that information is good. Utilize it to benefit you. Utilize it to prep better, to be more informed and to know when to polish off a resume. Use it when you need an ace in the hole. Listen to your elders, find a mentor and then find out who mentored them. Always be learning, always be growing and always be asking questions. The only dumb question is the unasked one.

Remember the people who think that today is good enough will never understand tomorrow.