67. Go home

"Many managers follow the notion of busy fools and confuse hard work with long hours. They think because they work 15-hour days and forget their children's names, they must be bloody good managers. The best sales manager I worked with never once worked beyond 5.30 pm." Caspian Woods, From Acorns - How to build your brilliant business from scratch

Another manager I worked with stayed late, got in early, skipped lunch and kept his head down and grafted every second he was there. Guess who got promoted over him? Yep, Bob again from Rule 70. Mr Cool Dude.

One of Bob's favourite lines, to me anyway, was, 'Go home, Rich, go home. You've got a young family, go home and see them before they forget what you look like. Either that or send them a photo before they really forget.' Naturally 1 went home. As did Bob, a lot. In fact he was at work so little he got promoted again. His secret? His team, of which 1 was one, would have done anything for him. We went that extra mile. We would never have willingly let him down. Bob inspired loyalty in his staff in a way I've rarely seen since. He made all of us feel grown-up, trusted, treated in a respectful way. He never shouted, abused, put upon, demanded, overworked, or humiliated his team. I never saw him have to discipline anyone, ever. He was charismatic and charming, cool and relaxed. He cooked us all like small fish. He said his secret was his family. For them he worked. He adored his children and would rather have been home with them than working. His love for them showed and he wore the badge of happy family man with great pride. He talked a lot about his kids and his wife and was obviously very happy with them.

He never stayed late because that would have been disloyal to his number-one priority - his family This gave him great depth. He was well rounded and balanced. He was at ease with himself. He had nothing to prove at work because he was content at home. I've worked with some complete bastards and I can say the only thing they all had in common was a bad home life. Their base camp was corrupt and it showed. So, my dear friend, go home.

68. Plan for the worst, but hope for the best

"If you decide to go out to these wild places and put yourself in these conditions, be responsible for yourself and those in your party. There are many requirements; good judgement, common sense, experience, and leadership are just a few. Unexpected things can and do happen ... Be Prepared. Expect the unexpected. Always carry a bivvy sack on every climb. Be prepared to spend the night up there! Plan for the worst, but hope for the best!" Tim Driskell, climber

I don't expect you to carry a bivvy sack at all times but I do expect you to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. What's your worst-case scenario? All the staff phone in sick because it's World Cup Final? You lose that big order? Sales slump to zero? Building burns down? National strikes? Flu epidemic? Terrorist attack? Oil spillage? Health and Safety close you down? All or any of these things can play havoc with your budget figures.

So what contingency plans do you have in place in case this worst-case scenario actually happens? Huh? Yep, thought so. You've got to have emergency plans, panic routes mapped out. procedures for crisis management, actions wrapped up and in the bag, replacement crews sorted, alternative sources of income laid down. You have to have a plan.

Now chances are you won't ever have to implement this plan. With luck and divine intervention it will always remain a plan -nothing more. But plan you have to have.

Now, you are allowed to hope. Hope it ain't never gonna happen. Hope the sun will forever shine. I was once asked by a special committee what I would do in the event of a major bomb scare at the company where I worked. My answer, 'Hope it's a hoax', made them laugh but earned me no brownie points at all. 'What about a plan?' I was asked. 'Oh, I've got one of those as well', I said and I may have recovered about half a point. Have a plan - and a lot of hope.