them. Choose the right method and time. Few people look forward to a visit from somebody who wanders the halls all day, coffee cup in hand, dropping in and out of people’s offices, causing them to interrupt their work.

“I touted quietly by mentioning my accomplishments to direct superiors and others above me in one-to-one conversations, rather than in group meetings. I copied letters of compliment to them. Occasionally, I mentioned someone of stature whom I’d worked with on a particular project.”

“You can’t assume that people know what you’re doing well. You have to let them know.”

“I learned you can be direct, but you also have to be able to give way,” Tyson told me, “especially when you’re not the one making the final decision.”

Tyson describes this as “the ability to be direct but yet respectful.” She is able to strike a balance between project and people concerns. When people are going down a path she believes to be disadvantageous, she’ll reason with them. She might say, “It boils down to this: If you can’t do A or B, this won’t work. I understand if you can’t do A or

Occasionally, a solution is both highly effective in solving the problem and highly effective politically. More often than not, however, there is a trade-off. Since organizations are composed of people, their concerns can’t be overlooked without sacrifice. When decision-makers focus exclusively on project issues, as is so often the case, the

You have to think on two tracks when defining a problem and finding a solution. One is to solve the problem. The other, which is equally important, is making sure people involved are not adversely affected by that solution.

The time to tell your boss that you’re leaving is when you are leaving, not when you’re thinking about it.

Bezos also says that he takes time to step back, sets aside a fraction of time for his own, and doesn’t travel more than a third of the time. He uses Tuesdays and Thursdays to reflect a bit and to say thank you to people. Bezos has recognized that even in the dot-com era, not giving yourself some downtime is a sure way to lose sight of the