Background
I found a post listing 20 Business Truisms on the bnet site – click here for the original post.
I’ve edited the original list and added a few more from the discussion that follows the post. Of course the truisms are bland and obvious – that’s what makes them truisms – but their very lack of hard content makes them an ideal starting point for the students to add content based on their own experiences.
Activity
1 Cut and paste the list below into a Word doc, then print it out and photocopy one per student. Alternatively choose three or four of the truisms and write them on the board.
2 Ask students for personal stories that demonstrate the truth (or otherwise) of these observations about human behaviour. Allow some thinking time before you begin the stories.
- Whether negotiation is strong or weak depends entirely on your goals.
- Don’t jump ship before you hit the iceberg.
- Anger is never about what you think you’re angry about.
- Confidence comes from success, knowledge comes from failure.
- If you’re miserable, quit and do something else. If you’re still miserable, it’s you.
- People won’t perform for those they don’t respect.
- If you’re not passionate about what you’re doing, you won’t be successful at it.
- When you have problems with others, look inside yourself for answers.
- Whine and complain all you want; nobody is interested.
- The customer isn’t always right, but he’s still the customer.
- Become part of the solution, not part of the problem.
- It’s not what you say; it’s how you say it.
- All analysis begins with complete and accurate information.
- Perception is reality.
- Just because it was done last year does not mean that it was done correctly.
- Don’t perform a task you don’t understand.
- Don’t burn your bridges.
- Don’t gossip. The coffee machine is a minefield in the workplace.
- Stay away from office romances. They always go wrong.
- The CEO’s secretary is almost as powerful as the CEO.