
On working in an聽industry environment:
- Be sure you understand the overall business and technology picture, the overall directions and currents at play, so that you can better understand where your contributions can be best applied.
- Remember that you are working in an industrial environment, being paid to take only enough of the right kind of data, which when combined with your judgment, convinces you and subsequently others of the conclusion.聽Acquiring all the data, closing conclusively every possible alternative, reducing the possibility of error to zero is almost always not affordable and wasteful of both time and resources.
- It is certainly true in all organizational matters and in many other activities as well that patience is a necessary virtue.聽Rome was not built in a day neither was it changed in a day, but it was聽built,聽and it did change.
On understanding yourself:
- The harshest critic you have is yourself.聽Set high goals and demand the best from yourself.聽Understand the necessary compromises that inevitably result and be happy with them.
- Satisfy yourself first.聽Then let the chips fall where they may.聽If an insufficient number of chips are falling in positive territory, back off and re-evaluate.
- Have confidence in and respect for yourself.聽Adopt the view - 鈥淚 can do it.聽I can聽make a contribution聽here鈥�.聽Always operate with class.聽Refuse to participate in the 鈥淎in鈥檛聽it awful鈥� game.聽Do not get angry.聽Maintain an even response.聽Focus on the issues, being confident that聽a聽satisfactory resolution can be achieved.
- Know yourself and remember that you are unique and the contributions that you can make are unique.聽There has been no one like you - ever - nor will there ever be in the entire history of the universe.
On executing your job responsibilities:聽
- Understand what your job is, develop a clear and common understanding with your supervisor.聽Determine what your next job goal is and what is required to be considered for that position.聽Begin developing and demonstrating those capabilities ASAP.
- Remember what an excuse is - the skin of a reason stuffed with a lie.聽Recognize an excuse for what it is.
- Remember that you spend your time on what you deem to be important at that moment.聽鈥淚 did not take time to do X鈥� is a more effective and accurate statement to yourself than 鈥淚 did not have time to do X鈥�.
- Remember Newton鈥檚 famous statement:聽鈥淚f I have been able to see farther than other men, it is because I stand on the shoulders of giants.鈥澛燜ind your giants and figure out how to get on their shoulders.
- Cultivate, nourish, continually pursue the simple joy of finding things out. (Feynman)
- Try to view and treat everyone equally - with respect, with due regard for that person鈥檚 ideas and opinions, being quick to validate that person鈥檚 contributions while at the same time being candid but diplomatic in your responses.
- Invest in people.
On looking for opportunities:
- Look for opportunities of the 鈥渇loating vacuum鈥� variety.聽There is always an inventory of things that, if done, would lead to substantial benefits but for a variety of reasons have not been done (e.g., overlooked, ignored, not in anyone鈥檚 specific area of responsibility).聽Recall the aphorism - 鈥淕reat men/women are great only because we are on our knees.聽Let us rise up!鈥�
- Look for opportunities at the seams in organization.聽The cellular mode of operation is often at play - i.e., organizational components can easily operate as separate entities; however, it is frequently the case that linkages are needed to get the job done effectively.聽
On communicating in the workplace:
- Develop an ability to express your ideas in compelling, correct English - at a level that is commensurate with the audience鈥檚 background.
- Make clear what are facts and what are your interpretations or opinions based on the facts.
- Use the power of logic - in the open, in a non-confrontational way - in preference to the power of position, the power of knowledge access, the power of personality, etc.
- Let 鈥淭hank you鈥� come out of your mouth often.聽Make extra effort to recognize good work, a good deed, etc.
- Read 鈥淎n Introduction to Scientific Research鈥� by E. B. Wilson, Jr. - a classic book available from Dover.
On 鈥榳e鈥� vs. 鈥榯hey鈥�:
- In the work context, there is no we/they.聽There is only聽we.聽聽
鈥淗e drew a circle that shut me out.聽Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.聽But love and I had the wit to win.聽We drew a circle that took him聽in.鈥� -听贰诲飞颈苍听惭补谤办丑补尘
About the Contributor

Stan Speed received a BS degree in Chemistry in 1963 and a PhD in Chemical Physics in 1967 from The University of Texas. He then spent two years as a postdoctoral fellow working with Professor H. S. Gutowski at the University of Illinois.聽In 1969, he joined ExxonMobil Chemical Company where he worked in the polymers division, principally with polyethylene.聽He was involved in ExxonMobil Chemical鈥檚 development and commercialization of metallocene technology.聽He retired in 2000 and began a consulting career focusing primarily on polymer related intellectual property.聽
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