If you want to take me up on the free Surgery membership before I kill this site on Sunday, message me in the chat with your email address of choice. Clock is ticking. 😉

We all know that the root of the word 'security' is Se (without) and Curus (care) in Latin. It literally translates as 'being without care'. Another word we can use for this is COMFORT. Now, how much of what you have been taught or done is focused on making people comfortable? None. Our messaging is all fear-based ('impact drives the conversation' and all that nonsense). Do people make better decisions when they are uncomfortable, do you think? How about learning a different approach?

When I left academia and returned to the suit & tie brigade, I collated rules that I thought I could refer to in times of stress. A lot of them are common sense, a few of them are recycled from throwaway quips, and one or two are things to live by. I regulary trot these out to juniors in my team as a demonstration of how to become cynical and make it through the day when the C-s upstairs mess up the day 1. Be patient 2. Always work as a team. 3. If you dont get what you want, take it! figuratively (first) 4. When dealing with management, don't give them problems, give them solutions 5. It is better to seek forgiveness than ask permission 6. Anything that can be measured, can be delivered. 7. Dont stress! It's not like anyone died 8. The number of breaths in, must equal the number of breaths out - and increase the length of them breaths! 9. Trust no one, everybody lies - double check 10. Always carry a knife 11. If something looks too good to be true, it usually is. 12. When you are finished, walk away 13. Bend the line, dont break it 14. Your manager is not always the smartest person in the room 15. Never mess with my coffee if you expect me to help you 16. Find the biggest kid in the playground and either make friends with them or beat the shit out of them - figuratively (first) 17. Life is too short 18. Nothing gets fixed until it is truly broken 19. Sympathy sits inbetween shit and syphillis in the dictionary 20. Never let a good disaster go to waste

Which of the following is the biggest concern for you in your career?

A LOT of people have contacted me about the book. They tell me that it gave them confidence, and that they just thought the problems they perceived was down to their own lack of understanding. You now know better. Discuss your thoughts on the book in this thread.