25 Things I wish my mother would have told me before I started work

Last week at the SWE National Conference there was a session with this title and I just couldn’t resist a post about it.  The session was presented by Becky Schmieding an Executive Project Manager at IBM. The summary sheet was just too intriguing not to post.  Thanks Becky for advice we can all learn from!

1. Aim High
2. Embrace being new
3. Know what you are judged on
4. Time is of the essence
5. Do it now
6. Be accountable
7. Use your strengths
8. Keep you skills up to date
9. Become an excellent listener
10. Ask and receive
11. Look to the future
12. Build strong work relationships
13. Make connections inside and outside the workplace
14. Find a mentor
15. Understand behavior differences
1. Non-verbal
2. Verbal
3. Success/failure
4. Ability
16. Act as if you own the place
17. Establish the rules
18. Embrace change/uncertainty
19. Kill Miss Congeniality
20. What goes around comes around
21. Embrace criticism
22. Lighten up & separate
23. Take a break
24. Balance your life
25. You control your own PR

What advice would you add?