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From Times Online
September 13, 2007

Paul Anderson: "There is no such thing as off the record when you're a CEO"

The chief executive of Duke Energy, tells how he learnt that the more powerful you become, the more weight your words have.



PAUL ANDERSON'S LESSON SUMMARISED

1. As you progress in your career you must watch what you’re saying: your voice carries so much more weight to those around you than you might imagine.

2. What may be intended by you as a casual comment could be taken extremely seriously by someone else.

3. As a leader, assume that every comment you make will be noted and analyzed, both in the press and internally. There is no such thing as “off the record” when you are top management within an organization.

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4. Be very careful about use of humour and hyperbole: what you consider to be a humorous comment might be taken literally.

More video lessons by Paul Anderson can be found at Fifty Lessons and cwerty (registration required). Harvard Business School Press and Fifty Lessons have teamed up to produce three books based on the lessons; Managing your Career, Managing Change and Leading by Example.

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