Ed Henninger and his wife Julia have been our friends more than 25 years. Ed and I worked together on the redesign of 13 newspapers and conducted journalism seminars in several states. Ed graciously designed the Chronicle that you’re reading right now. Ed recently listed lessons he learned about how to do his work well and how to conduct himself at work and in life.

• Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.

• Be a leader.

• Serve the company.

• Bring solutions, not problems.

• Be the “go to” person.

• Always say “yes.” Backpedal later.

• Promise low, deliver high.

• Share your time freely…when you can.

• Demand respect.

• Face opposition firmly…but gracefully.

• Be professional in everything.

• Control the things you can control. Let go of the things you can’t.

• Be responsible.

• Be accountable.

• Take the high road.

• Admit your mistakes, Learn from them.

• Never claim credit for yourself. Those who matter will know.

• Lower your expectations of others. Foolish, lazy people aren’t worth the space you give them in your head.

With rare exceptions, you’ll never be able to change what someone thinks about you. It’s usually not worth the effort.

• Get a mentor you can talk with.

• Be a mentor. Someone needs your help.

• Leave ’em laughing.

• Leave ’em wanting more of you.

• Never think of it as “just a job.” It’s more than that to those who matter.

• Remember: it’s “just a job.” Never let your work define who you are as a person. Those last 2 may sound contradictory. Think about them. They aren’t.

Ed says he’s tried to live by these ideals during his entire career as a writer, editor, designer, husband, father and now finally granddad, his favorite job of all. “There’s been occasional slip here and there, but following these principles sure has made my professional life easier, more productive — and more fun,” he said. My long and mostly productive life has taught me that it all comes down to your attitude toward others, toward your faith, your work and yourself. Former Carolina Coach Lou Holtz liked to say we have a choice when we awaken each morning. We can have a good attitude or a lousy one. Which we choose will determine what kind of day we have.

For example, what happened on 9-11 altered my attitude. For months, I had questioned if we needed a large office. Many of our writers worked from home via the internet. Should we close our office? The terrorist attack on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center changed my mind and energized me as a journalist. My goal instantly became to get all of our people working together to bring you the latest and most accurate news. I realized having a place to work together was important. That we are a family, our readers, advertisers and staff. Our success has been due to all of you. Thank you.

Need a speaker?

Jerry Bellune shares insights, inspiration and stories from his motivational book, “Your Life’s Great Purpose.” To book him, email him at JerryBellune@yahoo.com