James M. Berklan

As a believer in starting the day bright and early, I often hit the McKnight’s office by 7:30 a.m. That’s why I was glad to see that one of the 20 tips from Richard Moran’s “The Thing About Work: Showing Up and Other Important Matters” (Routledge, $22.95) includes DO get up and get going early.

“You can’t register your day into starting at 1 p.m. The successful people I’ve been around are up when the rooster is crowing,” Moran writes. Having just read Bruce Springsteen’s autobiography, “Born to Run,” I can attest Moran hasn’t been around The Boss much.

But rockers aside, Moran has a thesis many need to hear.

“My message is that work isn’t so bad, and there are plenty of ways to make it better,” explains Moran, venture capitalist, author and the president of Menlo College in California.

He has the chops to know of which he writes. As it turns out, he has something for everybody in the family.

A few that stood out upon first reading?

DO show up. It still matters. “Being around” is key, even in a virtual world. It’s easier to get rid of people no one knows, he reminds those who might shrug off this one.

Next on my favorite list is,“If you’re not out in traffic, you’re being left behind.” That might be a good one for Son No. 2, who recently wrote a scholarly paper focusing on the transportation themes in “The Great Gatsby.” [He got an A!]

On a related note: DO pay attention to the message your car is sending. “It’s a piece of your wardrobe,” Moran believes. I’m not a motorhead by any means, but there’s something to this. 

Something for Son No. 1: DO become a project manager. The most important skill today is project management. Seeing something through to success will make you the office hero, and get you ahead in job and life’s pursuits.

To other loved ones, I’d borrow Moran’s insight about the “Abilene Paradox.” The crux is you’ll save yourself a lot of pain if you simply state your preferences up front.

For workers of all stripes, I’d say No. 13 could be your best bet: Prepare, prepare, prepare.

Moran explains that one with plenty of insight, as well as the rest of his 20 career dos and don’ts at http://bit.ly/2rjG6mt.

Go ahead and check them out. It’s worth your time — especially if you have a career you care about, or want to build one.