No matter what you think about the Harry Potter novels, you must give it up for J.K. Rowling.

She was at rock bottom when she had the idea for the book series and wrote the first one on a manual typewriter.

It’s now estimated that after taxes, thanks to the books, movies, theme parks and television, Rowling’s earnings are $1.2 billion, according to The New York Times.

Not too shabby for a single mother who was once on welfare.

When it comes down to it, leaders, supervisors and managers can all take a page from Rowling’s book on what it takes to be successful and fulfilled both personally and professionally.

What other life/business lessons can you steal from the world-renowned author? Here are nine that could change your life:

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Feel like you’re spending more time putting out wildfires?

You know, the unnecessary ones sparked by petty employee outbursts.

One minute things are fairly quiet and, next thing you know, something flares up and causes yet another disruption.

You can almost smell the smoke outside your office.

Here are five classic employee fires that, with some deft handling, you can stomp out for good.

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It’s easy to point the finger at others when things go wrong. Sports coaches and players are blamed for games lost, deadlines are blamed for poorly executed plans, we even blame the weather when we’re having a bad day.

The blame game isn’t something new. We all know the term “scapegoat.” That term comes from a story in the Bible (if not even earlier) in which the collective sins of a community were placed upon the unsuspecting back of a poor goat.

Too often we get sucked into a pattern of blame and counter-blame, but I’ve got a couple of powerful questions that could alter that pattern and put an end to the question “Who is to blame?”

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We all make mistakes.

Then there are those times when it’s A REALLY BIG mistake.

You know the kind. When everyone gets together after and tries to figure out, “What in the world just happened?”

Think United Airlines. They say they stuck to the rules when they deplaned a passenger against his will. Fallout? The stock fell sharply the next day. And the turbulence could last for months or even longer.

Big mistakes aren’t just embarrassing. They’re expensive. Just little grammar issues cost companies billions of dollars each year, one study found. Some poor decisions that led to big mistakes have buried companies, leaving people jobless.

Researchers say many big mistakes – such as the embarrassingly public 2017 Academy Awards Best Picture flub – could be avoided or at least minimized if people paid more attention to the factors that lead up to them.

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Quick question: How fast does it usually take you to rally your troops when you’ve got a problem that needs immediate attention?

If you’re still doing the calculation in your head because you can’t remember, now might be the time to examine the amount of flexibility you give your team.

We often have things running so smoothly that we’re taken by surprise when work hits a snag – an emergency or crisis that needs all hands on deck.

It can come as a shock when you’ve got to get your team focused, but they’re so busy doing their own thing.

I know this may seem counter-intuitive, but you may have let your desire to be a “flexible boss” go too far.

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Be honest, how many managers at your company are great? I mean really great at their jobs?

Go ahead and count yourself as one of them.

Is your list long or short?

If you’re 100% honest, it’s probably short. According to a Gallup report, “only 10% of working people possess the talent to be a great manager.”

Now make a list of managers who aren’t so good at their jobs.

You know the people I’m talking about. They yell a lot and strut around the office like they’re the best thing since sliced bread.

But there are a lot of other things that set bad managers apart from great ones. Here’s a list of 13 to get you started:

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