9.2.2 Positive attitudes offer a formula for success
The following anecdote emphasises attitudes that will help you not only be successful in business, but in life:
A "success formula"
As a young tiger in 1954 I embraced a "success formula" that remains valid and unchanged today: Always give 110% effort. Develop people skills. Remain the student. Be loyal to my employer. Keep an unwavering commitment to values.
Yet, in hindsight, what I didn't focus on at the start of the race forty years ago were the personal intangibles that seem to make the thin difference between those who fulfil their potential and those who don't:
Judgment - which means not just making the right decision but making it at the right time.
Sensitivity - to others all the time. I learned that not everybody approaches things with my eager-beaver style, but that they could be even more effective by being sensitive and really caring about other people's needs.
High Octane Enthusiasm - for everything you do. If you want to be alone, if you want to be ignored, don't bother to smile.
Persistence - there is no task that doesn't guarantee problems and obstacles. Only those who doggedly persist will obtain their goal. On the fifty-fifth anniversary of Winston Churchill's graduation from Groton , he gave the commencement address. Gripping the podium, he uttered three words and sat down: Persist. Persist. Persist.
Pen Tudor, Chairman of the Executive Committee, Adweek
Back Page