When reminiscing about the Anatole project and Trammell Crow in a previous blog, I mentioned that one overriding factor of my relentless drive on that project was my determination to rise to Trammell’s expectations of me. That was a valuable lesson to learn at a young age – the key to success is ACTION. Years ago, I clipped and filed an interesting survey by Babson College regarding graduates of their MBA Program in Entrepreneurial Studies. Despite students’ interest in starting businesses, less than 10% of graduates who aspired to be an entrepreneur actually stepped off the sideline and launched their dream. Fear of failure set in for many of the students. They responded that they were waiting for all indicators to be perfect. I can attest that everything will NEVER be perfect. That proverbial leap of faith is the most important, yet the most frightening, of any launch. The study also revealed that many people achieved success in areas different from their original idea or intent. When one avenue is blocked, you are oftentimes forced to try a different route to success. The researchers found that whether success came from the original idea, or from a completely different direction, all success shares one common element: ACTION!
I’m a big fan of motivational books and inspirational quotes. I think I come by this affinity naturally. My maternal grandfather, George T. Howard, issued a monthly newsletter to employees of his trucking company, Howard Van Lines, back in the early 1950s. He used this newsletter to share advice, wisdom and insights on topics from team values to courage to happiness. Years ago I reprinted a collection of his missives into a booklet, “Mr. Howard Speaks”. Although he died when I was 11, I like to think that I carried his upbeat advice and insights forward into my life and career- I CAN, I WILL, I MUST.
I have kept files upon files of clippings of my own, and I still refer to them when I need a pep talk. For many years, we held Monday morning staff meetings at Wilson Associates’ Dallas office (I hear you groaning, former colleagues!). Regardless of deadlines, all employees were expected in the large conference room each Monday at 9:00 am. These gatherings kept us apprised of each team’s projects. We shared information and resources, reported on new business development, discussed problems and ideas, and I ended each meeting with an inspirational quote for the week. Once our firm grew internationally to eight-plus offices worldwide, the staff meetings became difficult to schedule because we were traveling constantly. I really missed those gatherings and the feeling of being part of a team, like a high school pep rally before the big game. Here are some favorite quotes from those days:
- Attitude is everything
- Perception is reality
- Success comes in CANS, not can’ts (aka It CAN be done)
- Nothing ventured, nothing gained
- Always ask for the business, the worst they can say is “no”
- A lesson learned is a lesson earned
- Cream always rises to the top
- The only people who never fail are those who never try
- The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra
They may sound corny, but there’s a lot of truth in these morsels! I’ll recount in future blogs how they became my mantra and lead me to knock on more doors, which lead to many more opportunities. Have a great week, and….GO FOR IT!
*Confidential to former colleagues: The cheer was “I feel HAPPY, HEALTHY, TREMENDOUS – Hey!” JR is cringing right now. I guess I was always a frustrated cheerleader?!
