Transcript

Hey, everyone, I hope this video finds you well.

You’re enjoying the end of the summer. You’re looking forward to the fall and most importantly, you’re remaining healthy. Every now and again, I’m asked about my career, the career path.

How did I go from being a soldier in the army to the CEO of a company?

And I wish I had a great direct answer to that. I really don’t. A lot of hard work being in the right place at the right time, a little bit of luck and knowing lots of people.

But there isn’t a direct answer as to how I got here. But I believe there are a few characteristics that I have that contribute to my success, so I thought I would share those instead.

So the first one I’m going to talk about is just being a sponge. I read every periodical in my industry. I research questions I don’t know the answers to. I seek out not only my peers but my competitors. I talk to my vendors, my distributors, my employees, the sales folks that work with us. I want to know as much as I can about the industry, so be a sponge.

The second is to be visible. Volunteer for the committee, volunteer to take the road trip, make sure that people know the work you’re working on, know that you did it. And always be the one to volunteer or to offer your opinion.

Which leads to number three; always have an opinion. If this is your career and not a job, speak up. When someone asks a question, give your answer and be confident in it. And if you’re not say you know what? I’m not really that confident, but I think it’s going to look like this.

Share your opinion. You’re being asked for a reason. And if this is your career, voice that opinion. And when you’re wrong, share that you’re wrong. People will appreciate the fact that you had something to say and that you had conviction when you said it.

Thanks to Dave S, an old boss and a very good friend of mine. Learn to ask a lot of questions. Ask, ask, ask. And then, be quiet and listen to the answer. People will appreciate your inquisitiveness and more importantly, appreciate your attention.

And finally, always give your best.

Those five attributes I believe contributed to my success and helped me get where I wanted to go.

Hopefully you will, too.

Good luck.