I just finished reading Fortune's Best Advice Issue. Each CEO (of Fortune 500 companies) gave his and her "words of wisdom". These words have become a sort of mantra they live by. The best advice given to them came from their parents, mentors in the corporate scene, colleagues and professors alike.
What strikes me most is that the "words" they live by can be considered very basic. Some arise from common sense. But as we know, common sense is not so common nowadays.
Here are some of my favorites:
An NCR executive giving a presentation... He had great slides and an even better delivery. At the end of the presentation, CEO, Chuck Exley, said "Good story, but it's hard to look smart with bad numbers".
There's no way to disguise poor performance. Deliver good numbers and you earn the right for people to listen to you. - Mark Hurd, Chairman and CEO, Hewlett-Packard
Whatever anybody says or does, assume positive intent... When you assume negative intent, you're angry. - Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO, Pepsico
The best way to lower risk is to specialize: Put the things you love into one portfolio. - Zhang Xin, Co-Founder nd CEO, SOHO China
My parents advised me to ignore bullies. That doesn't work. You have to punch them in the nose. - Elon Musk, Founder and CEO, Spacex
Your career is long and the business world is small. Always act with integrity. - From Joanna Shields' Dad. Joanna Shields is the President of Bebo.com
Source: Fortune, May 12, 2008 issue.
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