Think Like a Champion: An Informal Education in Business and Life (11 page)

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ometimes we have to be patient and sometimes we have to get moving. Wisdom is knowing which time is which and when to do what. I know, easier said than done. But we all know when we’ve exhausted certain possibilities—and quite possibly ourselves—in the course of finding out. Wouldn’t it be great to know everything first?

That could save a lot of time. One way is to train your brain to do some assessing first. Do the “scenario” test: What if I quit this job, what would tomorrow bring? Maybe some adventures, but without a paycheck. What if I stayed in this job? The same old stuff but with a paycheck. What if I thought about a new career? A good plan, because you can stay in your job while you’re working your brain toward something more challenging. Sometimes that will even open up opportunities in your present job. Do the brain work first, asking yourself a lot of questions.

If, at the end of trying to make your current situation better, it is an obvious dead end, then it’s a good time to move on. Maybe it’s just not a good fit. It’s like a relationship—on paper all the important things seem to add up, but the chemistry just isn’t there to make it work in reality. Jobs can be that way, too. Just as I’ve hired people with terrific credentials only to find out it’s simply not a good match, for them or for me.You have to cut your losses quickly. That’s a good thing to learn if you want to be successful.

When we hear of extremely successful people, it’s usually safe to assume they’ve had some obstacles or difficulties along the way. There’s a lot of trial and error before something is effortless or polished. Michelangelo said something worth thinking about: “If people only knew how hard I work to gain my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all.” The problem is, we usually only see the end result and not the process.

There was a guy who was a very successful businessman, but his first passion in life was the piano. He was very dedicated and disciplined, and he achieved a certain virtuosity, but he finally realized he would never be one of the greats. In other words, he knew he would never be a Horowitz or a Gould, and he had very high standards for himself. So he quit the piano and applied himself to business and he became enormously successful. He just knew he should move on, and he did. He remained a musician in his private life and maintained a healthy balance for himself with his interests. He said if he’d remained a pianist, he would have been frustrated. He did a lot of thinking before he made his move, but he knew it was the right decision.

It’s not always easy to move on—it’s leaving something behind in a way, but sometimes what’s ahead will be better. We’ve got to do things we’re suited for and hopefully that we enjoy. Success is a great feeling, and success should add to your health, not detract from it.

I sometimes tell people they are not cut out to be entrepreneurs because it’s true. Some people are, and some people aren’t. It will save you a lot of time and hardship if you can figure that out first. As with anything, you have to see how you handle pressure and the risk factor. It’s similar to going through the set of questions we had at the beginning of this essay. Learn to scrutinize yourself and your capabilities, and find the time for some thought-provoking thinking. As Confucius said, “Learning without thought is labor lost.” Don’t let that apply to you. Learn, work, and think in equal proportions, and you’ll be going in the right direction.

—HENRY DAVID THOREAU

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ometimes people spend too much time focusing on problems instead of focusing on opportunities.You have to keep the big picture in mind even when minding the details or your vision could become micromanaged in an unnecessary way. I always try to keep two wavelengths going at once, which prevents brain cramps and reminds me that I’m destined for success. How do I know this destiny? Because like Thoreau, I believe we are born to succeed, not to fail. If I can believe it, you can believe it, too.

Here’s how. First of all, expect problems. Even problems can be turned around to your advantage, and sometimes surprising events can happen. When I had some financial problems back in the 1990s, I remember debating with myself whether or not to attend a black tie dinner at the Waldorf. I certainly didn’t feel like celebrating anything or talking to anyone, but I got dressed, went there, and as it turned out I was seated next to someone I really
clicked with—and he was a banker. The chemistry for great things was there, and it was the last thing I had expected to happen. I had been in a negative mindset, but my disciplined side took over, and without any expectations on my part, things took a decidedly better turn just because I showed up.

Second, you have to remain determined. If you have a big picture in mind, you will need big determination to go with it. The old saying “Rome wasn’t built in a day” is an apt one. There is no easy way—much as I’d like to tell you otherwise. But if you are doing something you love doing, it should not present too much hardship. Most of us are aware of the tremendous difficulties that faced people like Michelangelo and Beethoven, yet they prevailed and they’re still with us centuries later. It helps to know what other people have faced in accomplishing their goals. A lot of times we don’t know how much work is required until we get into something, no matter how much research we’ve done, so fortitude is absolutely necessary.

Then we come to the unexpected—events that happen that can thoroughly alter our plans, such as earthquakes, wars, natural disasters, and so forth. Here’s when the theory of adaptability comes in. Are you able to remain flexible enough to handle catastrophes? Disasters happen, and they aren’t always foreseen. Suddenly our big picture has a new script attached to it! Well, believe me, you can handle it if you go with the flow and remain determined at the same time. The best thing to remember here is Winston Churchill’s advice to never give up: “Never, never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” We may not be experiencing the blitz, but sometimes when problems start up, it can feel like it. Prepare yourself with strength of character to withstand discouragements as well as disasters.

People who have endured great hardship often say they survived because they kept some sort of hope going, a vision of the future, despite horrible immediate circumstances. They may not have had a big picture in mind at the time, but they had a semblance of one. Try to emulate their example; it is obviously an effective thought process for survival. Sometimes a dead end can be a new beginning.

My father used to tell us this story he thought was really funny, although I never thought it was that funny. I think he was trying to tell us something about remaining determined. Anyway, it went like this: A guy loved soda. Just loved soda. So he decided to go into the business and named his product 3-Up. It was a failure. So he started over again and named his new product 4-Up. It, too, failed. So he started again and named his soda 5-Up. Once again, it failed. Once again, he tried again and named his soda 6-Up, and it, too, failed. Well, he decided he’d had it with the soda business, and he gave up. That was the end of my father’s story! As we all knew, 7-Up became a very successful and famous brand of soda. So that must’ve been his message to us: The soda guy simply gave up too soon!

We’ve had some good examples, from Thoreau to Churchill to my father, so let’s pay attention to them and keep them in mind in the years to come. I think it will do us all good.

—AESOP

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ne of the most important things I’ve learned is to watch what people do versus listening to what they say. Sometimes, judging on what I see them doing, I think people have no idea what they’ve talked about. It reminds me of a split personality, with the mouth going one way and everything else going the other way. One big step toward success is to get the two working in tandem. You will also find out that it will save you a lot of time and energy to become solid.

I’ve said before that every new hire is a gamble because you never know exactly what you’re getting. Some people with great credentials don’t deliver, and some people with not so great credentials turn out to be great. There is simply no guarantee when it comes to people, and watching them in action turns out to be the proving ground. That’s why on
The Apprentice
, the candidates are told they are entering a job interview that will last for months.
It’s a great way to see potential employees in action versus listening to how great they think they are.

One quality of leadership is knowing your subject. That also extends itself to knowing people. It’s always a good idea to assume the worst, because then you might be pleasantly surprised. I’ve had some solid gold people and some real scoundrels, and somehow it manages to balance out. But my expectations are realistic—not every person is going to be a perfect match. And no matter how much you want to trust people, you still have to be a little paranoid.

That sounds tough—and it is—but never expect everything or everyone to be easy. To be blunt: We all have to watch out for ourselves. That includes you, and that includes me. It’s best not to trust people too much, because that’s just setting yourself up for some nasty surprises. I graduated from college in 1968, so I’ve had a fair share of experiences with people by now. If I were to tell you they were all great experiences, I’d be lying. I’ve met the gamut of personalities, and some of them had some disorders, to put it nicely. These disorders don’t always surface quickly, so it’s best to protect yourself from them to begin with. Be circumspect, if not paranoid, with people.

I’ve had people who have worked for me for over twenty-five or thirty years, so you may be wondering why I talk about being paranoid. It’s another way of saying, “don’t take anything for granted.” I don’t take my solid gold employees for granted because they don’t take me for granted either. It’s a two-way street and it works best that way. If you can aim for that, that’s the best way to go. I have evidence that it can happen.

On the other hand, I’ve had some complete washouts, people who managed to prove themselves to be not only incompetent but untrustworthy. That’s the other side you have to expect from time to time. To think it won’t happen to you is a big take. I have been taken by surprise by certain unexpected behaviors,
so now I rein in my expectations, and my equilibrium is the better for it. A leader needs to know about people to remain a leader.

Most of us have been exposed to the work of Shakespeare, and he spends a great deal of time dwelling on the characteristics of human nature. Some of the examples are extreme, but they aren’t so far-fetched as to be unbelievable, or Shakespeare wouldn’t still be performed today.There’s something about his work that is timeless, and the timelessness comes from his insight into human nature. One of his greatest achievements was
King Lear
, which is a good lesson in how good intentions don’t always work out for the best, and it becomes a virtual wipeout while showing the complexities of human relations. That’s a dark example, but it’s better to be aware than to be unaware of what the world can be like.

On the brighter side, I think most people want to be the best they can be. That’s probably one reason you’re reading this right now—you’ve chosen the high road, the path to more knowledge and experience. It’s one of the reasons I enjoy giving speeches and teaching—I can share what I know with people who are really motivated to know more, to do more, and to improve the quality of their minds and lives. It’s a great feeling. I hope you’ll continue to expand your life every day.