When a high tech CEO first joined a company in the summer of 1980, he had no idea he will stay for 40 years! Here are five pieces of advice he gave them:
Make an impact. “If you establish yourself as somebody who gets things done, you’ll be amazed at your popularity inside the company. You’ll be somebody that people want on their team.”
Be curious. “One of the great attributes that successful people have is that they’re curious. They’re interested in why things work and how they can be made better. Curiosity takes you to a lot of different approaches and solutions.”
Hate to lose. “Successful people are competitive. The definition of ‘competitive’ is not whether someone likes to win. Most people say they want to win. Being competitive comes down to whether you hate to lose. When you hate to lose, it will drive you to do the preparation and the hard work to make sure that you and your team are successful.”
Learn from your mistakes. “Not repeating mistakes is far more powerful than never making a mistake. Your body of knowledge grows if you learn every time you do something. Learn from those around you. If you’re learning and adjusting all the time, you’ll get better and better.”
Build a solid foundation. “If you don’t have a solid foundation of ethics and values, you’re going to have a hard time. You won’t fit in at TI. It’s the foundation you build on.”
