Success Newsletters

(An excerpt from Charles’ upcoming book: Success Is Not A Spectator Sport)
“I couldn’t deliver a speech to save my life. Before reading my first speech in front of a few hundred GE executives in Cooperstown, N.Y., I twice had to leave the front row of the auditorium to run to the bathroom.” Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric and author of Jack: Straight from the Gut

The one thing I know for sure about success is that to achieve it you have to be a participant. You must be prepared to take action, be a player. Success is about being willing to take the journey, no matter where it might lead you. It involves being able to stay on course, to take the bumps, the knocks, the inevitable twists and turns that will come your way on your journey. Writer, Lynn Gerald said, “If the sun can shine after the darkest storm, so can we.”

Mary Kay Ash, one of the most famous and dynamic women in American business, died recently at the age of 83. She was well known for her flamboyant personality and media savvy, as well as her generous rewards program for her cosmetic sales force. She rewarded her top sales performers with gifts, which included diamond rings and pink Cadillac cars. She loved the color pink, so much so that the 19,000-square foot mansion she once owned was painted pink, and included a gigantic pink marble bathtub. She certainly stood out from the crowd with a style all of her own.

In 1979 H. Ross Perot, CEO of Electronic Data Systems in Texas, or better known to most of us as the larger than life figure who formerly ran for President of the U.S, was pondering an opportunity to buy a fledging company based in Seattle, Washington in the United States.

We are judged by our actions in business and in relationships constantly. Think about these five principles whenever you come in to contact with people. They are rock solid and if followed will serve you well.

This was my first article that I wrote for my initial newsletter back in January 2001. The response to this article was amazing; it was picked up by many magazines and prestigious newsletters around the world including Message from the Masters and has since turned in to one of my professional speaking programs. Per the request of the many people who did not have an opportunity to read the first newsletter, I am reprinting it to start off this New Year. I hope you enjoy it.