Dear Success Seeker by Michele R. Wright PhD

Author:Michele R. Wright, PhD
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 2009-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

Betsy D. Holden

Senior Adviser to McKinsey & Company; Former Co-CEO of Kraft Foods and CEO of Kraft Foods North America

Dear Success Seeker…

Success takes many forms. It’s something that each of us must define for ourself and pursue in our own way. As I look at my career and my personal life, there are a few principles that I’ve found useful. I hope they’ll help you, too.

Find your place. Find something you love to do, something that you have a passion for and gives you a sense of personal fulfillment. Money, status, or what others think shouldn’t sway you in your choice of a career. If you can’t wait to jump out of bed and go to work, then you’re in the right place.

Begin by asking yourself, “What am I good at and what do I love to do?” Keep on asking these questions because your answer may change over time. Then, seek out a variety of experiences that will help you learn and grow in whatever direction you’re headed.

Deliver results. At Kraft, as in all successful companies, if you make good on your commitments—if you deliver results, if you build your business and develop your people—you get ahead. It’s that simple.

Take risks to make your mark. In any field, the truly successful people are those who figure out ways to do things differently— and better. Innovation requires leaving our comfort zone and taking risks. You can manage risk if you plan ahead. Imagine what could go wrong and be ready with plans B, C, and D, so you can turn adversity into an even bigger opportunity.

Aim high. It’s important to set big, ambitious goals that require you to stretch your talents—and perhaps even change the rules. If you aim high, you will surprise yourself!

Learn to communicate. Whatever your job or career, your ability to speak and write well will be important. Find opportunities to express your thoughts and ideas in ways that educate, energize, and motivate others. Don’t ignore the basics, either. The best communication is brief, clear, and simple.

Embrace change. Change is inevitable—and it can be incredibly exciting. Be open to the opportunities that come with change. Mark Twain once said,”…the person that had took a bull by the tail once had learnt sixty or seventy times as much as the person that hadn’t….” We naturally shy away from difficult situations. But if you think about the times in your life when you’ve learned or grown the most, they were probably times of significant change or tough, challenging circumstances.

Give something back. As Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, “In a real sense, all life is interrelated…. We are inevitably our brother’s keeper because we are our brother’s brother.” Regardless of how busy we are, we can each find some way to give back to our families, our communities, and society as a whole by sharing our wealth, talents, and time.

And finally…

Live your values. Whether it’s your personal life or career, be true to your values and live them through your actions every day.

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