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Harvey Mackay
Column
For the week
of May 24, 2010
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What
They Didn't Teach You in Business School
A college education is valuable,
and I salute all the graduates who are heading out into the wonderful
world of work. A degree is an important step toward career achievement.
But a sheepskin doesn't guarantee
success. Without taking anything away from the value of higher
education, some pretty famous "dropouts" have made
the grade in business. For example:
- Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary
Kay Cosmetics Inc., had no college education at all.
- Sir Richard Branson, owner of
the Virgin Brand of 360 companies, dropped out of school at age
16.
- Simon Cowell, American Idol
host and music executive, left college early and eventually landed
in the mailroom of a music publishing company.
- Barry Diller, chairman and CEO
of IAC/InterActiveCorp, which owns Home Shopping Network, Ticketmaster,
Match.com, and other companies, dropped out of UCLA after one
semester
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- Kirk Kerkorian, real estate
investor worth approximately $15 billion, left school in eighth
grade.
- Ralph Lauren, fashion designer,
dropped out of business school after two years.
- Rachael Ray, celebrity chef
and TV personality, started her adult career working at Macy's
candy counter.
- And the most famous Harvard
dropout of all is Bill Gates, Microsoft mogul and philanthropist
extraordinaire.
What common trait do they all
share? The #1 attribute that employers look for: initiative.
They all took ideas and put them into action. Some had a little
experience that they translated into big business. Others trusted
their gut instincts and went out on a limb. The best education
money can buy won't necessarily include a class on initiative.
So, dear graduates, hone this skill, because you will be competing
against people whose formal education can't match yours -- but
their go-getter attitude will propel them to the top.
As my friend, the late Jim Rohn
said: "Formal education will make you a living. Self-education
will make you a fortune."
One of the best compliments I
can give when writing a reference letter is that the person takes
initiative. Translation: the willingness to at least try, to
take a risk, to give it their absolute best shot. When I recommend
someone in those terms, a light goes on for the prospective employer.
Initiative is not a promise of
perfect results. Sometimes it results in failure. Sometimes,
a satisfactory, but not remarkable, outcome. Other times, the
effort ends in a smashing success. An employee who can step up
to the plate three runs down in the bottom of the ninth with
bases loaded and two batters out, and envision a grand slam instead
of a pop fly is the kind of player I want on my team. That employee
will wait for just the right pitch and send it over the fence.
Don't worry if you weren't born
knowing how to take initiative -- it can be learned. In fact,
a lot of us learn it the hard way, getting stuck in a rut and
trying to dig our way out. At some point, frustration sets in
and we decide to take charge of the situation.
If that sounds like a challenge
you are ready for, prepare yourself to:
- Be creative. Consider different ways to approach
the work you do. Brainstorm with your team, or lacking a large
group, brainstorm by yourself. Write down even the most unconventional
and seemingly impossible solutions. Always, always be open to
new ideas.
- Learn new skills. Identify what you want or need to learn
to improve your worth. Set a goal to master a new skill with
every project. It doesn't matter if that means learning another
language or understanding a computer application. Just get yourself
in the habit of adapting to the situation so you can be ready
to contribute.
- Do the legwork. You want to convince people your idea
will work? Hit them with facts. Do your homework. Find supporting
research. Talk to co-workers.
- Don't sit on your ideas. Speak up if you have the idea and the
supporting facts to back it up. Volunteer to lead the team or
do the project yourself. Let your supervisors and co-workers
know you are willing to take responsibility and evaluate progress,
changing course if necessary.
- Try, try again. If your one idea didn't get an ok,
don't be discouraged. Keep looking for other ideas, or reinvent
your idea to overcome objections. Demonstrate your willingness
to adapt.
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Mackay's Moral: |
When you take initiative, there's
no telling where it will take you. |
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The Author  |
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Harvey Mackay is a nationally
syndicated columnist for United Feature Syndicate. His weekly
articles appear in 52 newspapers around the country, including
the Chicago Sun Times, Rocky Mountain News, Orange County Register,
Minneapolis Star Tribune and Arizona Republic.
http://www.mackay.com/
Copyright, Harvey Mackay. All rights reserved. |
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