President And CEO,
Snyder Communications Inc.
Bethesda, Maryland
Succeeding in business is not just about making money. Money is important, but it's not the real driver -- certainly not for me. I have found that what drives me is the desire to prove, to myself and to my peers, that I can do what I set out to do and build something that matters. I've done that by recruiting smart people -- many from traditional corporate environments --and giving them a dose of entrepreneurial spirit.
You achieve long-term success step by step. Try to achieve your goals one at a time, like you do target practice. I look at each day as a chance to move one notch above yesterday -- whether it's in service quality, delivery, speed, or any other aspect of the business. I don't measure my "success" every day. I measure how much we have left to do.
In that sense, business success is just a form of persistence.
Daniel Snyder, 32, is the youngest CEO of a New York Stock Exchange company.
Founding Editor, "Tricycle: The Buddhist"
Review, New York, New York
tricycle@echonyc.com
The most important ingredient for success is the willingness to fail, to be made a fool of, to fall on your face a hundred times a day. And to be dumb. What makes repeated failure endurable is being in love with the work you do and being convinced of its value. Then the process becomes self-rewarding.
Try not to make hard divisions between work and play. Figure out how to make your job fun, creative, and inspiring for you and for others. And don't underestimate everyone's need to be affirmed. That includes: coworkers, suppliers, the janitor, messengers, advertisers, saints, and sinners.
Helen Tworkov is the editor of "Zen in America" (Kodansha, 1994).
Marketing Communications Strategist
New York, New York
aweii@aol.com
Success depends on surrounding yourself with the best people. But picking the best isn't easy. Resumes don't tell the entire story, and neither do references. Even a great track record elsewhere can create a cultural disaster in your company.
But don't despair. While I was a partner building a successful advertising agency - Lord, Geller, Federico, Einstein -- I developed a people-picking formula that can work in any business. When evaluating candidates I made it a point to look for "head, hands, and shoulders."
Head is my estimate of the person's business IQ. How smart is she?
Hands is a measure of skills. Is she just good enough for the job at hand? Good enough to help us grow?
Shoulders asks how much responsibility I can delegate. The more she can handle, the more she develops, and the more managerial muscle I develop to build the business.
Good people are the critical factor in any business success and the "head, hands, shoulders" test can help you pick the best.
Arthur Einstein's most successful ad was the Charlie Chaplin "Tramp" campaign for IBM.
Author, "Succeeding Sane" (Simon & Schuster)
San Diego, California
sjd@adnc.com
The definition of success should not include things like integrity, family, or quality of life. Success should be measured by objective standards of competitive achievement. That means for runners: How fast are you? For business people: How much profit did you earn? For politicians: How many votes did you get? That is success.
Too many people define success to include parenthood or personal happiness. That is a mistake. These things are not a competition. You can't "succeed" at motherhood, for example. There is no first prize. There are no outside judges. Nor is there a gold medal for acts of true integrity. The only standard that matters is your own personal sense of what is right.
Success is great, but it is an external standard. Don't try to expand it to include everything. A meaningful life involves more than success. It involves looking inward to decide what matters to you.
Bonnie St. John Deane is a Rhodes Scholar. She won both silver and bronze medals in the slalom and giant slalom in the 1984 Paralympics in Innsbruck, Austria.
Founder And CEO, Whole Foods Market
Austin, Texas
www.wholefoods.com
A few years ago someone asked me to write down what success meant to me and the principles I followed to achieve it. My answer then is still how I feel. Here's what I wrote:
I create my own reality through my thoughts and emotions.
I am never a victim of anyone else.
I follow my heart in all circumstances.
Life is an adventure. Seize the day!
When confronted with alternatives I always choose the one that creates the most excitement within me.
I do what I'm afraid to do until it doesn't scare me anymore.
I would rather be happy than right.
Love is the only reality. Everything else is merely a dream or illusion.
Forgiveness is the key to healing all relationships, and leads to happiness.
Always tell the truth.
Giving and receiving are one and the same.
I choose to be healthy.
Whole Foods Market (1996 revenues: $900 million) is the country's largest natural-foods grocer. It was founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas. It now has 74 stores in 17 states.
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