I read Getting There – A Book of Mentors by Gillian Segal and found some important messages for my kids
The following were the main points that I learnt and will pass on to my kids
From Warren Buffett – one of the best things you can do in life is surround yourself with people that are better than you – you will end up behaving like them and pick your heroes in life- Warren Buffett’s dad was his hero and taught Warren that your inner scorecard is important (how you feel about things) vs most people use their outer scorecard which means they are more concerned what other people think about this and that
Qualities of good character and integrity make an enormous difference in achieving success
Matthew Weiner (Creator of Mad Men) – when you meet with somebody – find out as much info as you can about the person and try and remember names
Michael Bloomberg (Founder of Bloomberg LP) – people want recognition and respect – when Michael walks into a building he always shakes hands with the security at the door
Leslie Moonves ( CBS President) – do the best job you can do – somebody will notice and opportunity will present itself – let people see that you are willing to do anything and that you have a good attitude – have a can- do person even if it is trying to get an elephant on the front lawn at 6am tomorrow
Graydon Carter (Vanity Fair Editor) – you will always make mistakes along the way – try to make small mistakes and treat them as opportunities to learn
Kathy Ireland (Model Designer) – smartest people I know never stop learning – learn from reading and research on the internet
Nitin Nohria(Harvard Business School Dean) – be generous and do not worry about keeping score – when you are generous you will always feel good about yourself and when life ends up being generous in return – which it normally does with giving people, then – you will have greater joy
Jeff Kinney (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Author) – you do not have to have a huge new idea to be a success – Diary of a Wimpy Kid is about a regular boy in middle school
If you have an idea that you think is a winner – nurture it and take your time developing it – anything worth having requires hard work
Daniel Boulud (Chef) – remain focused on what you like and become very knowledgeable about it – also it is important to find good mentors – if you want to be a good chef try to get a foot in the door at the best restaurant you can, and business is built through connections – always leave each job on a good note