Steve Hartkopf

Last Tuesday I shared 16 Tip for Business Success from Bob Parsons, CEO and Founder of GoDaddy. Today I’m sharing my list, my keys to success.

1. Make a decision only when it’s necessary. Every decision has a right time to be made. Don’t rush decision making just because you want to check it off your to-do list. Something important might change between the time you want to make a decision and the time you must make a decision.
2. Be a good listener. Too many leaders (people) stop listening, which means they stop learning. I know you’re smart, you wouldn’t be Chief-of something-Officer if you weren’t, but that doesn’t make you infallible. Respect those around you by listening to what they have to say, then select your course of action.
3. Find your passion and pursue it with all your might. Life is more about happiness than your bank account. If you think it’s all about the bank account, then you’re shallow and probably not a very happy person. Life is short; get happy.
4. Find a career in a growing industry. In a growing industry when they have enough work for one and a half people they hire two people. The result is the quality of work increases, which brings more value to the customer, which makes them happy so they buy more…it’s a virtuous cycle. Conversely, in a declining industry when they have enough work for one and a half people they hire one person and work him/her like a mule. If that person sticks around great, if not they bring in another mule. Don’t be a mule.
5. Execution is where good ideas go to die. Good ideas are easy. Most of the people I know can rattle off a couple dozen good ideas in minutes. Execution is much harder and, therefore, more valuable. Focus on a few good ideas and learn to execute them well.
6. Nurture your relationships. Success requires other people - supporters, a team, employees, etc. If the relationship is intact you can navigate through rough waters. If you destroy the relationship people will go against their own self interest to undermine your efforts. Life is a journey so take some good people with you.
7. Take measured risks and have faith in yourself. Most of what you plan won’t turn out exactly as you envisioned. That’s ok. Accept curves in the road as normal and stop fretting over what might have been. Golf teaches us this point well; play the ball where it lies.
8. “There is no such thing as failure; there is only success and quitting.” Eleanor Roosevelt said that when she was struggling against considerable odds to establish UNICEF. I think Mike Ditka said, “Until you give up you’re always in the process of winning.” Good counsel from two very successful people. Refuse to give up.
9. Live within your financial means. Money is not everything but you do need it to survive. A financial cushion can bring you peace of mind, safety and independence. I’ve never really worried about losing my job because, for most of my life, I’ve had a financial cushion to fall back on in emergencies.
10. Get over yourself. I know your Momma told you that you were great and I’m sure she’s right. However, as a whole the world just doesn’t care all that much and an ounce of humility, especially if you’re talented, goes a lot farther than a gallon of hubris.
11. Give more and expect less. This is a good way to create balance in your life and avoid resentment. If you only give when you expect to get then you’re being small, selfish and immature. Give freely and you will have deep relationships with good people. Be a taker and you will soon find yourself surrounded by takers, all trying to hustle the other. Does that sound like fun to you? It doesn’t to me.
12. Avoid toxic people. Enough said.
13. Have (quiet) confidence in your self because if you don’t no one else will.
14. Don’t enjoy telling or be in a hurry to let someone else know they’re wrong. If finding fault in someone else gives you joy then you need to understand why you feel that way. Do you think you’re up just because they’re down? That’s twisted. If someone has a fault or is mistaken about something try to find a non-threatening way to help (coach) them. Who knows, you might find that you are the one in need of coaching…Oh, I get it, that’s what you were afraid of in the first place.
15. Wag more; bark less. If you approach others with a kind and loving heart you can discuss anything. If you approach others with an angry or resentful heart then a simple “good morning” can be ill received.
16. If you have to prove you’re always right, then you’re always wrong.

Steve

Bob Parsons is the CEO and Founder of GoDaddy.com. He’s most famous for his over-the-top advertising, which include commercials featuring a porn star or race driver Danika Patrick in a bikini. To me he’s the Howard Stern of entrepreneurs, sophomoric but highly successful.

His business success and therefore, acumen, is what gets overlooked. Like Stern, this mega-millionaire knows what his target audience wants and he gives it to them. While his actions seem cavalier, my guess is there are few casual events in Bob’s business life.

In his September video-blog he shared his 16 Tips for business success, which you can view here: Bob Parsons’ videoblog. Once you get past the girlies in their tank-tops, I think his advice is excellent. If you want to avoid the girls, here are Bob’s tips in text format:

1. Get and stay out of your comfort zone. I believe that not much happens of any significance when we’re in our comfort zone.  I hear people say, “But I’m concerned about security.”  My response to that is simple: “Security is for cadavers.”
2. Never give up. Almost nothing works the first time it’s attempted.  Just because what you’re doing does not seem to be working, doesn’t mean it won’t work.  It just means that it might not work the way you’re doing it.  If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and you wouldn’t have an opportunity.
3. When you’re ready to quit, you’re closer than you think. There’s an old Chinese saying that I just love, and I believe it is so true.  It goes like this: “The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed.”
4. With regard to whatever worries you, not only accept the worst thing that could happen, but make it a point to quantify what the worst thing could be. Very seldom will the worst consequence be anywhere near as bad as a cloud of “undefined consequences.”  My father would tell me early on, when I was struggling and losing my shirt trying to get Parsons Technology going, “Well, Robert, if it doesn’t work, they can’t eat you.”
5. Focus on what you want to have happen. Remember that old saying, “As you think, so shall you be.”
6. Take things a day at a time. No matter how difficult your situation is, you can get through it if you don’t look too far into the future, and focus on the present moment.  You can get through anything one day at a time.
7. Always be moving forward. Never stop investing.  Never stop improving.  Never stop doing something new.  The moment you stop improving your organization, it starts to die.  Make it your goal to be better each and every day, in some small way.  Remember the Japanese concept of Kaizen.  Small daily improvements eventually result in huge advantages.
8. Be quick to decide. Remember what General George S. Patton said: “A good plan violently executed today is far and away better than a perfect plan tomorrow.”
9. Measure everything of significance. I swear this is true.  Anything that is measured and watched, improves.
10. Anything that is not managed will deteriorate. If you want to uncover problems you don’t know about, take a few moments and look closely at the areas you haven’t examined for a while.  I guarantee you problems will be there.
11. Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you’re doing. When you look at your competitors, remember that everything looks perfect at a distance. Even the planet Earth, if you get far enough into space, looks like a peaceful place.
12. Never let anybody push you around. In our society, with our laws and even playing field, you have just as much right to what you’re doing as anyone else, provided that what you’re doing is legal.
13. Never expect life to be fair. Life isn’t fair.  You make your own breaks.  You’ll be doing good if the only meaning fair has to you, is something that you pay when you get on a bus (i.e., fare).
14. Solve your own problems. You’ll find that by coming up with your own solutions, you’ll develop a competitive edge.  Masura Ibuka, the co-founder of SONY, said it best: “You never succeed in technology, business, or anything by following the others.”  There’s also an old Asian saying that I remind myself of frequently.  It goes like this: “A wise man keeps his own counsel.”
15. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Lighten up.  Often, at least half of what we accomplish is due to luck.
None of us are in control as much as we like to think we are.
16. There’s always a reason to smile. Find it.  After all, you’re really lucky just to be alive.  Life is short.  More and more, I agree with my little brother. He always reminds me: “We’re not here for a long time, we’re here for a good time!”

Steve

Last evening an acquaintance of ours, let’s call her Sarah, and I fell into a conversation about healthcare reform. I said I (1) was  concerned about a government run system, Medicare and Medicaid are going bankrupt, (2) thought adding 40 million people to the system would produce a serious decline in the quality of care we recieve, and (3) worried about paying the tab. Her response was immediate and forecful.

In fact, she almost yelled at me, “I think the rich should pay for everything!” That surprised me for two reasons. The first reason is I’m always surprised that some people honestly believe they have a right to another person’s hard-earned dollars. Second, having been a high earner for several years (notice, past tense), I know that the “rich” already pay for most everything. I didn’t argue because that would have been pointless and I didn’t want to upset her further. Instead, I decided to do some research. Here’s what I found:

• The latest Congressional Budget Office figures show that the top 1 percent of income earners paid 39 percent of our total federal taxes while earning 18 percent of pretax income.
• The top 5 percent paid 61 percent while earning 31 percent of pretax income.
• The top 40 percent paid 99.4 percent of federal income taxes, which, of course, leads to,
• The bottom 40 percent of income earners paid no federal income taxes but received 4 percent from the tax system.
• Note, the middle 20 percent of income earners pay only 4.4 percent of federal taxes.

You’d think Sarah would be happy, it appears the “rich” are already paying for (almost) everything.

This is where the debate gets insidious (treacherous and seductive), as we approach a situation where more than 50 percent of the population, the electorate, receive moere than they pay into the system, why would they cast their lot (vote) for anything but more free stuff? Why accept any personal accountability? Why not continue to take and ask for more? Why not act like children?

Life is tough. You have to work your butt off to be successful. I don’t know anyone making $100,000 a year who only works (only) 40 hours a week. The standard work week (40 hours) is a basic minimum requirement and not an accomplishment to successful people. You want more, give more, work more. God gave us life and this country grants us freedom. It’s our job to use them both.

There are no guarantees but there is always opportunity. As my old boss used to say, effort is appreciated; results are rewarded.

I work about 70 hours per week. I’m not satisfied with my income. So I’m going to start working 80 hours per week. That’s how this life-stuff works. Whining, victimization and feeling that someone owes you something is for Losers. If that’s what you’ve been doing, knock it off. It won’t work. You won’t have a happy life and I assume that’s what you want.

I’m not trying to be mean or harsh. Those of you who read my blogs have probably already figured out that “mean and harsh” are not words my friends and family would ever use to describe me. I just know that the only way we’re going to improve our country’s and our personal economic situation is through hard work.

Now, if you’ll excuse me it’s almost 7:30 a.m. and I need to get organized. I have a hard-day’s work ahead of me and would feel terribly guilty if I wasted the opportunity to be and do my best.

Steve