New Series: Simple Secrets to Success From Execs Who Know
WashingtonExec reached out to area executives to gain insight and share local “secrets to success” stories.
This morning’s advice comes from Lloyd Griffiths, Dean of the Volgenau School of Engineering at George Mason University.
Lloyd Griffiths: As I think about “secrets to success,” I am certain that I don’t have any that have not been previously expressed in a very articulate manner by others. There are a couple of things, however, that I often think about during challenging times.
1. Be early and quick to acknowledge the importance of people in your circle.
2. Don’t look only to others for advice – especially anything provided by me. Each problem has unique features that are best understood by the one who knows most about the situation – you. Intuition, judgment, and experience are all wonderful tools. Use them to find your way.
3. Go for par, not birdies. They will come along on their own.
4. I like my father’s two pieces of advice:
a) Never be afraid to ask. Just ask nicely and the worst that can happen is that you hear “no” but occasionally you will be pleasantly surprised.
b) When others are running around shouting “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!”, look around as there will be opportunities. It is very hard to affect real change when everything is running smoothly. When there are problems, people are much more accepting of new ideas.