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.
Today’s advice comes from MacAulay-Brown (MacB) CEO, Sid Fuchs. MacB is a leading engineering and technical services company. Fuchs is also Chairman to the Board of Governors at The Tower Club in Tyson’s Corner.
What I’ve Learned, By Sid Fuchs:
1. It is a privilege and an honor to manage people. The decisions you make and the actions you take impact people’s lives and their families’ lives. Do not take this lightly or make uninformed decisions.
2. Love and take care of your family and friends. They depend on you more than you can imagine. Letting them down is a non-recoverable failure.
3. You can only lead from the front, not the back. If you are in a leadership position, be aware that what you say and do has a significant affect on the people who work for you. Lead by example, make the hard decisions, and live or die by your actions.
4. Play with the uniform you were issued. Don’t be someone you’re not or forget where you came from. Your roots are important to who you are, to your value system, and to what drives you.
5. Honesty, trust, and integrity are overused words, but underused qualities. You can never go wrong by having too much of these non-negotiable traits. You must demonstrate these every day.
6. Don’t undervalue people. People skills are just as important as brains. How you treat and value people is a reflection of who you really are. There is enough success for everyone, so try to help people achieve the most out of life.
7. You’re only as good as your last record. Don’t live your life displaying perpetual arrogance because you once did something or lucked into something great. You have to deliver every day.
8. Never confuse activity with results. Make things happen and deliver. There are no substitutes for results.
9. Intellectual curiosity will take you far. Never stop learning and trying new things. There is no steady state when it comes to your development—you are either going forwards or backwards.
10. Never forget those who helped you get where you are. No one makes it alone, but how soon we forget that our climb up the ladder often occurs on the backs and hard work of others. Be thankful and gracious, and pay it forward.
11. As you move up the ladder, remember the hard work is just beginning. Never take the “I’ve arrived” approach. It’s arrogant, shows shallowness, and demonstrates that you have no idea what your position or responsibilities are really about.
12. Success and failure happen. A fulfilled life is one that has a healthy dose of successes and failures. A very fulfilled life is one in which you learned more from your failures than your successes.
13. When you need a relationship, it’s too late to build one. (Credit for this goes to Dr. Lois Frankel). The network is powerful and is one of the most valued assets in life. Meet as many people as you can and invest in relationships. You will be amazed at the outcomes.
14. Don’t criticize things you don’t understand or those who take chances. Unless you’re in the game and on the field grinding it out every day, don’t judge from the sidelines. Signing paychecks on the back is very different and requires much less responsibility than signing them on the front does.
15. Karma is real. What goes around comes around. It may not come when you want it to or in the form you desire, but, trust me, it does come. When you realize this, retaliation is no longer part of your DNA.
16. If you have to say it, it ain’t so. Self-promotion embarrasses those who do it. If you are a true success, people will know. You don’t have to tell them.
17. Do you have twenty years of experience, or one year of experience twenty times? Make choices that give you more choices and avoid playing it safe. Get out there and take some risks. Change things up, and broaden your horizons. You’ll never go wrong with this approach.
18. Are people your friends because of what you can do for them, or because of who you are? Avoid those people with the “What have you done for me lately?” syndrome. You can tell who they are if they don’t keep in contact with you after you can no longer help them.
19. To have a positive attitude, avoid negative people. Those around you will drive and influence your outlook, so stick with people who are upbeat and see the positive side of things.
20. In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make. I have to give the Beatles credit for this one, but it is true that what you put into life is what you get out of it. There are no long-term shortcuts in life. You have to earn everything.
Read on at www.sidfuchs.com.