INTRODUCTION

Regardless of what you do for a living, the joy of doing it well is the same. Whether you are sitting on the board of directors of a Fortune 100 company or waiting on tables in a neighborhood restaurant, there is a great deal of satisfaction to be had from doing the best you can do. It earns you the respect of your peers, those who report to you, and your bosses. It increases your chances of being listened to, appreciated, and being compensated accordingly. It enhances the chances of being noticed and being offered more responsibility. And, in this uncertain world where people are being displaced, technology is taking over, and competition threatens to eat up any organization, doing your best, day after day after day, will give you an edge.

Success is measured by how competently you perform all parts of your job requirements and meet all of your objectives. This book can't tell you what your job requirements are. If you have a boss, that is between the two of you. This book will not tell you what your objectives should be, other than to suggest you have no more than four or five major ones at any one time. But, through examples, this book will show you how to achieve and hold on to success—whatever your job.

Work itself is so very broad in scope it may seem impossible to come up with an approach that would apply to everyone in every situation. And yet, it's very doable if you look closely at the five components of work and learn to master each and all of them.

Ironically, it was while on vacation in Wyoming, witnessing the operation of a very successful cattle ranch, that I was able to pinpoint what constituted a good day's work and break it down. I then took a look back at my own experience, and that of people I've known and worked with, and realized that everything we do can, in fact, be broken into five categories: KNOWING, DECIDING, ASSIGNING, INFLUENCING, and COPING. The key to success, then, is doing each of them and doing them very well.

The individuals I've used as models of success in this book might surprise you. They run the gamut from a young waitress in Sheridan, Wyoming, to the exalted leader of an Antarctic expedition, from the director of a boy's summer camp to the CEO of a high-technology firm, from an esteemed artist to the coach of an Olympic gold medal team, from a tailor's assistant to a president of the United States. Yet, as disparate as these individuals might seem, they have in common a demonstrated level of performance in one or more aspects of their work that contain valuable lessons for the rest of us.

Let's start with KNOWING. Regardless of what you do, you have an obligation to know what you are doing. You must know the field you are in and your job requirements. If you work for an organization, you must know all about it, its suppliers, and its customers.

It should come as no surprise to you to learn that Norman Rockwell, the preeminent American illustrator, knew what he was doing. What you should take note of, however, is how he acquired his expertise. Even if you never pick up a paintbrush in your life, believe me, you have something to learn from the success of Norman Rockwell—just as you do from Rosa Parks, Herb Brooks, and Dwight Eisenhower, whom we'll learn more about in the chapter on DECIDING.

Rosa Parks, a tailor's assistant, made a single, simple decision that sparked the Civil Rights Movement in America. Herb Brooks, a hockey coach, made hundreds of small, but very important decisions that gave us one of the greatest victories in sports history. And General Dwight Eisenhower was charged with one of the most important decisions ever made in the free world. Each one of these people has something to teach us about making good decisions and doing a good day's work.

A major part of any job, paid or otherwise, is accepting and giving assignments. Regardless of what you do, you will be accepting assignments from your peers and bosses and giving assignments as well. My favorite example of assigning is the director of a summer camp I went to as a youth. Charged (assigned) with the care of 36 young boys for the better part of a summer, he used his mastery of ASSIGNING to assure that none of us got homesick while in his care.

The very nature of the camp director's work made him a man of influence in all of our young lives. Such is not the case with everyone, even though INFLUENCING is, in fact, a major component of success. We have all known people of influence. We have all been influenced by some of them. The key to success, however, is becoming one of them. For that, we look to the story of Rachel Carson, an unassuming young woman who dared go up against some of the most powerful corporations in the country, thereby making the world a better place for all of us.

And, finally, we come to COPING. It may never have occurred to you, but the importance of learning to cope with things beyond your control is grossly underestimated. But no one and nothing is ever in complete and total control. You may have mastered all the other components of work, but if you can't cope with any deviations from the norm, you will not find success. Abraham Lincoln didn’t become president to lead his country through the greatest war it would ever know. But, when he found himself in that position, he rose to the challenge and saved the nation. The Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton did not expect his ship to be trapped in the ice and crushed. But, when it was, he created a new plan and eventually led every single member of his expedition to safety. These two individuals had mastered every other aspect of their job, but it was their ability to cope that set them apart. And so it can be with you.

This book offers a totally new way to think about your work. It should also help you understand that success isn't necessarily relegated to those who have more or do more. Most importantly, I hope it inspires you to take the steps necessary to satisfy your job requirements always—thus doing the best you can all day, every day. Then, not only will you gain success but you'll hold on to it as well.