The following are the ideas presented by Marie O’Brien, president and CEO of Enterforce, at the BizTimes Media 90 Ideas in 90 Minutes event:
1. Follow your passion – Don’t settle
“Whatever gets you out of bed in the morning is most likely to keep you fueled throughout the day and into your future. What do you believe you can and will contribute to this economic engine called ‘work?’ Is it true that if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life?
“As a young professional, I observed and emulated successful individuals. I assessed, reacted, took action, made mistakes, learned lessons, or not, and then determine best practices and norms for myself. My path revealed the good, bad and the ugly. The good was business that was progressive, innovation, productive and mutually beneficial for the constituencies. The draining part of my journey was the bad and ugly. The bad and ugly often called into question unsavory business practices, absence of values, broken processes, or old methodology.
“When reflecting at the crossroads of a decision, simply attach your values and choose what really makes you tick. Then prepare to be energized!
“Find meaning in what you do, and grab the opportunity to achieve goodness, and maybe even greatness.”
2. Do your best
“No time for slackers – your constituents are expecting more…including you! Don’t let “You” down. Do your research, focus on the content, then practice, practice, practice to achieve better outcomes. Be the Subject Matter Expert – it’s fun and deeply satisfying to be ‘in the know’ rather than left behind.
“The moment you realize that you haven’t done your best, or even close to it, the scary awakening of reality sets in – a trail of disappointment and a lack of confidence. You can’t go back and do a makeover for a job done poorly. Be on your game and if you are not – be humble and admit it wasn’t your best. Being humble and accountable is much more attractive. By being human your character is not called into to question, it’s just a bad day. Try hard to prioritize the meaning of preparation without losing sight of balance.”
3. Brag a little…NO! A LOT
“No one hears the goodness you do unless you inform!
“For most business professionals bragging is not in their DNA. Personally, my parents taught us to be humble and what goes around comes around. The reality is that people are attracted to success, and a little self-marketing can go a long way in advancing the perception for your company. In today’s marketplace we provide our clients with score-cards, quarterly updates and After-Action Reviews – better known as METRICS.
“Early on in my career a business mentor and friend took me aside to share a jewel of advice. She stated that very few people in her organization (the customer) knew all of the many good things my company did for them. She highly encouraged us to provide a reporting mechanism that would inform the leadership on the many moving parts of our integration into this Fortune 500 organization. I took her advice and the result was obtaining the immediate recognition, respect and confidence of the executive team.”
4. Be human
“Genuine, sincere and caring outweigh fake, dishonest, and heartless any day. Not all business is ruthless and more than likely there’s another human connected on the other end of the transaction. Wear the white hat.”
5. Integrity isn’t “old fashioned”
“Integrity needs to be taught and not everyone has been given the lesson. Keep your promises, be fair and sincere, tell the truth.”
6. Pick the jewels
“Spend more time selecting your employees. Build a rich team and you will have a rich culture. TEAM = Together Efforts Are Magnificent!”
7. Get connected
“Start with:
- Community – get involved
- Contribute – give back
- Collaborate – solve the world’s problems”
8. “Bee” The Glue
“Pollinate a culture of job satisfaction.”
9. Solve an unknown challenge
“Bring solutions to market – find a way to make this world a better place.”
10. Think group-work
“Lead your organization in the understanding of what ‘work’ looks like today for the multi-generations.”
Click here to see a video of O’Brien’s remarks at the 90 Ideas in 90 Minutes event.
