Monday, March 1, 2010

Whiskey, Wit & Wisdom

Last Thursday night I was enjoying good scotch with my friend Trip Kelly. I can always count on laughing myself senseless with Trip. We have the same mischievous streak that drives wives insane.

Also, I can always count on Trip to give me a great quote and this night was no exception. Somewhere between solving the heath care debate and agreeing that the old Euro-trash guy was hitting on a transvestite, Trip said something so quotable, I actually emailed it to myself on the spot.

I will share it with you now:
What separates the masses from the elite is audacity.

So simple and yet how true. Trip really is a philosopher.

Audacity is bold courage. You can't expect to play it safe and get to the top. If you're not taking risks then you're never going to get anywhere. If you expect to get noticed, to rise to the top, then you must take risks.

Good worker bees aren't noticed. They're cogs that blend into the larger machinery. Make it your job to stand out; to be exemplary. Take risks fully understanding that they might blow up in your face. But only if you fail -- so don't fail.

And to all those who say that right now, in this economy, it just isn't a good time to stick your neck out -- I hope you enjoy mediocrity. It's the people that stand out that don't get laid off. It's the people that get noticed that stick around. It's much easier to fire an "Expense Item" than "That Nut With All the Ideas".

And don't think this just applies to company employees. This applies to everyone, especially consultants and contractors. You will never get hired if you don't get noticed.

What about you? Do you take risks? When have you been audacious?


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