Leaders who are 75 years young

Last week I quoted Donald Kendall, former chairman and CEO of Pepsi Co, Inc., who was asked, “How do you get to the top of the corporate ladder?” He said:

“There’s no place that success comes before work, except in the dictionary. You can’t get to the top of any profession without a lot of hard work,and I don’t care whether you’re in art, music, business, or the academic world. Success at all levels requires tremendous effort.”

But that was only half of the quote I appreciate from him. Someone asked him, “What else does it take to get to the top of the corporate ladder.” He said:

“I think it takes enthusiasm and excitement about what you are doing. If you’re not happy every morning when you get up, leave for work, or start work at home – if you’re not enthusiastic about doing that, you’re not going to be successful.”

Enthusiasm is the contagious attitude of effective leaders. It’s a choice we make every day to stay positive and helpful. I’ve never met a successful executive who was a whiner and complainer.

I love the words of General Douglas MacArthur, on his 75 birthday:

“In the central place of every heart, there is a recording chamber; as long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, and courage, you are young. When the wires are all down and your heart is covered with the snows of pessimism and the ice of cynicism, then, and then only are you grown old.”

Leaders set the stage, mood, and atmosphere of success in their company. This has nothing to do with your age and everything to do with your attitude of enthusiasm.