Making the Extra Effort

Making the Extra Effort

1986 4 April 6 Making the Extra Effort (243) Lee Iacocca was born in 1924 to a poor family who had left their home-town in Italy for America in search of a livelihood. Iacocca worked hard at his studies and secured a master’s degree in engineering, after which he took a job in the Ford Motor Company, where he continued to rise until he became its President. Later, following some disagreement with Henry Ford II, he was asked to leave the Ford Company in 1978.

Iacocca then got a job in another motor company, the Chrysler Corporation, as its President. This company had gone bankrupt at the time he joined it, running at a loss of almost $ 160 million. He made a proper assessment of the situation then began to work really hard at improving matters. Within three years he had not only paid back all loans, but was running the company at profit. Now he takes pride in saying, “I’m the company.”

Iacocca subsequently wrote his biography which contains many valuable suggestions, based on his experiences, such as “The key to success is not information. It’s people. And the kind of people I look for to fill top management posts are the eager beavers. These are the guys who try to do more than they are expected to.”

Doing more than is expected of one is the way of sincere and active people. Those who work in this way will surely have greater success in life than they ever expected.

When knowledge is reduced to an avenue towards personal prestige

1986 4 April 6 When knowledge is reduced to an avenue towards personal prestige (39) ‘Ubayy ibn Ka’ab said: “Acquire knowledge, and practice it. Do not acquire it in order to beautify yourselves thereby, for there will come a time when learning will be used as an adornment, as people adorn themselves with clothes.”