I'll Get There. It Better Be Worth the Trip. by John Donovan

I wrote my first long-term plan when I was 26. I’m less likely to get caught up in the storm of today or tomorrow, and I can survive painful situations because I have longer-term objectives in mind. The other benefit of a long-term plan is that it helps me stay above the fray. If I’ve written down that I want to see the best in others over the next ten years, I might realize when I revisit my plan that I’ve been making snap judgments and need to focus more on that area. She’ll tell me, “I don’t know how you keep all that stuff organized in your head, but I hope you’re finding time to be nice to someone every day.” My mother, for example, has an incredible ability to simplify things. You don’t need a “network.” What you need are advocates and friends-people who will push you, tell you what you don’t want to hear and remind you where you came from. Decisions need to come instinctively, from the core of who you are.Īs you gain power in your career, the call home becomes increasingly important. Life is much easier when you’re true to your genuine self, and when you’re in a very large-scale job like CEO, you have to know your principles and values. That helps keep me grounded and grateful, and the older I get, the more I lean on those early lessons. I’m from a large family, and I was raised in a small house in an inner-city, working-class neighborhood. The answer to that question has changed over the course of my life, but right now, I think something I lean on every day is the way I grew up.

I'll Get There. It Better Be Worth the Trip. by John Donovan