THE TEN KEYS TO SUCCESS AND A GREAT LIFE

By David Pottruck, Former CEO of Charles Schwab

  1. Get up early. Beat people to the job. That will be your first victory of the day.
  2. Take the road less traveled.
  3. Physical energy matters. Find time to exercise for yourself. Have more energy than everyone.
  4. Plan your resume 5-10 years out. What do you need to achieve these resume points?
  5. Connect with your passion. What gets you most excited? Focus more on that. (goes back to the idea of “the great teams do a few things really well”)
  6. Be courageous. Take risks. Ratchet down the likelihood and consequence of failure in your mind. If you believe in it, go for it.
  7. Learn to triage issues. Cut corners, when necessary. Work smart.
  8. Share your work with your friends/loved ones. They can provide different insights.
  9. Take time for things outside your job.
  10. Intensely focus on self-improvement; yours and someone else’s. Every day.