From Day One: CEO Advice to Launch an Extraordinary Career

270 Pages·2005·1.65 MB·English

by  William J. White

ptg6113307
From the Library of Sowmya Tadepalli
Early Praise for From Day One
“Bill White’s book should be required reading for anyone
starting a career, and a must-read for anyone after they
have started their career.”
—Warren Bennis, Distinguished Professor of Business
Administration, University of Southern California, and
co-author, Geeks and Geezers: How Era, Values, and
Defining Moments Shape Leaders
“If you are a young person who believes in the future, who
believes in personal growth, who has the humility to learn,
this book is for you.”
—From the foreword by Ram Charan, Charan Associates
business advisor, speaker, and author of several bestselling
books, including Confronting Reality and Execution:
The Discipline of Getting Things Done, as well as several
other books
ptg6113307
“Excellent, practical advice and wisdom-based counsel
from someone who has been both in the trenches and at
the peak. The perfect graduation and career kick-off gift.”
—Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly
Effective People and The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to
Greatness
“Looking for a shortcut to fame and fortune? This book
won’t satisfy. But if you want to know what you don’t know
that blocks your path to a dream career, you can do no
better than putting your ear to Bill White’s ground.”
—Allan Cox, management author and consultant to boards,
CEOs, and top teams
From the Library of Sowmya Tadepalli
“Fortunate is the young professional—or old professional,
for that matter—who heeds this advice. Its theme rings
clear and true: Concern yourself with making your organi-
zation better and learning from every experience and
everyone. As I read this book, the word that kept
coming to my mind was integrity—having a life or moral
code that is integrated into one’s attitudes and behaviors at
work. From Day One defines success at a much higher
level; it empowers and implores people to choose the nat-
ural high road, and lets success follow. It is also filled with
practical tips, not an idealist or moralist dream but a meat
and potatoes success story!”
—Jean Egmon, President, Third Angle, Inc. and co-author of
The Prepared Mind of a Leader: Eight Skills Leaders Use to
Innovate, Make Decisions, and Solve Problems
“Benjamin Franklin, the patron saint of self-improvement
books, coined the maxim ‘doing well by doing good’ in
ptg6113307
his Poor Richard’s Almanack. Now, in this wonderfully
readable book, Bill White shows, step by step, how you
can indeed truly do well in your career by doing good in
this world.”
—From the foreword by Walter Isaacson, author of
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, President and CEO
of the Aspen Institute, and Former Chairman and CEO of
CNN
“From Day One is not a book of pie-in-the-sky platitudes.
This is reality-based advice–tested, tempered, and proven
by life experience—a ‘toolbox’ that will provide young pro-
fessionals with the fundamental habits for career success.
It’s must reading for anyone who aspires to career success
in business, industry, education, or government.”
—Jack Rayman, Director of Career Services and Affiliate
Professor of Counseling Psychology and Education, Penn
State University
From the Library of Sowmya Tadepalli
“Oh, what wisdom! These profound truths are rarely found
in the world of academics. Yet they are the onlytruths that
count in life, both personally and professionally. Savor
every thought!”
—Glenna Salsbury, author of The Art of The Fresh Start, pro-
fessional speaker, and past President, National Speakers
Association
“From Day One is a great primer to assist college students
today in making a successful move to the world of work.
For young professionals, From Day One is a valuable tool
to help understand the nuances of working for a corpora-
tion and how to better prepare themselves for this journey.
I wish I had such a guide when I was embarking on
my career journey. However, I will make sure my three
children not only read it, but take notes on how to become
a valuable employee.”
—Paul G. Schneider, Scherer Schneider Paulick, counseling
ptg6113307
and outplacement firm
“Overflowing with tips, wisdom, and solid values on which
to build your career...and your life. Although written for
making the most of your first job, it’s valuable for people at
any level wanting to do better for their organizations and
themselves.”
—Ed Zschau, visiting lecturer, Princeton University, and
former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (CA)
From the Library of Sowmya Tadepalli
This page intentionally left blank
ptg6113307
From the Library of Sowmya Tadepalli
From Day One
ptg6113307
From the Library of Sowmya Tadepalli
This page intentionally left blank
ptg6113307
From the Library of Sowmya Tadepalli
From Day One
Success Secrets for Starting
Your Career
William J. White
ptg6113307
PEARSON PRENTICE HALL
AN IMPRINT OF PEARSON EDUCATION
Upper Saddle River, NJ • Boston • Indianapolis • New York • London
San Francisco • Toronto • Sydney • Tokyo • Singapore • Hong Kong
Cape Town • Madrid • Paris • Milan • Munich • Amsterdam
From the Library of Sowmya Tadepalli
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
White, William J., 1938
From day one: success secrets for starting your career / William J. White.
p. cm.
ISBN 0-13-220686-2
1. Career development. 2. Vocational guidance. 3. Success in business. I. Title.
HF5381.W49 2005
650.1--dc22
Vice President and Editor-in-Chief: Tim Moore
Acquisitions Editor: Paula Sinnott
Editorial Assistant: Susie Abraham
Development Editor: Russ Hall
Director of Marketing: John Pierce
International Marketing Manager: Tim Galligan
Cover Designer: Chuti Praserstith
Managing Editor: Gina Kanouse
Copy Editor: Cheryl Lenser
Indexer: Cheryl Lemmens
Compositor: Jake McFarland
Manufacturing Buyer: Dan Uhrig
© 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Publishing as Prentice Hall
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
ptg6113307
Prentice Hall offers excellent discounts on this book when ordered in
quantity for bulk purchases or special sales. For more information, please
contact U.S. Corporate and Government Sales, 1-800-382-3419, corpsales@
pearsontechgroup.com. For sales outside the U.S., please contact
International Sales, 1-317-581-3793, [email protected].
Company and product names mentioned herein are the trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective owners.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, in any form or by any
means, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing
ISBN 0-13-220686-2
Pearson Education Ltd.
Pearson Education Australia Pty., Limited
Pearson Education South Asia Pte. Ltd.
Pearson Education Asia Ltd.
Pearson Education Canada, Ltd.
Pearson Educación de Mexico, S.A. de C.V.
Pearson Education—Japan
Pearson Education Malaysia, Pte. Ltd.
From the Library of Sowmya Tadepalli
D
EDICATION
To General Georges Doriot, Professor Harvard
Business School (1926-1966), whose inspiration
and approach to life still lives in all his students!
ptg6113307
From the Library of Sowmya Tadepalli