Success Lesson from General Tommy Franks
October 7, 2009

If you have an upcoming sales meeting, team meeting, department meeting, division meeting or company wide meeting, you may be looking for a highly credible and easily remembered set of success principles that support your mission, culture, and objects... success principles that people can easily remember... and hopefully use on a daily basis.  Or, you may be looking for the same for just yourself or your family.

Either way, via this Tips for Success, you have found a great set of highly credible and battle proven principles for long term personal and professional success!

In his October 6, 2009 blog http://michaelhyatt.com/, Michael Hyatt tells the story of recently meeting General Tommy Franks and hearing him speak.  Michael tells the story as follows:

General Franks flunked out of the University of Texas in 1967.  Rather than waiting to be drafted to fight in Vietnam, he enlisted in the Army.  As he got on the bus to leave for boot camp, his father said, “Son, I have one piece of advice.  Be feisty.”

Tommy Franks replied, “But Dad, I am feisty.”

His Dad said, “Son, I know you are feisty, but I mean it as an acronym.  F-E-I-S-T-Y.”  He then went on to spell it out as follows:   

• “F” is for focus. You need to get focused on what is important and stay focused.
• “E” is for energy. Bring all the energy you can muster to every situation.
• “I” is for integrity. This is your most important possession. Don’t ever compromise it.
• “S” is for solve the problem. Don’t argue. Don’t make excuses. Just solve the problem and get on with it.
• “T” is for take the blame when no one else will. Accept responsibility and be accountable.
• “Y” is for “Yes, I do windows.” Don’t ever say, “That’s not my job.” Do whatever the boss asks you to do and do it with enthusiasm.

What great advice for an outstanding and very successful personal and professional life!  These critical success principles are applicable to every person and every organization in the world.  They worked for General Tommy Franks and they will work for you, your family, your team, your organization and for all people and organizations. 

Great, credible, practical, proven, implementable and easily remembered critical success principles! 

Be FEISTY.  Remember, “If it’s to be, it’s up to me!”  And now it’s up to you... 

Copyright © 2009 by Dan Nielsen