How to Play The Game at the Top: The Power of Dreams

by Fenorris Pearson 

If you measure some of today’s top performers by yesterday’s gold standards, they simply wouldn’t measure up. Industry icons, business mavericks and game changers like Bill Gates, Walt Disney, Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, Rachel Ray and Michael Dell didn’t finish school or have a great education; and based on those two metrics alone, no one could have measured their full potential. By focusing only on such metrics, you might be missing the most valuable components of a person’s engine of success.

As a guest on Steve Harvey’s show, I was recently talking about success, potential and the wide gap between good grades and pure genius. Steve said something that I’ll never forget. When coming up “the hard way” he would interview for jobs or audition for various roles and, based on purely measurable qualifications – school records, his one-page resume, or whether he has movie star looks – he never quite measured up. “But what they couldn’t measure,” said Steve Harvey, “was how big my dream was…”

What a difference the power of dreams can make. As the star of The Steve Harvey Show, Steve won four NAACP Image Awards as “Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series.” He also won an NAACP Image Award for his performance as host of the variety series It’s Showtime at The Apollo. In March 2001, Harvey received the ultimate honor: NAACP Image Award’s “Entertainer of the Year,” and now has a NY Times best-selling book on the market.

Now based in New York City at WBLS, his radio show is syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks and airs in nearly 50 markets including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Washington, DC, Atlanta, Detroit, Tampa, Miami, St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Kansas City.

Here are 4 things to remember when reaching for your dreams:

1) Always set goals. A life without goals is not a life worth living. Having goals gives you purpose and a passion to pursue that purpose. Find your passion and write it down on a piece of paper.

2) Always have a strategy to reach your goals. Having a goal means nothing without a day-to-day strategy to reach your objectives. Your strategy is your road map to success.

3) Be sure to evaluate whether or not you are executing the strategy. A strategy won’t get you to your goal if you don’t execute. Monitor your performance to be sure that your actions are consistent with your objectives.

4) Re-evaluate your goals, and be honest in your personal assessment. If you are not doing what it takes to reach your goals, you should either change your objectives or change your actions. One or the other has to give if you are being honest with yourself.

I have watched many a top performer scramble through the ranks based on immeasurable skills alone: guts, instinct, passion, promise, potential and the unrelenting power of dreams. Dreams aren’t enough, of course; there must be action to back up your inspiration. But beyond investing in education as a facet of your performance, don’t forget to invest in the power of your own dreams.

To read more about power of dreaming, please visit www.corporateclimb.net to purchase an advanced copy of How to Play The Game At the Top and receive free access to How to Play The Game At The Top 101 Course.

ABOUT FENORRIS PEARSON

Fenorris Pearson is the CEO of Global Consumer Innovation, INC (www.globalconsumerinnovation.com) and one of the youngest people ever to be a VP of two fortune 50 companies (Dell and Motorola), a feat he completed before turning age 40. An avid Philanthropist, Fenorris is currently serving on three boards: Alonzo Mourning Charities located in Miami, FL, Imagine Schools of Central Texas located in Austin, TX, and SIFE: Students In Free Enterprise. To find out more information visit www.corporateclimb.net or call (901) 413-0203.

How to Play The Game at the Top: Rule #1

From Fenorris Pearson, CEO of Global Consumer Innovation

Your MBA is DOA

Once upon a time your MBA was the gold standard, a guarantee for eventual and all-but inevitable success in your chosen profession. Today the starting line has moved; an MBA is still crucial for the well-rounded, would-be consummate executive, but no longer the gold standard by which success is currently measured.

Even those reliable old yardsticks by which past business success was calculated – hard work, seniority and massive overtime – no longer ensure you the success you desire today. While all these are helpful, and many men and women have built their fortunes on these skills alone in the past, times are changing at such a critical pace that new opportunities are needed to bridge the gap between what used to work and what must work.

Would you ignore the latest software if you knew it could help you ace the competition? Would you skip a course if it promised you the secret to success? Would you go without some new piece of cutting-edge technology because it cost a little more? Would you ignore the unbeaten path if you knew there was a pot of gold at the end?

No, of course not; modern businesspeople do everything in their power to get ahead. But even software, degrees and technology pale in comparison to one good connection within the organization; sponsorship is the unwritten relationship that trumps all else.

To read more about Rule #1, please visit www.corporateclimb.net.

ABOUT FENORRIS PEARSON

Fenorris Pearson is the CEO of Global Consumer Innovation, INC (www.globalconsumerinnovation.com) and one of the youngest people ever to be a VP of two fortune 50 companies (Dell and Motorola), a feat he completed before turning age 40. An avid Philanthropist, Fenorris is currently serving on three boards: Alonzo Mourning Charities located in Miami, FL, Imagine Schools of Central Texas located in Austin, TX, and SIFE: Students In Free Enterprise. To find out more information visit www.corporateclimb.net.

A New Way of Doing Business: Global Consumer Innovation (GCI)

 

To say that Global Consumer Innovation (GCI) (www.globalconsumerinnovation.com) is just another marketing or research company is an understatement, to say the least. Touted as an innovation company, GCI uses its holistic perspective to create concepts for companies to enhance growth. Under the belief that corporations have, for too many years gone about developing products and services that are fundamentally flawed, GCI operates under the premise of designing products based upon collecting consumer data.

Founded by former Vice-President of Global Consumer Innovation and Global Capability Group for Dell, Fenorris Pearson, the GCI innovation team defines the next big idea that produces consumer products or services that disrupt the competitive landscape and generate revenue through billion dollar concepts. GCI recognizes that the methodology of corporate America is deeply flawed. There is a process that needs to be examined for success with every company, and GCI has perfected that concept.

Companies must take the frustrations of consumers and provide insights. All efforts must be totally consumer driven, without only seeking to reach quarterly goals or meet the bottom line. Major corporations bring in customers to view their products without knowing or understanding their needs. GCI is helping the consumer become involved and creating an innovation culture for best practices.

The GCI philosophy revolves around identifying whether or not a company has an innovation culture, designing the company to be more innovative, and the steps to take to create an environment. Most companies are all about making big investments. Venture capitalists do a wonderful job of understanding financials around what is brought to them. However, they don’t figure out who is going to buy it. Ninety-nine percent of all acquisitions fail because of poor marketing strategy. GCI offers their approach directly to the consumer. Their goal is to ensure that the investment succeeds.

Through strong leadership, innovative enablement, and solid growth practices, GCI is the alternative to the old way of doing business.

ABOUT GLOBAL CONSUMER INNOVATION, INC

Global Consumer Innovation (GCI) is focused on helping organizations win through success in the marketplace.

The company’s “Value Creation” practice helps organizations  bhimprove business performance through developing, validating, and taking to market consumer driven products and services. GCI’s leadership team is comprised of experienced business executives who have worked in some of the world’s most innovative companies like Motorola, Dell, AT&T, Motown Records, Accenture and 3M.

Visit Global Consumer Innovation, INC at www.globalconsumerinnovation.com, or contact 1.877.787.3331, email info@globalconsumerinnovation.com

ABOUT FENORRIS PEARSON

Fenorris Pearson is the CEO of Global Consumer Innovation, Inc. He and his innovation team define the next ‘big idea’ and produce consumer products and services that disrupt the competitive landscape and generate revenue through billion dollar concepts. Previous to taking the helm at GCI, Pearson served at the VP level for Dell and Motorola, two fortune 50 companies. An avid philanthropist, Fenorris currently serves on three boards: Alonzo Mourning Charities located in Miami, FL, Imagine Schools of Central Texas located in Austin, TX, and SIFE: Students In Free Enterprise.

How to Play the Game at the Top

 

by Fenorris Pearson

How is the game played at the top? How do you get there and, once there, how do you stay put? And how, in these trying times where jobs are hard to come by and competition is stiffer than ever, can you ever hope to achieve such lofty goals? These are not questions to ask at the end of a career but at the beginning; these are thoughts to have not upon reflection during your retirement dinner but before deciding to ask for that promotion, leapfrog to another successful company or capitalize on the success you’ve already experienced.

Before starting my own business I was Vice-President of Global Consumer Innovation for Dell, Inc., the 35^th largest corporation on the Fortune 100 list. Prior to joining Dell, Inc., I was Vice-President of Global Organizational Development for Motorola, Inc. Motorola, Inc. is a Fortune 50 global company with revenues over $40 billion. If there’s one thing I’ve learned on my journey to corporate success, it’s this: The rules are different at the top.

Actually, the rules are very different at the top; there is little slack and even less room for errors. Smart people like to work with smart people and don’t suffer fools gladly. When cutting edge technology, name players, new products and billions of dollars are on the line, there is no room for sleepwalkers, jokers or phoning it in. Top performers get to the top by bringing their A-game every time, but now even that isn’t enough.

Today, more than ever, with layoffs a predictable morning headline and gold-standard companies like Circuit City, Steak & Ale, Linens and Things and Sharper Image shutting their doors in 2008, if you’re not firing on all cylinders, you won’t get in the door, let alone into that corner office. Regardless of the tight economy, or perhaps, because of it, companies are still hiring; but only the best. Companies are still promoting but, again, only the best. If you are looking for that entry-level job you can have it; if you have already been working in corporate and want that big promotion you can get it – but not by coasting into position. Rewards come quickly and are still great, but you will have to come fully prepared to work at the top of your game; every day, every time. How?

At my new web site www.corporateclimb.net I open up the play book and provides us with a glimpse into the inner workings of an almost secret society driving corporate America today; that of the consummate executive. I share decades of game-changing performance for the very first time – and perhaps just in time given our countries current economic crisis. I identify the 9 Rules for Becoming a Consummate Corporate Executive:

Rule # 1: Your MBA is DOA

Rule # 2: Get Sponsored! – Identifying the One Person Who Can Change Your Career Overnight

Rule # 3: Beyond the Resume – Measuring What Really Counts

Rule # 4: The Power to Dream

Rule # 5: The Only Color They See is Green

Rule # 6: Popular Vote versus Electoral Vote:  Why Forging the Right Alliances is Priceless – And Forging the Wrong One is Deadly

Rule # 7: The Ten Commandments of NEW Business Etiquette

Rule # 8: Managing Your Peers and Keeping Your “Enemies” Close

Rule # 9: It’s Not Just About Getting to the Top, But How you Play the Game

There are 8 Steps, 7 Habits, 6 Traits, and 5 Strategies that provide business professionals with a plethora of valuable information to set themselves apart from the rest. So, what separates the ‘9 Rules’ from the rest of the pack?

For starters, these aren’t just rules to help you succeed, grow rich or find yourself. These ‘9 Rules’ are specifically-designed for top performers by a top performer. Secondly, they are not interchangeable, unrelated or coincidental; each of the ‘9 Rules’ works with the others and all build upon each other to create not just a one-time event or a quick tip or tactic, but a better leader who, thanks to these rules, is ready to tackle any situation at any phase of leadership at the top of his or her game. Finally, these ‘9 Rules’ take into account the dual audience for which this book is designed: the entry-level workforce audience and people stuck in their job who want to move up – all the way up.

It is never too early to prepare for playing the game at the top. In fact, now more than ever, if you don’t have a top-tier, next-level in mind, then you might as well stay home. But shooting for the top is a game full of strikes and foul balls, unless you have a clear, proven game plan in place for getting there – and maintaining your position. How to Play the Game at the Top is more than just another “6 Tricks,” “5 Tips” how-to blog; it’s a gift no future executive can do without. These critical ‘9 Rules’ give you complete insight into true leadership before you even apply for the job – or promotion.

ABOUT FENORRIS PEARSON

Fenorris Pearson is the CEO of Global Consumer Innovation, INC (www.globalconsumerinnovation.com) and one of the youngest people ever to be a VP of two fortune 50 companies (Dell and Motorola), a feat he completed before turning age 40. An avid Philanthropist, Fenorris is currently serving on three boards: Alonzo Mourning Charities located in Miami, FL, Imagine Schools of Central Texas located in Austin, TX, and SIFE: Students In Free Enterprise. To find out more information visit www.corporateclimb.net.