Surefire Failure
Posted by nathan on 25 Jan 2008 | Tagged as: thoughts on life.
The first recipient (1917) of the Pulitzer Prize for Reporting, Herbert Bayard Swope, said this:
I can’t give you a sure-fire formula for success, but I can give you a formula for failure: try to please everybody all the time.
What do you think? Will that bring you surefire failure?
2 Comments »
on 25 Jan 2008 at 11:48 am 1.
Penny said …
Yes, of course it will. Because you can’t please EVERYONE, ALL THE TIME. It’s impossible. If that’s your goal, you’re setting yourself up to fail.
on 25 Jan 2008 at 12:06 pm 2.
Alex Liu said …
I have 2 way of viewing this quote since I read it a month ago:
1. It is impossible to please everyone. Find some people or market to focus and satisfy them.
2. Another deep meaning I learn from few successful businessman is:
“Success is not about pleasing people. Most people misunderstand it. They try to please customers, boss, colleagues, prospects, suppliers and others.”
I agree to that. Success is not about pleasing others. It’s more about making a difference to others. You don’t please customers but you solve their problems and create value, trust and care for them. When you try to please them, you will not point out their problems and help them. No one like being said they have a problem and when you please them, you will never make a difference to them.
Usually my friend will tell them their problems in a way that will not make them react or feel bad. My friend say “When you make a difference to them, you really need to take the risk they might be defensive, dislike you, shout at you or maybe lose your business. But that’s what it takes to success and contribute to them and yourself.”
I love that and I practice that!
Alex Liu