Paul Newman's ingredients for success

Paul Newman - actor, race car driver, and seller of sauces! I have always admired his ability to be true to himself while being involved with so many interesting and diverse projects.

His passion for racing began in 1969, while working on the film “Winning”. In this film, Paul played the role of a rising star on the race circuit who dreams of winning the big one – the Indianapolis 500. He discovered that he loved the simplicity of being behind the wheel; "In racing, the fastest person wins. It is very simple." He was comparing this to what it takes to make a winning film; "There are many ingredients that go into making a film. It baffles me, what works and what doesn’t."

His story got me thinking about the ingredients that make a successful career. Paul has many recipes for his award-winning multibillion dollar brand. The key to his success in the grocery business is as follows :

1. He has the right ingredients

2. He bottles them up nicely

3. He knows how to sell them

4. They taste great

It is ironic that as an actor, race car driver and entrepreneur, he has different recipes for each, all of which produce a winning outcome. He knows what they are and he follows his recipes to the T - and gets the predictable results that come from taking the time to evaluate and think through his past successes and failures. His career recipe, like yours, is unique, as well as tried, tested, and true.

I am introducing a new feature in our WORKouts - this is for those of you who wish to develop your career. Each week I will be giving you a 10 minute exercise to help you find the right path on your career journey.

This week’s "10 minute Coach’s WORKout": Take out an 8 X 10 recipe card. On one side of the card, write down 4 ingredients of things that have helped you fail. On the other side, write down 4 ingredients of things that have helped you win. You now have the ingredients for your Career Recipe - don't lose the card!