The Source of Oracle’s Wisdom: How Ellison Achieved Success
The Source of Oracle’s Wisdom: How Ellison Achieved Success
Ellison wondered what it would be like to run a billion dollar company and he didn’t let anything stand in his way from finding out. From being the son who nobody wanted, to having more money than even he knows what do with (“I thoroughly recommend it,” he laughs), Ellison has created a legacy for himself as a pioneer and innovator, as well as a colourful character in an otherwise often dull industry. How did he do it?
Balance: “What is play? What is work? Is work something you get paid for and play something you don’t?” questions Ellison. “I put a lot of work into my job, where I get paid. They're all in pursuit of the same thing: self-discovery, the discovery of my own limits.” From flying his private jet and racing his yacht on the high seas to building a billion dollar company, Ellison has made sure he devotes himself to a balanced life of work and play.
Ambition: “We will still be enormously profitable and by far the most profitable enterprise software company,” says Ellison. With unashamed confidence, Ellison never misses an opportunity to proclaim his goals and his intention to meet said goals however possible. Neither friend nor foe was going to stand in Ellison’s way of achieving his dream.
Courage: When IBM believed their product could never sell, Ellison made it sell. Whether it was his parents, his childhood teachers or corporate giants, Ellison was never afraid to question conventional wisdom and stand up for his own believes. “All examples are good,” says Ellison. “Bad examples are useful; good examples are useful. It taught me to question experts, to question authority figures. Don't assume they're right just because they're in authority, or just because they're experts.”
Determination: “We're constantly testing ourselves,” says Ellison. “We're trying to understand our own level of competency; our ability to control our own world; our ability to put ourselves at risk, and then save our own lives. There's always an element of risk.” Whether it was starting a company in which few saw the potential for much commercial success or sailing a yacht directly into a typhoon, Ellison used his fear to his advantage, testing his limits and pushing himself to break down the obstacles in his way.
Grit: “If you live your life a different way, and you answer questions differently, that makes them feel very uncomfortable,” says Ellison. He has been called names, he has been called crazy, and he has been written off. But, much like his hero, Napoleon, Ellison stayed true to his instincts, ignored the naysayers and continues to silence his critics with his successes.
“Everyone who works hard and a little cleverly has the opportunity to make almost anything possible,” says Ellison. Despite running the company for close to three decades now, Ellison has no interest in giving it all up just yet. “Five years from now I don't know how I'll think,” he says. “I think after a certain amount I'm going to give almost everything I have to charity. Because what else can you do with it? You can't spend it, even if you try. I've been trying,” he laughs.
The Source of Oracles Wisdom How Ellison Achieved Success
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“There's a wonderful saying that's dead wrong,” says Ellison. “‘Why did you climb the mountain?' ‘I climbed the mountain because it was there.’ That's utter nonsense…You climbed the mountain because you were there, and you were curious if you could do it. You wondered what it would be like.”
Ellison wondered what it would be like to run a billion dollar company and he didn’t let anything stand in his way from finding out. From being the son who nobody wanted, to having more money than even he knows what do with (“I thoroughly recommend it,” he laughs), Ellison has created a legacy for himself as a pioneer and innovator, as well as a colourful character in an otherwise often dull industry. How did he do it?
Balance: “What is play? What is work? Is work something you get paid for and play something you don’t?” questions Ellison. “I put a lot of work into my job, where I get paid. They're all in pursuit of the same thing: self-discovery, the discovery of my own limits.” From flying his private jet and racing his yacht on the high seas to building a billion dollar company, Ellison has made sure he devotes himself to a balanced life of work and play.
Ambition: “We will still be enormously profitable and by far the most profitable enterprise software company,” says Ellison. With unashamed confidence, Ellison never misses an opportunity to proclaim his goals and his intention to meet said goals however possible. Neither friend nor foe was going to stand in Ellison’s way of achieving his dream.
Courage: When IBM believed their product could never sell, Ellison made it sell. Whether it was his parents, his childhood teachers or corporate giants, Ellison was never afraid to question conventional wisdom and stand up for his own believes. “All examples are good,” says Ellison. “Bad examples are useful; good examples are useful. It taught me to question experts, to question authority figures. Don't assume they're right just because they're in authority, or just because they're experts.”
Determination: “We're constantly testing ourselves,” says Ellison. “We're trying to understand our own level of competency; our ability to control our own world; our ability to put ourselves at risk, and then save our own lives. There's always an element of risk.” Whether it was starting a company in which few saw the potential for much commercial success or sailing a yacht directly into a typhoon, Ellison used his fear to his advantage, testing his limits and pushing himself to break down the obstacles in his way.
Grit: “If you live your life a different way, and you answer questions differently, that makes them feel very uncomfortable,” says Ellison. He has been called names, he has been called crazy, and he has been written off. But, much like his hero, Napoleon, Ellison stayed true to his instincts, ignored the naysayers and continues to silence his critics with his successes.
“Everyone who works hard and a little cleverly has the opportunity to make almost anything possible,” says Ellison. Despite running the company for close to three decades now, Ellison has no interest in giving it all up just yet. “Five years from now I don't know how I'll think,” he says. “I think after a certain amount I'm going to give almost everything I have to charity. Because what else can you do with it? You can't spend it, even if you try. I've been trying,” he laughs.
The Source of Oracles Wisdom How Ellison Achieved Success
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Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team culture consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. Dianne's contribution to the 2010 Pfeiffer Consulting Journal (an imprint of John Wiley and Sons Publishers) entitled TIGERS Hearted Teams is available in November 2009. Her new book TIGERS Among Us: 5 Winning Business Team Cultures And Why, Three Creeks Publishing will release in March 2010. To receive publishing discounts, subscribe to the free TigerTracks Newsletter here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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