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From Peddling to Profits: How Thomas Watson Achieved Success

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From Peddling to Profits: How Thomas Watson Achieved Success

When Watson decided to change the name of his company to International Business Machines, he knew that it was a big name for a small company. But, over the next few decades, Watson would build the company to live up to its name. From a traveling door-to-door salesman to CEO of one of the largest expanding companies in the U.S., Watson’s name has since become synonymous with not only the beginnings of the computer industry but with what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur. How did he do it?

He Embraced Failure: In an industry that was as new as the computer industry, which was still in its infancy and had endless opportunities looming on the horizons, Watson was bound to make a few mistakes along the way. And this, he would readily admit to. But, not once did Watson come to regret any of his mistakes. Instead, he learned from each and saw them as indispensable teachers that would, in the end help him achieve his final goals.

He Kept On The Move: Whether it was his personal or his business life, Watson never endured a dull moment. By encouraging education and research, Watson made sure that IBM would stay at the top of its game. And, by devoting himself to personal causes that he felt worthy, Watson ensured that his personal life was kept equally as rich. With an eye to the future, Watson never let a single opportunity pass him by.

He Was A Risk-Taker: Watson didn’t care if people thought he was crazy. In fact, the crazier the better, for it was only the risk-taker, the one who ever actually made a difference in anything, who was ever perceived as being crazy. He believed in the importance of striking out on his own and following new paths; it was only the new path that would lead him to the new success that he so badly craved.

He Used The Power Of The Mind: From encouraging education amongst his staff to rallying his troops around a common vision, Watson embraced the simple principle that with the power of education and thought – positive thought – anything was possible.

He Encouraged Teamwork: In a 1927 speech to his staff, Watson told them, “It is because of your work and cooperation that the products of the International Business Machines Corporation are now distributed in 58 different countries, that we can say that the sun never sets on International Business Machines and that our company continues to grow bigger and better.” Watson never missed an opportunity to encourage his workers and thank them for their united efforts. It was because of this that Watson was not only able to take his company to the top, but he inspired a sense of loyalty among his workers that became legendary in the industry.

“To visualize the future of IBM you must know something of the past,” said Watson. By creating a solid foundation, Watson ensured that the company could continue to prosper in the future under his son’s control.





From Peddling to Profits How Thomas Watson Achieved Success

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Kim Castle
With nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website

Dianne Crampton

Dianne 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.

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Leanne Hoagland-Smith
Are 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

Linda Richardson
Linda 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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