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Ted Turner’s autobiography contains lessons for life and business

Guest post by: Ross Fattori

Article Overview: Some insights gleaned from reading Ted Turner's 2008 autobiography, Call Me Ted.

Ted Turner’s autobiography contains lessons for life and business

Ted Turner has achieved iconic status in North American, first as the celebrated owner of the Atlanta Braves and founder of CNN (the world's first 24 hour news cable TV network), and later as a central player in the high-profile merger between Turner Broadcasting and Time Warner, and for his philanthropic efforts with the United Nations. But there's a lot more to this media pioneer and visionary than meets the eye, and Call Me Ted, his 2008 autobiography, lays it all on the line. This book provides a unique, behind-the-scenes look at an extraordinary life spent in pursuit of corporate and personal goals.

In Call Me Ted (Grand Central Publishing), Turner writes in a breezy, almost cavalier manner and he pulls no punches in separating fact from fiction. From Turner's earliest days at the helm of the billboard company that he inherited from his father, right up until the time he was forced out of Time Warner, there is something almost predestined about the rise of Turner's career.

Here are 10 lessons I learned from Call Me Ted, which might be helpful in your business or life.

• 1. Set your goals so high that you can never achieve them in your lifetime.
• 2. When faced with setbacks in life, hard work and perseverance will help you to get you through the tough times.
• 3. Surround yourself with talented people and get out of their way. Ted believed in letting people do their jobs without interference.
• 4. Find a hobby outside of work to give your life balance. Turner was a passionate and competitive sailor, whose team won many prestigious races, including the coveted America's Cup in 1977.
• 5. Figure out where your industry is headed in five or ten years and plan to get there ahead of your competitors.
• 6. Believe in yourself. In the late 1970s, people close to Turner thought he was crazy for wanting to establish a 24-hour cable news network (even ABC, CBS, NBC thought the idea wouldn't work)
• 7. Form cordial relationships with suppliers and competitors. You never know when you'll need their help or vice versa.
• 8. When you own an asset, your primary job should be to maximize its value.
• 9. Create an atmosphere of fun and excitement at work and at play. People liked working for Turner because he was exciting to be around.
• 10. Use your resources to make the world a better place. Turner's efforts in promoting peace, his environmentalism and his philanthropy are as inspiring as they are admirable.

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Article Tags: Americas Cup, CNN, Ted Turner, Time Warner, United Nations



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