Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1495967
Business Leader of the Year (Innovative) Victor Champagne, Additive manufacturing lead, U.S. Army Research Laboratory - Northeast satellite PROLOGUE: We are all mortal and in so being, God has granted us a finite amount of time on this earth, and we must use it wisely in order to live a fulfilling life. For me, that means my day must be structured to optimize my time and be balanced in order that I may have a sound mind in a sound body. I believe in the three pillars of traditional society: religion, family values, and patriotism or simply put "God, Family and Country". While nationalism puts emphasis on the inheritance of language and cultural unity, patriotism puts more emphasis on values and beliefs and its purpose is to attain love for country and nation. So, my priorities in order, have always been GOD, FAMILY, WORK and PLAY. In regard to being successful there is no one single formula, however there are certain traits of success that seem to be common denominators and I'd like to share a few of mine. 1. HAVE A VISION AND BE PASSIONATE ABOUT ACHIEVING IT. Ronald Reagan said, "I've always believed that we were, each of us, put here for a reason, that there is a plan, somehow a divine plan for all of us." I believe you must have a visualization of what or where you want to be, within a realistic time frame, otherwise you become like a butterfly being blown about aimlessly in the wind, with no intended course and no clear destiny. In order to be successful, you must set goals and objectives and strive to achieve them with strong passion. Great passion for one's endeavors is infectious. For me, bodybuilding provided the experience in setting goals and achieving them by tracking my progress, day after day, week after week and year after year. At a young age, I learned discipline, motivation, willpower, hard work, healthy eating and sleeping habits and to use my mind to push my body beyond its limits. "No Pain-No Gain" became a way of life. I took these traits and implemented them into the workplace. Nelson Mandela said "It Always Seems Impossible Until It's Done" so don't let others discourage your vision. Don't be afraid to fail and be prepared to take risks (calculated risks). If you do fail, get right back up and keep trying but acknowledge and accept reality. In other words, you must know your own limits and be smart enough to know when to redirect your efforts towards more achievable goals. I do NOT believe, as some in our society preach that you can be whatever you want to be. We all have talents and acquired knowledge and skills, but we all also have physical and intellectual limits. 2. WORK SMARTER AND HARDER AND LEAD BY EXAMPLE. The term "work smarter….not harder" was coined by Allen F. Morgenstein, an industrial engineer in the 1930's who developed a program designed to increase productivity with less effort. However, as Arnold Schwarzenegger said, in order to become successful, you need to "Work Your Ass Off", which I know is a crude way of stating it and not very professional, but nonetheless is true. Muhammad Ali was once asked by a reporter how many sit ups he did. Ali responded by saying, "I don't start counting until it hurts". However, hard work needs clarification because not all hard work pays off. I believe that hard work must be substantiated so that it serves to achieve the intended goals. I came from a humble background and did not attend an elite university but was taught by my parents and grandparents to use common sense and sound judgment. I believe a good leader is consistent in his decision making and a role model. I envision my staff as a sports team and work to build a team mentality that includes establishing strong relationships, defining positions for each player to excel and listening to the input from others. As a leader you must have these traits and lead by example. That means to sacrifice to the extent that you require others to do so, whether it's working late hours, performing menial work or working for reduced pay during hard economic conditions. In addition, we must recognize that life is not predictable, and neither is work and that bad things happen, therefore rules which are meant to govern our conduct within a certain sphere cannot be rigid. Sometimes we need to bend the rules to accommodate the realities of a particular situation. Rigid leaders move from showing judgment to becoming judgmental. When leaders don't show flexibility and good critical judgment and make exceptions to rigid rules, they can lose the respect of those they lead. 3. WE WILL BE NOT NECESSARILY BE REMEMBERED BY WHAT WE ACCOMPLISHED BUT WHO WE WERE AS A PERSON. Treat Others as You Would Like to be Treated. It's Nice to be Important but it's More Important to be Nice. Long after we are dead and buried, our awards and accolades will be forgotten but the manner in which we conducted ourselves during our lives will serve as a testimony toward our character and integrity and live on through the lives we touched. We must ask ourselves about how we affected the lives of people around us. This world can be a dark place, but we can become beacons of light by how we treat others. Were we fair, true to our word, honest, helpful, understanding, and compassionate? Did we use our authority or influence for our own edification or for the benefit of others? Are we humble? The most rewarding moments for me are when former employees contact me years later and express their gratitude for being able to work with me for a variety of noble reasons. Remember that no matter how successful we are "There's nothing you can do that can't be done…" John Lennon.