Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 15 A P R I L 4 , 2 0 1 6 The wit and wisdom of Rodney McCrum I 've interviewed hundreds of people in all walks of life during my 30-plus years as a working journalist, and have learned something from every one of them. Few have been more colorful than Rodney McCrum, president and chief operating offi cer of Pineland Farms Potato Co. Inc., recently hon- ored by Mainebiz as our 2016 Business Leader of the Year honoree in the large business category. I wasn't able to fi t everything he shared with me into my recent profi le — and I couldn't bear to leave all these life-lessons on the "cutting room fl oor." So here's some more of Rodney's wit and wisdom for all our readers to ponder and enjoy: " You make your own destiny and you infl ict your own wounds, which can lead you to your destiny if you're making the changes you need to make." "'No' doesn't always mean 'no.' 'No' isn't always the fi nal word." "If you have a will you have a way and money will follow — if you're right." "If you wait on the sure thing, don't run your own business." "I like building things, but there's risk involved. You have to be careful and not build too fast." "In business today, you have to be willing to recognize your weaknesses and have the willingness and the ability to change course when necessary. If you're satisfi ed with what you have and want to continue, then continue what you're doing. But if you're not satisfi ed, you have to change." " e secret of any business is to try to convince enough people of the vision you have and to have the staying power to see it all the way through to the end." "Life is full of changes and you'd better change if you want to stick around." "It's easy to recognize what's wrong, but it's harder to recognize what to do about it." "When you are entrepreneurial and you're pursuing a vision, the book is not written yet. You have to write the book." "We will not let fear enter our minds here. We have a meeting once a week in my offi ce, or of us. We challenge each other, we disagree with each other, but at the end of the day, when the sun goes down, we're all on the same page. We make decisions together and, bingo, we know before we go forward what our capabilities are. at's why it's critical that we meet regularly. It's all about working together as a team. We will not let fear enter our minds here, because we depend on each other to fi nd the right way." "Don't get into the boat alone. Two pull- ing on the oars is better than one. Five is better than two." "We're always looking for new opportu- nities. We're not resting on our successes and we're aware that new challenges will come up." "I don't think there's anything wrong with failure. What matters is what you do after the failure." "It's the little things that separate a company from the rest, that make you better. Little things add up and make you better. Little things become big things after a while." "If we want Maine to succeed, we have to do it ourselves. It's not going to come from outside the state. We should express to our young people, 'It can be fun.' ere are all kinds of success stories in Maine — like ours and those that are waiting to happen." " You must always believe in what you are doing and have a great team around you that believes in the goals you and the team have set for yourselves. But you have to be ready to change course when necessary. Most importantly you must never — and I mean NEVER — give up." "Maine is the breadbasket of the East. We just don't know it yet." I N S I D E T H E N OT E B O O K J M C , Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached at @ . and @ J M . 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FOLLOW US @MBEVENTS #OTRKittery16 P R E S E N T I N G S P O N S O R www.mainebiz.biz/OTRkittery www.mainebiz.biz/OTRkittery www.mainebiz.biz/OTRkittery www.mainebiz.biz/OTRkittery 207.761.8379 x341 R E G I S T E R T O DAY KITTERY April 27 | 5–7pm | STAR Theatre, Kittery Break away from your desk to meet and mingle with other Break away from your desk to meet and mingle with other Break away from your desk to meet and mingle with other Break away from your desk to meet and mingle with other Break away from your desk to meet and mingle with other Break away from your desk to meet and mingle with other Break away from your desk to meet and mingle with other members of the Kittery business community at our second members of the Kittery business community at our second members of the Kittery business community at our second members of the Kittery business community at our second members of the Kittery business community at our second members of the Kittery business community at our second members of the Kittery business community at our second stop in the 2016 On the Road with Mainebiz series! stop in the 2016 On the Road with Mainebiz series! stop in the 2016 On the Road with Mainebiz series! stop in the 2016 On the Road with Mainebiz series! stop in the 2016 On the Road with Mainebiz series! stop in the 2016 On the Road with Mainebiz series! stop in the 2016 On the Road with Mainebiz series! 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