If One Door Closes, Another Door Opens

The process began in January 1988 and was the most stressful experience of my life. We made presentations of our business plan to eighteen lending institutions, and had to approach each one with as much enthusiasm as we could generate. Over and over we presented our case, only to receive a polite, 'No, thank you' a few days later.
But we persevered.

 As CEO of SELF, I had learned from my parents and grandparents that if one door closes, another door opens, so the best course is to believe in yourself and to look for the next open door,  instead of focusing on the one that just closed. For me, during this agonizing process, the next open door was the next presentation to the next bank. Finally, after our nineteenth presentation, we got a 'Yes!' And, as it happened, we were able to close the transaction on September 21, 1988 - the very day I became a corporate CEO for the first time.

CEOs Solve Problems So They Can Move On And Stay Focused

I entered BK's fast track program, knowing the move to Burger King required a cut in pay, loss of stock options, working irregular hours (including weekends), learning a new business, and learning the operation from A to Z. These were not problems, because I knew about them up front. The real challenge came later, overcoming what I didn't anticipate: resentment, sabotage, and a conspiracy to get me fired!
In retrospect, not anticipating these obstacles may have been a blessing in disguise, because had I expected them up front, I might have lost sight of my dream. Instead, I focused on the problems as they came to light.

 That's what CEOs do all the time - solve problems so they can move on and stay focused.

The Possibility Of Success And The Fear Of Failure

The Pillsbury Company in Minneapolis hired Bob about three years after I started at Coca-Cola, and not long after that he invited me to join his group at Pillsbury. While at Coca-Cola, Bob had assembled a very competent group of guys, many of whom had worked for him a lot longer than I had, so I wanted to know why he'd offered me the Pillsbury job. He told me it was because I was more of a risk taker than the others, and there was some risk in what he was trying to accomplish at Pillsbury. After he told me what he was supposed to accomplish, I asked what would happen if 'we' did not succeed. He said 'we' would then be looking for new jobs. The comment did not scare me off...

 I have always been more motivated by the possibility of success than the fear of failure.
I accepted the Pillsbury offer with Bob.

It Is A Calamity To Have No Dreams

It Is A Calamity To Have No Dreams

My high school teacher, Mr. Johnson, was a Morehouse graduate, as was Willie Harding, a friend at church. Both of them had encouraged me to go to 'The House,' as it was affectionately called by people who knew of its reputation.
My decision to attend Morehouse was one of the best decisions I ever made, not just because of the great education I received there, but also because of the great inspiration it provided me from three different sources:

• the fact that it was all male and all black
• the fact that so many of its graduates had done so many great things following graduation, and
• the fact that its president was Dr. Benjamin E. Mays

Dr. Mays not only had high expectations of his graduates, but he instilled in me and many others on of the larger truths I've followed throughout my life:

'It's not a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled,
but it is a calamity to have no dreams.' Later in life, I would learn that this is, and should be, the mantra for the true CEO of SELF.