BeInkandescent

MARCH 2012: MARIA BARTIROMO HELPS US FIND THE SECRET TO SUCCESS

By Hope Katz Gibbs, Publisher and Founder
Be Inkandescent magazine

When it comes to the challenge of finding success, financial reporter Maria Bartiromo admits she had two things going against her.

“I was a reporter with a camera, and I was a woman,” she shares, noting she persevered through the early days reporting live from the testosterone-fueled boys club on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. “Then one day, I was standing by the General Electric post and there were maybe 25 guys within earshot when one of them who was about three times my age said, ‘Run along, little girl, and don’t come here again.’ I had knots in my stomach. I looked at him and said, ‘Don’t talk to me that way’—and I ran along! But I came back! And I kept coming back. And 20 years later, I’m still here.”

Indeed. And so are many other female financial reporters, thanks to Bartiromo’s fearless determination. Not only is she the anchor of CNBC’s “Closing Bell with Maria Bartiromo,” and the host and managing editor of the nationally syndicated “Wall Street Journal Report with Maria Bartiromo,” she is the author of three books, including the one we are focusing on this month, The 10 Laws of Enduring Success.

“The times have changed. We need a fresh understanding of the meaning of success,” writes Bartiromo in her book.

“During bullish, optimistic periods, people seem to ride an upward wave with ease and confidence,” she insists. “The tangible evidence is right there for all to see—in their jobs, bank accounts, homes, and families, and in the admiration of their peers. But it is a fact of life that success, once earned, is not necessarily there to stay. If ever there was a cautionary tale about the fleeting nature of success, it is the events of recent years.”

Faced with gut-wrenching realities, many people have started to re-evaluate the meaning of success in less superficial and more permanent ways, she explains.

“They’re asking themselves hard questions that have long been ignored about what’s really important to them and where the foundation of their personal achievement lies.”

Her 10 laws are based on her own experience, as well as in-depth interviews with Bill Gates, Goldie Hawn, Jack Welch, and others who epitomize American success.

She talked with them about the intangibles that can’t be measured or counted. This includes the qualities that aren’t reflected in the title on your business card. It’s more about how you remain successful—even when the worst things happen to you.

Bartiromo spoke of success and rebounding from a few tough years when she offered her thoughts on the economy last month at the 2012 Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Economic Outlook Conference.

Following are her thoughts on three of the most pressing questions on the minds of the business community.

Question 1: How do you define success in business?

Maria Bartiromo: Success is defined by so many things, and it’s not always monetary. In my book, “10 Laws,” I was able to interview a whole host of people—from business heads and heads of state, to people managing businesses, and chess champions—to find out how individuals define success. And I discovered that’s exactly what success is: How you define it.

To me, success means contentment, happiness, and being comfortable in your own skin. Today, I think we’re seeing a lot of success stories across the world. We’re seeing economies of success like the emerging markets of Brazil and China, growing so much and seeing domestic demand.

We’re seeing success in terms of leadership in business today, and in terms of monetary success and strengths. But at the end of the day, it comes down to how you feel as an individual.

Question 2: Everyone can identify businesses that are successful, but you have had the experience of interviewing the heads of successful businesses personally. Whom in business do you admire?

Maria Bartiromo: I get this question all the time. Who do you think is the best interview you have ever done?

I look at titans of industry, such as Warren Buffett or Jack Welch, or the CEO of Exxon/Mobil, Lee Raymond. All of them are so strong and have an in-depth understanding of the global market because they have operations around the world. They were all great to interview. Sandy Weill, the former CEO of Citigroup, was always a great interview.

Certain character traits are shared by successful people, and one of those is leadership.

Another important trait is humility. That means not taking yourself too seriously, and knowing that everything is fragile and in many cases temporary. Also, integrity. You can be successful and not have integrity, but I don’t think you can define success without it. People want to be around people with integrity, people who are doing the right thing. I think that’s very important.

Hard work is also important. I have spent a lot of time looking at different success stories, and it’s not about who you know. It’s about the hard work you put into something.

Question 3: What is your 2012 economic outlook?

Maria Bartiromo: I think things are getting better. In the U.S., we are seeing some data points that indicate we’ve turned a corner, whether it be on unemployment or the change in the positive-negative (PN) sentiment people have about the economy.

But I think things are very fragile still. Europe is a wild card. I just got back from Davos where I attended the World Economic Forum, and I was able to interview a lot of heads of European banks.

They told me that basically, it’s very much touch-and-go. If Greece defaults on some of its payments, that could create a dislocation in the markets that will undermine the credibility of the bonds in the rest of the Eurozone. That could be very dangerous. Everyone has an eye on Europe.

But for the most part in the U.S., things are a bit better. And the U.S., relatively speaking, is actually looking a lot better than the rest of the world right now.

A global slowdown is actually under way. Places like China, which has been the economic engine for the world for a long time, has slowed from 11 percent growth to 8 percent. Now, 8 percent is still relatively very strong. But when you go from 11 to 8, that has ripple effects.

And right now there’s a debate as to whether or not the strength that we are seeing has been temporary and due to increased spending during the holidays. I am a lot more optimistic than I was last year at this time. And I think that innovation and growth is coming from a lot of sectors like technology and media, so I do believe that things are getting better.

There’s more! Click here to review Maria Baritoromo’s 10 Laws of Success for Entrepreneurs.

From self-knowledge to initiative and integrity, award-winning CNBC finance reporter Maria Bartiromo offers insights on the qualities that have helped some of the top leaders find internal and external success in her book, “The 10 Laws of Enduring Success.”

Her interviews with Bill Gates, Charles Schwab, Deepak Chopra, Bono, Goldie Hawn, Condoleezza Rice, and others helped her the identify what really matters in life, especially during hard times, she explains.

“You can’t always control the way you are judged by others, but you can live your life in such a way that you can look at yourself in the mirror and feel content,” Bartiromo insists. “I’ve learned that although the landscape of success changes from era to era, there are fundamental qualities that remain consistent, no matter what is happening in the outside world.”

Following are the 10 qualities that Bartiromo believes make for enduring success:

1. Self-Knowledge: Listen to your heart. “Without this, nothing else is possible. It’s the ability to define for yourself what shape your life will take, and how you will pursue success. Success is not an abstraction. It exists in the context of who you are, where you are, and what you love. It is tangible, but not necessarily monetary. It is a state of being content in your heart.”

2. Vision: Plant your dreams on solid ground. “Vision is the ability to look ahead and see possibility. It is the place where your dreams and your actions come together. Vision may seem like a lofty ideal, but its most important characteristic is focus. The shotgun approach to life and career almost never works. Vision involves looking at the world around you and asking, ‘What am I going to do about it? How am I going to use the precious gift of my one life?’ Without a focused vision, you’re just bouncing off walls.”

3. Initiative: Keep rattling the cage. “Successful people are always thinking about what they can do to move to the next level. Initiative is the drive to do it—to take the first step, and then the next step, and then the next step. You can’t sort of want it. You can’t sit around waiting for it. The great thing about initiative is that it’s free and available to everyone. It’s a matter of doing something instead of not doing something.”

4. Courage: Be bold, smart, and fair. Courage is the inner fortitude that allows you to overcome barriers and to step up and take a chance, even when it seems impossible. The most successful people I know embody the kind of bravery that makes others remark, ‘I can’t believe you did that.’ Courage means you’ll try something if you aren’t certain of the outcome, you’ll take a stand when others are running for cover, you’ll risk failure to get where you want to go. It’s deciding to live in a mindset of possibility instead of fear. It is manifested in everyday actions.”

5. Integrity: Do the right thing. Integrity means doing the right thing. I guarantee you’ll know it. You’ll feel it in your gut. Integrity means looking inside yourself. When you strip everything else away, what kind of person are you? When faced with an ethical dilemma, we all know in our hearts what’s the right thing to do. You can have money and not have integrity. You can have fame and not have integrity. You can have a corner office and not have integrity. But you can never have true success without integrity.”

6. Adaptability: Stay open to change. Adaptability is the opposite of complacency. The survivors are always those who can adapt. That’s been true since the beginning of time, and it’s certainly the case now. Technology has changed so many industries, including the media, with newspapers closing down and information exploding on the Web. The manufacturing sector is faltering as production and jobs are outsourced to cheaper locales. Millions of jobs have been lost, and people are wondering if they’ll ever be recovered. The answer lies in our ability to adapt to change—not to resist it, but to find the openings to new opportunities. There is no question that the people who are bet positioned to survive the financial crisis are those adept at shifting gears.”

7. Humility: Hold on to your humanity. “Some of the greatest people I know are also the most humble. Humility doesn’t mean being wishy-washy, or letting others run over you in their climb to the top. It’s merely the understanding that you’re human. People with humility are extremely appealing. Believe in yourself, but don’t think you’re the center of the universe.”

8. Endurance: Build your stamina. “Since success is fleeting, you can never count on keeping it once you have it. Success is a long march, and you need the tools to endure. Even if you are doing what you love, you can get burned out over time. Endurance requires pacing, discipline, and the ability to sacrifice short-term gains for long-term results. Endurance means measuring success, not as an ultimate goal at the end of the road, but as a daily act of life. The most successful people are those who know how to pave the road with incremental triumphs.”

9. Purpose: Know what matters. “We all have a vocation, which transcends the material factors of job, income, and lifestyle. Many people find they came late to the realization of what really mattered in their lives, and often are awakened by a crisis. Don’t wait for disaster to find your purpose. Deep down, we all long to live lives of meaning and fulfillment.”

10. Resilience: Get up and move on. “Life is a seesaw. Sometimes you’re up, sometimes you’re down. In your heart of hearts, you know that success is fleeting. It’s possible to lose it all. But at times we see people coming back, almost as if they’re rising from the grave, and that inspires optimism.

Want to read more? Click here to buy the book.