Starry eyed entrepreneurs often ask me, "What's the formula for
success?” After they hear whom I’ve worked for and the companies I’ve
developed, they want the holy grail of business — extraordinary
financial wealth. Each walks away dejected when I frankly admit,
"There’s no formula.”
As a boy, I made a misguided vow that
propelled me into becoming an "ice man” in the corporate world, a man
who didn’t care for anything but his own advancement. I was a high level
executive at General Mills, PepsiCo, Frito Lay, TacoBell, and Disney. I
helped build a company worth billions (MFS), and was a founder of
another (Level 3 Communications) worth over 100 billion. In fact, the
Internet largely sits on that company’s infrastructure. But at the
height of my career, tragedy struck . . . and a terrible, wonderful
decision had to be made.
If you want to understand the underlying
core values of success, my journey will assist you. If you have been
debilitated by pain, my story will bring comfort. If you are an
executive that thrives on business but are thirsting for more, this book
may be your story as well. I can’t give you the formula for success,
but I can show you how to live a life of relentless purpose . . . which
may or may not include profound wealth.