Product Description

In FROM DAY ONE, long-time CEO Bill White reveals the key skills that lead to breakthrough success, and helps integrate them into your repertoire as you manage your career for outstanding results. Discover how to identify the best possible first job, first company, first boss...and get them. Walk in at 9 am on your first day, knowing exactly what it takes to succeed. Leverage the experience of world-class executives and benefit from practical tips about everything from "managing your boss" to networking; learn how to make a superb first impression; set the best priorities for your first day, week, month; uncover unspoken "local knowledge" about success; make the most of feedback; demonstrate potential without overstepping bounds; strengthen crucial skills, from listening to estimating and forecasting. This is practical, realistic advice straight from the "corner office".

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #292646 in Books
• Published on: 2005-12-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 272 pages

From the Back Cover
In FROM DAY ONE, long-time CEO Bill White reveals the key skills that lead to breakthrough success, and helps integrate them into your repertoire as you manage your career for outstanding results. Discover how to identify the best possible first job, first company, first boss... and get them. Walk in at 9 am on your first day, knowing exactly what it takes to succeed. Leverage the experience of world-class executives and benefit from practical tips about everything from "managing your boss" to networking; learn how to make a superb first impression;  set the best priorities for your first day, week, month; uncover unspoken "local knowledge" about success; make the most of feedback; demonstrate potential without overstepping bounds; strengthen crucial skills, from listening to estimating and forecasting. This is practical, realistic advice straight from the "corner office".

About the Author

William J. White is currently a Professor at the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science at Northwestern University. He was named 2001 Professor of the Year and received the 2004 Northwestern Alumni Association Excellence in Teaching Award.

Prior to joining Northwestern, White served for eight years as Chairman and CEO of Bell & Howell, where he was responsible for stewarding corporate resources, values, and talent. White also served as a senior executive at Mead and other successful firms. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of seven publicly traded companies, including The Reader's Digest Association, Bell & Howell Company, and Packaging Dynamics Corporation. www.FromDayOne.com

© Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

From Day One: Success Secrets for Starting Your Career

Foreword by Ram Charan

As a young person, you are entering a world that will always change. Some young people have courage, stamina, and the temperament to do more than just accept the change. They lead the change. They have an insatiable appetite to learn what is happening, to seek new ideas, to look at the world from a historical perspective, and to talk to people who have learned from history. They distill wisdom and learn what not to do. They recognize what lies ahead and what will demand the best of their mental faculties and behaviors—knowing that their actions will inspire others.

If you are a young person who believes in the future, who believes in personal growth, who has the humility to learn, this book is for you.

I have known Bill White for a long time. Throughout his life, his values have served him very well. At Harvard, he sought out instructors who had wisdom, built character, and shared experiences. Professor Georges Doriot was one of those instructors. He was legendary. He helped build the character of many CEOs. Remember, no young person knows everything: What they do not know, they learn from people with wisdom. At Harvard, Bill was one of those people. In the early days of his career, he went "where the action is," which was on the ground floor. He built up his life and career from there. What Bill accomplished for himself was not what mattered most to him. Rather, it was helping others accomplish their goals and beyond, and rejoicing in their success, that has always been of utmost importance to Bill. If these qualities resonate with you, then you've picked up the right book.

Every single day is the first step of the next portion of your life. Be a marathon player, not a sprinter. Have the temperament, stamina, and patience to know when to make a change and when to remain the same. Bill provides a stellar example for living this life.

This is a small book. Read it carefully. Discuss it with your colleagues. Internalize the gems that it holds. Remember the importance of doing good. How you live will contribute to your generation. True success is achieving both your ambitions and your happiness—find the balance. The world needs you.

Ram Charan, Charan Associates business advisor, speaker, and author of several bestselling books, including Confronting Reality and Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done, as well as several other books

Foreword by Walter Isaacson

Many people starting a new career focus on one thing: how to get ahead. Later in their careers, they learn the importance of other goals, such as making a contribution, upholding values, and pursuing a passion that they find meaningful.

Throughout his distinguished career as a major business executive, professor, and corporate board leader, Bill White has developed a crucial leadership insight that is valuable for aspiring young people as they start their careers—and also for the business community and world at large. Bill knows that goals and values are an integral component of being truly successful.

To the extent that you focus on making a contribution rather than getting ahead, you will rise naturally in a company. Your success will be seen as based on merit and worth. Your company and colleagues will all benefit from your rise, and they will be eager to help someone they perceive as helpful to others.

In the previous generation, some saw ruthlessness and greed as being methods for getting ahead. We all saw where that led and what it did to corporate America.

In today's business world a premium is placed on values—and rightly so. Corporations treasure integrity and credibility, and will promote the people they trust and who can guard their corporate values.

Your personal ethics are reflected, and shaped, by the dozens of little decisions you make each day. What this book shows is why it is so important these days to get this aspect of your career right.

The natural temptation for ambitious young workers is to look at a situation and say, "What can I get out of it?" True success, however, comes from knowing how to lead by serving. When you serve the larger goals of your organization, the people around you, and the greater good of your society, you are more likely to get ahead and build a fulfilling, rewarding career.

Benjamin Franklin, the patron saint of self-improvement books, coined the maxim "doing well by doing good" in his Poor Richard's Almanac. Now, in this wonderfully readable book, Bill White shows, step-by-step, how you can indeed truly do well in your career by doing good in this world.

Walter Isaacson, author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, President and CEO of the Aspen Institute, and Former Chairman and CEO of CNN

© Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

Great Advice From Someone Whose Been There
I liked pretty much everything about From Day One, but I was particularly impressed with Mr. White's Fundamental Habits for Success.

Reading
Writing
Speaking
Listening
Prioritizing
Estimating
Forecasting

Here is a brief summary of each of them:

Reading: You Are What You Read

Read widely. Be an eclectic reader with interests that span a great many fields. Mr. White's suggested must reading list includes: The NY Times, the largest circulation newspaper in your city, publications that have a slant with which you don't agree (for example if you're a liberal, read US News and World Report, if you're a conservative, read Newsweek).

Writing: The Power of the Written Word

Learn how to write well. Be brief. Harry Truman once said "never use two words when one will do". Don't confuse brevity with speed. Often it takes a lot longer to write a succinct report than it doesa long, rambling one. Don't be afraid to let the reader know you care about your topic. Write like you speak -- flowing, conversational, engaging.

Speaking: Mastering the Spoken Word

Become comfortable speaking in public. Do what you have to do to become more at ease in speaking in front of a group. If you are nervous or unsure of yourself, join Toastmasters. Learn to speak well, with emotion and persuasion.

Listening: A (Nearly) Lost Art

Listening is not a passive endeavor. It requires discipline and the full commitment of your brainpower. You can become a better listener by actively engaging with the other person. Observe what the other person has said and where he or she might be going next. Use the power of silence to encourage people to provide you with more information and details.

Prioritizing: Managing Your Time Wisely

When priorities change or demands shift, you need to be flexible enough to refocus your attention and reprioritize your asks and responsibilities. To do this successfully, you need strong time management skills. Watch out for potential pitfalls that can sabotage your efforts to be efficient and responsive.

Estimating: Is It a $2 Million, $20 Million or $200 Million?

Estimating - before you do a calculation -- helps make numbers more relevant and logical. Practice estimating. When you drive, estimate how long it should take to get from on place to another based on distance and speed. Make mental calculations and double check them with your math. Estimating will keep you from making errors.

Forecasting: What's Your Prediction?

Forecasting in an important skill for both business and life. The ability to predetermine how people will react to unexpected announcements and decisions is an important forecasting skill. Follow the advice of Peter Ducker: whenever you make a key decision or take a key action, write down what you expect will happen. Compare the actual results with your prediction nine or 12 months later".

There's a lot more to From Day One than the brief summary of success habits I've presented here. This book is full of good ideas and common sense approaches to building a successful career. Buy it, read it and use its advice. You won't be disappointed.

For all people who eager to achieve true success
"From Day One" has plenty of seasoned advice to build up a well-balanced, successful career. Unlike other easygoing how-to articles, this book is written from a long-term perspective. That is, true success comes from setting the company's goals first and working hard to achieve them.

Author's advices are profound, insightful, and thought-provoking. In addition, it contains several true stories from CEOs, including author himself who had held executive positions at many companies. These interesting stories enhance the clarity and cogency of his arguments.

After reading few chapters, you might have an impression that this book is just for students or young businesspersons because it is described in order of career progression. Throughout this book, however, you can learn the way of thinking and mental attitude when you face the DAY ONE in your career - the first step of your next portion of your life.

To sum up, this writing is for people who eager to contribute to the organization and achieve successes both in professional and personal life. Therefore, you will want to read this book over again whenever you come to a significant milestone in your entire career.

Timeless resource for any one looking for their professional passion
CEO and Professor Bill White's got it right. He nails it. His book FROM DAY ONE explains how corporations tick regarding a new employee. From how to find out what you want to do professionally, to what to do the moment you start a new job, Bill's words of wisdom resonate for anyone looking to start a new job or leave a job they are currently in because they are not happy. It is the perfect tool for anyone currently employed on how to move up the corporate ladder, and how to make networking work for you. It's a terrific book and should be on everyone's must have list.