David Cote is the former chairman and CEO of Honeywell and author of the best-selling book Winning Now Winning Later: How Companies Can Succeed In The Short Term While Investing For The Long Term. During his time at Honeywell, David fixed a toxic work culture and grew the company’s market cap from around $20 billion to $120 billion, delivering returns of 800%.
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Some people may hear what David went through before he became CEO of Honeywell and feel like they are in a similar situation where they feel stuck in a job. Maybe you feel like there isn’t a clear path forward in your career. David gives advice to people in this situation and shares things that helped him get to where he is now. |
First of all, David says that your performance can’t just be okay. You have to be in the top 10%. Where you went to school makes a difference for your first job, and after that, it’s up to how you perform. Be a standout in all you do.
You also need visibility. If you’re performing well but the person who can do something about your career can’t see it, nothing will happen. Make sure you have visibility. But you have to be careful with this one because you don’t want to go around tooting your own horn or wearing your ambition on your sleeve. It’s a delicate balance.
If you have a boss who doesn’t feel you are performing as well as you think you are, you have to be self-aware and figure out if there is something you can fix or if you just have a bad boss, which David says happens less often than people think. Learn to be self-aware and realize what you need to improve. We all have issues, and it’s important to know what they are.
When I spoke with David he told me a fascinating story during the early days at Honeywell. Listen below.
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