At 5:15 one morning, in June of 1994, a man walked into the back office of Shades of Green, where I was on opening PBX shift (report time 4:45am).
He asked me to do personal wake up calls to all the AFRC General Managers.
I had no idea a) who he was or b) how he would PERSONALLY mentor, guide and influence me over the next 16 years -- throughout 4 countries, many states and 7 PCS moves.
That man was Pete Isaacs.
That morning I decided what I wanted to do for the rest of my life: serve others.
To tell you about Pete won't even scratch the surface. You have to know him to....well....KNOW.
So here's a taste of what this man means in my professional life. It's a famous list (in my Army family, at least!), along with my favorite shot of us from the MWR Conference in Louisville from 2006.
Many of you know this list.
For those of you that don't? Well, now you do.
Happy 70th, Pete, and thank you.
...for EVERYTHING.
Isaacs' Rules for Personal and Professional Success
1. Hog the blame and share the glory.
2. When in charge, take charge...when in charge, you will probably annoy someone.
3. You can only sell your personal integrity once.
4. An ounce of loyalty is more valuable than a pound of cunning.
5. Don’t wrestle with pigs...they like it and you’ll get dirty.
6. No one ever succeeded by underestimating their authority.
7. Tell them what you’re going to tell them; tell them; tell them what you told them; have them tell you what they heard...check the execution.
8. If you don’t know, say so...then find out.
9. Only Robinson Crusoe got everything done by Friday.
10. Get mad, get over it, get on with it.
11. Never spit in a man’s face unless his mustache is on fire.
12. Stand for something…or fall for anything.
13. Don’t be afraid to make the same mistake once.
15. There is nothing as wasteful as ignorance in action.
16. Proofread everything...check the math.
17. Be quick to praise and slow to criticize.
18. Double your money…fold it and put in your pocket.
19. Treat flattery like chewing gum… enjoy it for a minute, …… but don’t swallow it.
20. Success is getting what you want….Happiness is wanting what you get.
Pete and I - MWR Conference - Louisville, KY
August 2006
August 2006
