Take A Lesson…

Kenneth ChenaultCEO, American Express Co.

Dedicate yourself to a core set of values

Determine what constitutes success for yourself and not based on what other people think

Associate with the best and brightest people

Don’t overestimate the importance of networking

“Have a strong sense of self. Without it, you cannot lead, you risk being consumed by all sorts of elements that don’t reflect what your about”

Kevin ClashPrincipal Puppeteer, Jim Henson Company

Recognize that you have a gift or a passion, and go after that, even if it takes you in a different direction from everybody else

To be successful, learn from the positive and the negative

Be generous with your skills or experiences

Take a chance, keep moving forward, go, go, go

“It’s not enough to have a dream or talent. It’s working at it, and perfecting it, that makes you a success.”

Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr.Partner, The Cochran Group Schenider, Kleinick,

Weitz, Damashek Get in the game in order to

demonstrate what you can do

To win, you have to be competitive and you have to be tough

YOU cannot quit or stop or back up or blink

YOU have to move forward YOU have to press the

limits YOU have to trust your gut YOU have to pursue the

possibility of success through failure after failure

“There are wins and losses, you have to accept them both”

Ann M. FudgeExecutive Vice President, Kraft Foods, Inc.

President, Maxwell House and Post Divisions Be you, not what you

think you should be to fit into someone else’s definition of what you should be

Do not define success as monetary success or celebrity, but rather as full realization of life’s potential

Leadership Principles; Intelligence, Credibility, Humanity, Courage, and Discipline

“Courage is the quiet strength that truly separates the leaders from the wanna-bes”

Sylvester GreenExecutive Vice President, Chubb &

Sons In business, you only have

a few seconds to make an impression

Learn how to assess the situation and make the most of it

Listen, Respond, an Adapt quickly

Learn to live in different worlds

Be very strategic It’s not enough to want

success, you have to want the responsibility that comes with it

Be Yourself“I don’t attack people, I attack issues”

Elaine R. JonesPresident and Director- Counsel, NAACP Legal

Defense and Educational Fund

Do not compare yourself to others

Expose yourself to new things

Don’t focus on what it takes t get there, focus on the goal

Stay optimistic, Work hard, Get the resources, and Learn from your losses

Don’t give in to adversity and unfairness, you won’t be able to function

Don’t be afraid to seek help

Love what you do

“Taking on the challenges in life forces us to grow”

Tom JonesChairman and CEO, Global Investment Management

and Private Banking Group, Citigroup Inc.

Be able to be your own best critic in terms of understanding where you’ve gotten out of balance

Learn to work better with other people, How to better interact with other people, How to share with other people

Have a good sense of your capacity, Be able to pace yourself, Know how to not go so hard that you burn yourself out

A leader must help others be strong, Have an instinct for crisis

Get centered in terms of what you stand for

“What you think is your biggest problem can also be your biggest blessing”

Spike LeeCEO, Forty Acres and a Mule Filmworks

Surround yourself with people Surround yourself with people you respect and listen to

Be who you are Stay focused on what

you’re doing and why you’re doing it

Be open Learn at ALL times“It’s not just about

quantity, it’s about creating a body of work that will stand the test of time”

George R. LewisPresident and CEO, Phillip Morris Capital

Corporation The harder you work,

the more success Knowing corporate

culture, and having great communication skills

Being creative, Being bold, and somewhat political

Learn from failure and adversity

Don’t give up “Every time I would run into a wall I would come at it again from a different angle”

George R. Lewis

William M. Lewis Jr.Managing Director, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter &

Co. Create options; don’t limit

them Don’t be afraid of being

wrong, learn from your mistakes

Bring solutions to the table Lead don’t follow Don’t be afraid to go it

alone Don’t be afraid to lose Don’t be afraid to ask

questions DON’T BE AFRAID“ Nobody can predict

what it’s going to take to be successful or who’s going to make it”

Joseph A. MonizPartner, Day, Berry & Howard

If you are going to be good at something, you got to deal with being knocked down first

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes

You have to have thick skin and a good sense of humor

“Whatever you do, whatever your title is, whatever successes you have, you are going to be questioned “

Joan Parrot- Fonseca President, JPF & Associates

Do not be afraid to make mistakes

You’ll know yourself better and you’ll make better choices as you have more experiences

Understand the power and the value of networking

“Well, if I can’t change these rules, I’m going to create another set of rules”

Richard D. ParsonsPresident, Time Warner, Inc.

A deep sense of personal security, believing in yourself

Don’t reference your performance according to what others are doing

Who you know is just as important as what your know, extend your reach

“If you don’t try, you can’t succeed”

A. Barry BondChairman and CEO, The Avis Group

FORTITUDE PERSISTENCE SELF-

DETERMINATION It’s important to

know, not just what your doing, but why

Never operate on other people’s expectations

“ You have to look further than the immediacy of what it is you’re not getting, and you have to focus on what you can continue to do”

Robin RobertsSportscaster for ESPN and ABC Wide World of Sports

To get ahead, you have to be willing to put yourself on the line

It’s important to feel within yourself

Joyce M. RocheFormer President, Carson

Products Hesitancy is often

viewed as ignorance or incompetence

Each have to discover our own purpose, our own mission, our life’s work, and pursue it to the best of our ability

“Respect, belief in oneself, and service to others will see us successfully through anything this new era throw us”

Ruth J. SimmonsPresident, Smith College

Carry thyself with extraordinary self respect and kindness

Do your very best You need to know,

who you are and what you need

“Our primary task is to teach our children fundamental respect for other people”

Frederick O. TerrellManaging Partner and CEO, Provender Capital Group, LLC

Get your feet on the ground, and know who you are

“You define you; your character, your values, your actions define you”

Lloyd D. WardFormer Chairman and CEO,

Maytag Corporation The key to success is

DETERMINATION The foundation of

success is preparation The realization of

success is courage The engine of success

is attitude Trust in your own

individuality and go at your purpose with all the energy, focus, and resolve of someone who can see no other way

“Life’s a do-it-yourself proposition. Don’t let it drive you; you’ve got to drive it”

Patrice Clarke WashingtonCaptain, UPS Airlines

Stick it out; there’s no other choice, when trying to reach your goal

Have a dream or a vision of something you want to do

Set goals for yourself Embark upon a plan to

make your goals happen

Have patience

“I believe that what we expect of ourselves is what we achieve”

Maxine WatersCongresswoman

Learn how to feel good about yourself

Learn to respect people’s differences and the experiences that shape those differences

“The rewards outweigh the sacrifices”

Clifton R. Wharton, Jr.Former Chairman and CEO, Teachers

Insurance Annuity Association College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA-CREF) You have to be who

you are Success takes

preparedness and persistence

Focus on what you can do and go at it with the utmost integrity

Trust your instincts “If it doesn’t fit, get out, and if you’re not enjoying it, get out”

Terrie WilliamsCEO, The Terrie Williams Agency

Be able to relate to everybody

Establish a relationship outside your inner circle

There are no excuses (race, sex, the economy) for not being able to do what you want to do

Despite any statistic, you can defy the odds if you want it badly enough

“Sometimes you have to force yourself to do things that you don’t like doing , but usually your life is enhanced when you do that”

Deborah C. WrightPresident and CEO, Carver Federal

Savings Bank You have to keep

track of who you are because otherwise you get lost

You’re always being evaluated, whether others acknowledge it or not

“Whether it’s about race, age, or gender--- cuts both ways: You can be debilitated by it or you can be empowered by it”