"Be excellent at the job that's at the center of your life." And for Jeff Taylor[1], serial entrepreneur and founder of Monster.com, that job is being a great leader. A gentle guide to his grown children. A fully present parent to his younger children. And a committed coach and champion to the teams he leads.
The secret to success, he says, is putting fame in its proper context. And Jeff's perspective about fame is unique, as he shared during his first conversation[2] with Karen Mangia[3], VP of Customer and Market Insights at Salesforce[4].
Anyone can find FAME following Jeff's model:
- F: Think like a Free Agent.
- A: Train like an Athlete.
- M: Prepare like a Marketer.
- E: Engage like an Entrepreneur.
After FAME and fortune, then what? A question Jeff asked himself repeatedly in the post-Monster.com days. A question you may have considered as well after achieving a major milestone. Jeff sums up his answer in a single word: principles.
"When was the last time you wrote down your principles?" Jeff probes. "I'm talking about the principles by which you live and you lead. What I learned when I transitioned from running my own companies to working for someone else is that your principles can only guide you when you are crystal clear about your principles."
As GM & Chief Customer Officer of Principles, a Ray Dalio Company[6], Jeff is immersed in cultivating a culture of Meaningful Work + Meaningful Relationships on a daily basis. That's the formula his boss, Ray himself, set as the benchmark for his company's culture.
Ray Dalio[7] is founder, co-chairman, and co-chief investment officer of