Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-11-06
EzA7uaz Rcz
SUCCESS IS WITHIN YOU
. Why Reach for Top
:. That Doesn't Exist?

status yearning of most any
executive; in fact, once it even
meant something. But in latter
years, led by the advertising
profession, businesses discovered
that a man with the title "vice
president" after his name was
likely to be somewhat more i'm
lpresSive when it came to selling
a bill of goods to one of the
customers than a man with just
ia first name, last name. and
middle initial.
"Vice president" became some
thing like 'Ph.D." to the people
in the field of education-a title
which makes an impression even
If the man who bears it doesn't.
/ In the face of the ,kowtowing
and the rank-sparring which are
so big part of life in the higher
echelons, it is hard to imagine
where mans own integrity,
what he alone personally stands
for and truly believes, fits into
the picture. Yet it must fit
somewhere.
During the Constitutional Con-
ivention. which gave birth to the
United States, George Washing
ton is said to have remarked,
If, to please the people, we
offer what we ourselves disap-
prove, how can we afterwards
defend our work? Let us raise a
standard to which the wise and
honest can repair"
What Standards?
I How from a distant planet
such sentiments seem to ema-
nate when we think of the Ma
ton which has grown from the
log cabin Ito the executive suite
and of the executives. What
standards would they raise? Do
they have any inner philosophic
values by which to "diSapprove''
Or even approve? Or in the
struggle for outward success dc
lall values go by the board: is
there even any place for values?
One Of Mahatma Gandhi'.
favorite expressions of advice
was, Turn the searchlight in.
ward" The wise men of all time
have told US to look inside our.
selves, to find out what we stanc
for. Said Socrates, 1.-The unex.
amined life is not worth living ;
He also said, IF a man woulc
move the world. he must frs
move himself"
Do we give any thought Il
self-examining and self -movine
in the world of chicken-colone
worship? Does the executive ask
himself, What do l really feeli
What do / think?" or is he con
stantly and anxiously wondering
I"How does j. B. feel? What does
the Old Man Think"
Even A Nuisance
The individual and his integri-
Ity are of little moment (and alb
lsolutely no commercial value) (;
they even become a nuisance to
the smooth-running executive
organization
Teamwork is the thing. RUB
ber-stamp, yes-man. laugh al
the boss's jokes, don't venture az
opinion until you know how j. B
feels about it (then say what he
says. but make it sound sponta-
tneous), run with the clique in
power. tunnel the ones who are
Slipping, don't get in bad with
anyone who's on the way up
forget you ever knew the fellow
who's on the way down: these
are elements of the new team.
work.
4 Against this how starry-eyeC
Henry David Thoreau seems il
his exhortation, IF a man doe
not keep pate with his compan.
ions perhaps it is because HI
hears a differenet drummer. Lee
him step to the music which h,
hears, however measured or fal
away" Such a man would simply
be marked down as one of thos,
troublesome individualiSts - 8
nuiSance-in the teamwork o.
the frightened vice-presidents.
1t is. of course. high time Il
lay to rest the philosophy of tn,
Chicken colonel and all tn,
illusions we have harbored abou
him. Why climb a ladder TOWARD
a top which doesn't exist? Fal
better to look around from thu
rung where you now stand-anc
see If real success isn't right
there, under your feet.
From the book: SUCCESS is WITH
IN YOU Copyright l95B by Hogart
whitman; Distributed by Doubleda.
syndicate
Tomorrow: The Escape Route :,
Success"