Ingredients for success

take-away from a guest speaker in class, who has been the CFO for multiple, highly successful public companies.

Hard skills required:
- public speaking
- clear writing in short time
- managing people
- accounting (optional)

Soft skills required:
- the courage and discipline to not compromise on ethical issues, especially when each decision results only in insignificant outcome, but they will amounts to disasters, finally.
- the emotional toughness to deal with high pressure because "major fumble usually happens on the emotional side. have the guts to mess up completely, for a couple times.
- having no ego "what's the point of coming into this world thinking you're better than anyone else?" have ambition, but don't be ambitious. being openly ambitious attracts many enemies
- patience: life/career has its first half and second half. you will disregard pay and learn as much as possible in the first half and set for the big rewards. remember investments return only in the long term
- commitment to success

Biggest danger for one's life:
- choosing not to be successful. (even though most people don't choose to fail)

Methodology
- doing the job you want before you actually get the job. "get promoted to a job I already had"
- consistently put in 10-20% more effort than average people, no more needed.
- never hide mistakes
- be the "garbage man", doing things no one else want to do - the most difficult, tedious, and risky things

Self test
- if you don't like what you are doing, you are in the wrong career
- if you are not willing to commit, then you are in the wrong career