Scott Former Public Company CEO's quotes, sayings

Experience makes you calmer under pressure

As you move into more and more responsible positions, the pressure keeps increasing, but you adapt to it. Over time, you stop reacting emotionally the way you did when you were younger and learn to handle it more calmly.

Scott Former Public Company CEO

You don’t notice pressure building

Life doesn’t stop throwing hard problems at you. You just get more used to dealing with them over time, and you don’t overreact as much as you did when you were younger. It’s like the frog in a kettle - if you slowly turn up the temperature, it doesn’t realize it’s getting worse. That’s what happens in business as you take on more responsibility.

Scott Former Public Company CEO

You've got to work your butt off.

Scott Former Public Company CEO

Become your boss's right-hand person.

Scott Former Public Company CEO

Opportunity goes to volunteers

The people who volunteer for the extra work are the ones who get the extra opportunities.

Scott Former Public Company CEO

The habit that gets you promoted

Every day, after I finished my work, I went to my boss and asked, "I'm done with what I had to do today. Is there anything else I can help with?" Sometimes the answer was no. Sometimes it was yes. Over time, my boss started seeing me as their right-hand person. And when new opportunities came up, I was the one they thought of first. Every extra task was also a chance to learn parts of my boss's job. My advice is simple: be your boss's right-hand person. Show up every day and ask, "What else can I do?"

Scott Former Public Company CEO

Leadership also means knowing when to step aside

I was CEO for 18 years. Then I realized I wasn't running at the same pace I had in my younger days, and it was time to turn it over to someone else.

Scott Former Public Company CEO

A great company is worth staying for

There's a lot to be said for staying with one company - as long as it's a good company. It doesn't matter what they do. What matters is that they offer opportunity and a culture that allows people to succeed.

Scott Former Public Company CEO