“Always hire fanatics. Fanatics get things done.” Ed Koch, former Mayor of New York City
Fanatics accomplish the impossible. They possess the passion, persistence, consistency of action and a single-minded focus that does not entertain distractions. Fanatics go at it every day. Fanatics succeed or they die trying. Fanatics are world changers.
When I think of fanatics, I think of Elon Musk. His obsession with going to Mars gave birth to Space X, the first private company to sent a rocket into orbit around the earth and now a billion dollar company. He was also obsessed with creating the world’s best electric car and formed Tesla Motors, now a billion dollar company. Musk committed $188 million, his entire windfall from the sale of Pay Pal, to funding Space X and Tesla Motors. He went all in. At one point, these two companies took him to within a hair’s breath of bankruptcy. But fanatics never quit and Musk overcame his near bankruptcy and is now estimated to be worth nearly $14 billion.
I also think of Andrew Carnegie, the founder of what became U.S. Steel and the richest man in the world at one time. Carnegie was obsessed with controlling the steel industry. His obsession led him to acquire coals companies, railroad companies, telegraph companies and many other companies in order to control the raw material that went into steel and the distribution channels for selling his steel. After selling his steel company to U.S. Steel, Carnegie shifted his obsession to philanthropy, giving away his $480 million ($310 billion in today’s dollars) to help humanity.
Dabbler’s, unlike fanatics, never wholly commit themselves to anything. They don’t put in the time or effort to learn and grow enough to become expert in anything. Dabbler’s never get very far in life.
About Thomas C. Corley
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