Someone in the SESCO/Fort Lauderdale office recently asked me, “How far can I go?” Of course, what they meant was, “How far can I go in SESCO?” Here’s the answer I gave them:

You can go as far as your work ethic, performance, intelligence, knowledge, character and personality will take you. In this company there are no limitations based on nepotism. In fact, we have a company prohibition against people such as me or Marshall hiring our relatives to work at SESCO.

In this company there are no limitations based on your sex, sexual preference, race, religion, or political beliefs. Margaret Porpora began life at SESCO as a clerk and now sits on the Board of Directors and is the number three management person in the company.

Rhonda Viveney came to us fresh out of college and didn't know the difference between a Kleiglite and a dimmer. She now manages one of our most successful divisions and sits on our Board.

Bob Hattori is one of our most productive sales people and sits on our Board. So…for the record…your only real limitation is you! And… the next President and CEO of SESCO Lighting will be one of you. Who will it be?

I will treat people the same way I would like to be treated.

There are no shortcuts, and there is no substitute for hard work. Every day I will do the very best I can do, and I will motivate the people I work with to be the best they can be.

I will back the people I work with when they take reasonable risks to help SESCO achieve our goals.

I will not punish people for making mistakes. I will react when they don’t learn from their mistakes.

I will do whatever is necessary to keep honest, hard-working, high quality people working with me.

I will never be afraid to admit a mistake when I make one or to say I’m sorry when events so dictate.

I will always give credit to others whenever they offer suggestions or ideas which are implemented.

I will always tell you where I stand and what I believe. There will be no hidden agendas.

Trying is not good enough, and almost any action is better than no action. No one who works with me should be afraid to make a decision.

I will do everything in my power, when encountering a business downturn, to keep all employees working.

I will consistently attack so that my competitors are always forced to react.

I will re-invest and share profits with those responsible.

I understand that if I grow, my people grow; if my people grow, my company grows.

If anyone I work with asks me a serious question, I will offer an honest answer.

If I’m not having fun, I’ll either find a way to have fun, or I’ll find another job.

I will impart this philosophy to my fellow workers.