Herman Cain in CEO of SELF, by Herman Cain

On Principles & Values: Think of yourself as the CEO of SELF, Inc.

Think of yourself as the chief executive officer (CEO) of a company called SELF, Incorporated. As the CEO, you are responsible for SELF's vision (dreams), as well as its operating strategy (how it will achieve its goals and vision). As SELF's CEO, your job is to obtain and allocate the resources to help you get there. That's what CEOs do. The other key part of the CEO's job description is to enhance shareholder value. SELF, Inc.'s shareholders are you, your immediate family, and your employer. Source: CEO of SELF, by Herman Cain, p. 1-2 Aug 1, 2001

On Civil Rights: I removed the barriers rather than let barriers remove me

In 1967, I wanted to get a haircut, and I did not know any of the barbershops. I sat there for about thirty minutes while everybody was told "next" except for me. I finally asked one of the barbers. He told me they were not allowed to cut black people's hair. If I had not asked, I might still be sitting there. I chose to remove the barriers rather than allow the barriers to remove me. I left the barbershop that day and bought a set of hair clippers to cut my own hair. I have been cutting it ever since. The barrier called "lack of master's degree" took a lot longer to remove. I was able to go back to graduate school. I attended Purdue. Source: CEO of SELF, by Herman Cain, p. 14-15 Aug 1, 2001

On Principles & Values: Unlikely candidates succeed under more uncertainty

If I wanted a chance at becoming a vice president at The Coca-Cola Company, I could remain with the company for a long time, get a position in fountain sales or marketing, and THEN work my way up, or I could go to another company. I chose to go to another company. The other reason I chose to leave Coca-Cola was its very successful, well-structured and conservative culture. There was no evidence that such a culture would lend itself to eventually promoting an unlikely candidate like me to vice-president. In fact, I would realize later in my career that the more uncertainty there is in a situation, the more often an unlikely candidate will be considered to handle it. Source: CEO of SELF, by Herman Cain, p. 49-50 Aug 1, 2001

On Principles & Values: Leaders must be self-motivated, focused risk-takers

A leader must be self-motivated, willing to take some risks and then willing to make the tough decisions. And he must have the ability to block out the unnecessary "stuff" to be able to concentrate on the necessary. There are the three critical qualities a leader must possess. I call these the D, E, and F factors.

D (Drucker) Ability to recognize that people must motivate themselves.
E (Entrepreneurial) Ability to take risks and make the tough decisions.
F (Focus) Ability to block out the unnecessary and concentrate on the necessary.

There are three critical things a leader must do. I call these the R, O, and I factors.

R (Remove) barriers that prevent people from being self-motivated.
O (Obtain) the right results by working on the right problems.
I (Inspire) the passion within people to perform better than expected.

Source: CEO of SELF, by Herman Cain, p. 63-64 Aug 1, 2001

On Principles & Values: To make decisions, a leader must be comfortable with risk

There is a lot of truth to the old saying that the only things certain in life are death and taxes. That means everything else in life is risky. Leadership is especially risky because every time you make a decision, you run the risk of being wrong --but you also run the risk of being right! Different people are comfortable with different levels of risk. Some people will bet all they own on an idea or hunch, while others would not bet one dime of someone else's money on a seemingly sure thing. A leader must be comfortable with risk in order to be able to make decisions. A leader must also be prepared to be wrong, but good leaders tend to make more correct decisions than incorrect ones. In fact, there really is no such thing as a right or wrong decision, just different consequences for taking different actions. If the consequences are desired, then it was a "right" decision. Source: CEO of SELF, by Herman Cain, p. 66-67 Aug 1, 2001

On Principles & Values: If right questions not asked, biggest problems go unsolved

In deciding whether to leave my comfortable VP job at Pillsbury to start over at Burger King, the right question was, "Will this put me in a better position to become president of a business?" I did not ask myself how hard the new job would be, what my friends would think if they saw me making hamburgers in a quick service restaurant, or what I would do if this new position did not work out as planned. These last three questions were not the right questions for a CEO of SELF, I was focused on my dream. If the right questions are not asked, then the real problems--the biggest problems--will go unsolved. Source: CEO of SELF, by Herman Cain, p. 78 Aug 1, 2001

On Health Care: 1993: Clinton health plan would negatively impact jobs

An example of actions inspiring other people was when I appeared on a nationally televised town hall meeting and challenged then-President Clinton on the flaws in his proposed health care plan. Afterward, many people wrote or called me expressing their happiness that I had asked the president the "right question." Many people went on to comment that my example had INSPIRED them to write or call their own senators or congressional representatives because they shared my views that his health care plan would have a negative impact on jobs. The restaurant industry had become mobilized against the plan because of the disproportionately large number of entry-level and first time workers hired by our industry, and the relatively high employee turnover rate. I never expected that one event to inspire so many people to speak up and to speak out. Source: CEO of SELF, by Herman Cain, p. 81 Aug 1, 2001

On Principles & Values: Happiness equation: something to do + someone to love

Your dream as CEO of SELF is one-third of the happiness equation: Something to do, Someone to love, and Something to hope for. Most people have something to do, even if it is not what they prefer to do. Most people also have someone to love, even if it is only their pet. With most unhappy people, the missing component is the dream, the absence of something to hope for. But, if any component of the happiness equation is missing in your life, then you are, most likely, not happy. Source: CEO of SELF, by Herman Cain, p. 88 Aug 1, 2001

On Education: High school salutatorian; scholarship to Morehouse College

I was accepted by several historically black colleges, and was even offered scholarships to most of them, because of my rank as salutatorian (2nd highest grades). I certainly was not offered the scholarships based on my standardized test scores, because they were consistently mediocre, as were the scores of most of my classmates. I had decided to attend Morehouse College because it was affordable, and I could commute by bus from home. Morehouse also awarded me a first-year tuition scholarship. Source: CEO of SELF, by Herman Cain, p. 9-10 Aug 1, 2001

On Civil Rights: Women face added challenge of male dominated higher ranks

We applaud women who can ascend to the highest ranks of business and government, because of the added challenges of succeeding in a traditionally male dominated environment. We also applaud men who choose to be Mr. Mom. They put their commitments to their wives and to their children above any threats to their ego. In both instances, we give our sons and daughters permission to dream beyond traditional family boundaries. Source: CEO of SELF, by Herman Cain, p.115 Aug 1, 2001

On Principles & Values: Hope is key to happiness; happiness is key to success

Are you happy? That's the million-dollar question. If your answer is an unqualified yes!, then congratulations! You are doing the things want to do, you have plenty of love in your life, and you have something to hope for. If your answer to the question is a qualified yes, the process starts with a dream search. The most obvious place to start the search is in your heart. Throughout this book and my life, a central theme has been, "Hope is the key to happiness, and happiness is the key to success." What do you hope for in your heart. It may be something you used to dream about as a child or teenager, but circumstances caused you to put it aside. Source: CEO of SELF, by Herman Cain, p.123 Aug 1, 2001

On Principles & Values: Principles of happiness and success: you're the CEO of SELF

The CEO of SELF principles of happiness and success will affect the choices you make for the rest of your life. Let's summarize these principles before you take charge. Happiness is something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for. Hope is the key to happiness, which is the key to success. Success is a journey, not a destination. The road to happiness and success is not straight. Being in position to succeed is being on the right road. That road will always have speed bumps, potholes, and detours. CEOs remove barriers, obtain results, and inspire themselves. You are CEO of SELF. Choose to take charge. Life is about choices. Source: CEO of SELF, by Herman Cain, p.137 Aug 1, 2001

On Principles & Values: Make a strategic plan as CEO of SELF

A strategic plan is not a perfect set of steps. It is a guide in the learning process. As you execute the plan, you learn more and more about what works and what does not, which allows you to continuously refine tactics to make them work better. Taking charge of a company, a region, a restaurant, a department or a project involves the process of: [C] communication, [E] evaluation, [O] identifying opportunities forming the acronym C.E.O., and [S] strategic planning, [E] execution [L] learning [F] the fun of making it happen--or S.E.L.F. Taking charge of your success and happiness as CEO of SELF requires the same steps, but you must choose to take them. Source: CEO of SELF, by Herman Cain, p.143-144 Aug 1, 2001

The above quotations are from CEO of SELF You Are In Charge by Herman Cain. Click here for main summary page. Click here for a profile of Herman Cain. Click here for Herman Cain on all issues.
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Page last updated: Oct 03, 2011