In this digital and AI-driven world, technologies are constantly evolving. GenAI tools and other innovations will not be the same a year from now. However, the foundational principles that lead to a fulfilling career and life remain unchanged.
As a professor in IT/IS Management, I believe it’s essential to provide my students with this critical knowledge—knowledge that isn’t found in textbooks, but is key to long-term success and happiness. I’ve learned many of these lessons the hard way, and I want to ensure that my students don’t have to.
1. Manage Your Mind, Not Just Your Business
Working hard and pushing yourself is important, but it must go hand in hand with managing your mind. Pushing yourself without kindness, gratitude, or happiness is a recipe for burnout.
Shawn Achor’s TED Talk, "The Happy Secret to Better Work," highlights how a positive mindset leads to greater success and productivity in the workplace.
2. It’s a Mistake to Put Money First
Learning technical skills just to make money is a common mistake. Success comes from creating value and helping others, not from a relentless focus on wealth.
Andrew Carnegie’s Philosophy of American Achievement demonstrates that wealth follows those who solve problems with passion, not those who chase it directly.
3. Create Value and Success Will Follow
The more you give, the more you get. Every great business starts with a desire to solve problems and help others. Being good at helping others and creating value is the key to long-term success.
Joe Hudson’s Art of Accomplishment focuses on how self-awareness and compassion are foundational to achieving success and fulfillment in life.
4. Growth is a Lifelong Process
Adopting a growth mindset is essential. Success doesn’t come from being the best at one moment—it comes from a willingness to learn, adapt, and grow continuously.
Carol Dweck’s Growth Mindset philosophy teaches us that learning and improvement are lifelong journeys that are critical for sustained success.
5. Leadership and Giving Back
True leadership is about serving others and fostering growth in those around you. Great leaders, like John Maxwell, teach that success is measured by how well you elevate others.
Shawn Achor: The Happy Secret to Better Work
TEDxBloomington, May 2011
Watch the TED Talk
Joe Hudson: Art of Accomplishment
Art of Accomplishment
John Maxwell: Maxwell Leadership
Maxwell Leadership
Andrew Carnegie: Philosophy of American Achievement
Carnegie Story
Forbes Article
Carol Dweck: Growth Mindset
Growth Mindset Overview