Ambassador
Delano Lewis is a world renowned attorney, corporate leader, businessman,
diplomat and entrepreneur.
Having
made a commitment to have an attitude of excellence, as a young attorney, Delano
decided to see where it would take him. From a very successful stay at the
Department of Justice, he was recruited to be a paid director for the Peace
Corps in Africa.
Because
of his impact in Africa, he was recruited back to America to become a staff
member for Senator Edward Brooke, who was the only African American Senator at
that time. Delano was a star on Capitol Hill and asked to become the Chief of
Staff for Representative Walter Fauntroy, who was the first elected
representative for Washington, DC in Congress.
After
a few years, Delano was recruited to work for Bell Atlantic (now Verizon) and
went on to become the first African American CEO there. He became the first
African American president of National Public Radio (NPR) and then president of
the Washington DC Board of Trade.
After
great success in all these endeavors, Delano was appointed by President Bill
Clinton to be Ambassador to South Africa during the presidency of Nelson
Mandela. He has sat on numerous major corporate boards and now has a popular
podcast ("Fly On the Wall") where he interviews other world leaders.
Here
are lessons Delano Lewis shared on how you too can have a powerful impact, with
an attitude of excellence, wherever you are in life.
- Develop
a big vision for your future and add to that a tremendous work ethic!
- Be
ambitious and work on your desire to excel wherever you are planted. Bloom where
you are planted.
- Always
work on growing yourself and your thinking, and you will grow your
successes.
- Work
with a spirit of excellence because it will positively impact your reputation in
the marketplace.
- In
order to win the game, you need to know how the game is played and how to win
it.
- Always
keep the end game in mind.
- Be
willing to take risks and step outside your comfort zone, there are
opportunities all around you.
- Keep
in mind the old African proverb, that no condition is permanent. Life is about
change and whenever you’re dealing will change…. just keep moving and stay
positive.
- Look
for what you actually like to do and capitalize on that and work on how to
monetize that.
- Your
success is massively impacted by your network. Always work on building great
relationships and your reputation for excellence.