Page 117 - The Way to the Top

Thomas M. JOYCE

President and CEO of Knight Trading Group

During my years at Merrill Lynch, I worked for some of the finest people I
have ever met. Two in particular set the tone for the organization back
then, Dan Tully, the CEO, and Steve Hammerman, the General Counsel.

One of the main focuses they imparted to the organization was “ROI,”
Return on Integrity.

Having spent more than twenty-five years in the investment industry, it
has never been more clear than it is today that “integrity” is the foundation
upon which one builds a career. We all make tactical mistakes in business

and we all have the occasional error in judgment, but we learn from them
and ultimately become better business people for the experience. But once
one’s integrity gets called into question, opportunities seize up, clients

begin questioning relationships, and one’s leadership authority wanes. A
perceived lack of integrity is the death sentence in business. My
experience is that ROI is the most important “metric” of all.

A true leader uses this integrity in combination with optimism.
Optimism comes naturally to many leaders, but a quote attributed to

Dwight Eisenhower in his biography authored by Kenneth Davis sums it
up best. General Eisenhower said, “Optimism and pessimism are
infectious and they spread more rapidly from the head downward than in
any other direction. Optimism has a most extraordinary effect upon all

with whom the commander comes in contact. With this clear realization I
firmly determined that my mannerisms and speech in public would always
reflect the cheerful certainty of victory—that any pessimism and
discouragement I might ever feel would be reserved for my pillow.” In my

experience, the finest, most successful people I have met are resolutely
positive and optimistic, always believing they will achieve their goals.