Page 185 - The Way to the Top

Ivan SEIDENBERG

Chairman and CEO of Verizon

When I was eighteen, I got my first job, as a janitor in an office building
in Manhattan. I was the guy who opened the door, swept the floor,
polished the chrome, and ran the freight elevator. My boss was the

building superintendent, an older guy named Bill. Bill hardly ever said
anything, but he worked like a dog—harder than anybody else on the crew.
It seemed to me that if my boss was working that hard, then I should, too,
so that’s what I did.

Once in a blue moon, Bill would actually talk to me. One day, he saw

me reading a book and asked me about it. I told him I was putting myself
through college at night. About eight months later, he came up to me and
said, “You know, there are companies that will help you pay for college

while you work full-time.” I asked him which ones—he said to try the
electric or the phone company—and I did what he said, applying to New
York Telephone. I started a career in communications there that’s lasted
almost forty years.

When I asked Bill why he took eight months to get around to

mentioning this to me, he just shrugged and said, “I guess I wanted to see
if you were worth it.”

Your values, work ethic, and personal standards are always visible,
whether you’re a janitor or a CEO. I’ve always conducted myself in

business according to that very simple rule: Work hard . . . because
somebody’s always watching.

Work hard. . . . Someone’s always watching.