Page 199 - Midas Touch
P. 199

We’ve  been  talking  about  the  big  and  the  small,  and  I  often  refer  to
                difficult circumstances as being either blips (small) or catastrophes (big).
                On one hand, every detail is important, but  it’s  also prudent to  see that
                catastrophes include wars, earthquakes, tsunamis, and terrorist attacks, so
                that our perspective remains intact. Part of our IQ is being able to identify

                which is which.

                If I see our profits taking a big dip, that’s not a minor detail by any means,
                and it would take precedence over negotiating for sinks. But it’s also not a
                tsunami. It has to be dealt with and can be dealt with. It’s often been said
                that being able to prioritize is a skill worth developing.

                Cruise Control

                I was scheduled to make a short appearance on a boat that was filled with
                people  taking  an  evening  cruise  around  Manhattan.  I  arrived  at  sunset,
                made some introductory remarks, and did a meet-and-greet with the guests
                on board. I was busy into conversation when I turned around and realized
                we had left the dock and were heading down the Hudson River. No one

                notified me of the departure, and I wasn’t too pleased. I hadn’t planned on
                a  three-hour  cruise  around  Manhattan!  But  since  there  wasn’t  much  I
                could do about it at that point, I decided to relax, enjoy the great views of
                the  city  as  well  as  the  nice  crowd.  It  was  a  very  pleasant  and  inspiring
                evening for me. Manhattan lit up at night is really worth seeing from the
                Hudson River. It was a pretty big detail to miss leaving the boat on time,
                but this was one blip I didn’t mind.


                Talk About a Detail!
                Being able to see locations is also a skill worth having, especially if you
                are a developer or entrepreneur. Talk about a detail! I remember when I
                had an option on the property where the Javits Convention Center in New

                York City now stands. I was instrumental in the development of the Javits
                Center and knew the project could be done by my company at a cost of
                $110  million.  It  ended  up  costing  the  city  between  $750  million  to  $1
                billion.

                I offered to take over the project at cost, but my offer was not accepted,
                which was a huge loss to the city and its visitors on many levels. First of
                all,  the  cost  was  ludicrous,  but  the  result  was  even  more  startling.  The
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