Critical Success Factors

“Donald J. Trump says being known as a billionaire is ‘critical’ to his business, a major reason he's suing for libel over author Timothy L. O'Brien's TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald. That 2005 book suggested Trump was worth $250 million tops. Trump says he's now worth $7 billion (FORBES figures $3 billion). In a court filing Trump's lawyers contend his success ‘depends on the accurate recognition and appreciation… he is a billionaire.’

"O'Brien, New York Times Sunday business editor, and publisher Warner Books are fighting a New Jersey judge's order that O'Brien name the ‘three people with direct knowledge of Donald's finances… who had worked closely with him for years,’ the book's sole sourcing for the low valuation. Defendants argue a net worth estimate is merely unactionable opinion. Trump says his honesty was impugned by the entire book and its marketing, including O'Brien's comments at public appearances.”

(“Billionaire as a Job Title.” William P. Barrett. Forbes; October 29, 2007, Vol. 180 Issue 9, p. 38)

ONCE YOU KNOW who you are, you must carefully discern the factors that are critical for success in your domain. Doing all that you can to align the two is a dynamic balancing act that is never fully achieved.