"Silicon Valley has an arrogance problem…." The Wall Street Journal writes.I sat with Charlie Steinberg, who had a long career of 5 decades, in the Silicon Valley, in executive management, as President of Sony, and Ampex etc.,
Charlie, despite his impressive accomplishments, stays humble and soft spoken. He is in stark contrast to the typical chest thumping Silicon Valley Success Story. He currently inspires and mentors young people to start companies from the Plug and Play Tech Center, Sunnyvale
Vasu: I pull this quote from Quora: "People come to the Silicon Valley, from all over the world with a lifetime of always being in the top 10%.Simple math dictates that 90% of them would have a terrible shock.
The victors have extra swagger and lot of the losers are vain and pushy as a defense mechanism." What are your insights?
Charlie:
"Different people measure success in different ways. Success to some people is just not the economic success. It goes beyond that.
100% of people can be successful, but in different ways, doing different things.different goals, different accomplishments and what have you. So, it is a matter of getting to know yourself, learning what you are good at. Learning what you enjoy doing…and be a success at that."
Vasu: " What does humility buy someone, who wants to generate economic value?"
Charlie: "Being a braggart or trying to spend your time patting yourself in the back, is not going to get you where you want to go.
What gets you there, is to recognize what you can do well and what you enjoy doing …and do that. …you don't have to tell the world about it…It will be obvious to people."
Vasu: "In this age of "The Brand You", if we exclude outliers like Warren Buffett… most people think, how do I cut through the noise and be louder so that they can be heard.
Charlie:
"I don't think one should worry about that. What you should worry about, is doing the best, of what you are up to right now and then you will be heard…you will be recognized. You can't force that recognition…."
Vasu:
"What is your practical suggestion of someone pursuing economic success to lead a balanced life?"
Charlie:
"What is a balanced life to you and what is a balanced life to me could be totally different….but still be a balanced life. You have to have your own values and measurement of success…and you have to live your life and carry out your efforts in keeping with that. I don't think there is a standard mold or standard pattern. I had a very balanced life in my earlier years. I spent a lot of time working…many hours each day, 6-7 days a week. Some people will call that imbalanced. I call that a balanced life. It was a right balance of me."
Vasu:
What are some of the admirable qualities of entrepreneurs, that you have seen?
Charlie:
"In the very early days of the Silicon Valley, the company that was most respected was Hewlett Packard. Those two individuals, Hewlett and Packard, that I had an opportunity to meet, …They set a pattern…and it makes sense paying attention to and trying to emulate. They believed strongly in treating people with respect…with dignity…treating people in the same way they would like to be treated…They built their company on firm values and fundamentals. They pioneered the technology ….along with building a big business."
Vasu:
What are some admirable qualities of individuals of present time, that entrepreneurs need to pay attention to?
Charlie:
"Warren Buffett.He has a set of values, I think, are ones, to be admired. He has been extremely successful…extremely charitable…He is a warm human being…from what I have read about him.He just seem to have the right balance for him, between his personal and professional life.
Mark Zuckerberg. From what I read about him, He is an amazing person, Considering his age…he is running a large enterprise..at the same time, he is very interested in the welfare and well-being of people around him and using his vast wealth to improve the world at a very young age. I think he is the third largest charitable contributor in the United States, this past year, which is amazing, for somebody that young."
