COURAGE

To possess grit and an indomitable spirit. A firmness of character. To have the endurance to push against the pressures of conformity.

Tony Mathis

Tony Mathis is the Chief Executive Officer with GE Edison Works and Military Systems Operation. Tony is an Air Force veteran officer and with his flight test engineering background and his 25 plus years with General Electric he has become the creator of the GE Edison Works business. Tony is an engineer.

3-Bullet Summary:

• Learning to feel comfortable in uncomfortable situations is an act of courage.

• You only grow when you go outside of your comfort zone.
• Being intelligent is not enough. First, you should understand the context of a business you’re in, and then use your intellect to help shape the company’s vision.

Podcast Quotables:

“You really must be thoughtful about what you go after, how you go after it, and understand that a lot of our customers’ lives actually depend on what we do and how we do it.”

“Being comfortable/being uncomfortable is just like any other muscle; the more you exercise that, the better you get at it.”

My biggest fear is that I get so far away from customers, so far away from the product, that we’re now making decisions, big decisions about running a business totally disconnected from the real world.”

• The Energy Bus, 10 Rules To Fuel Your Life, Work & Team With Positive Energy by Jon Gordon

• The Speed of Trust, The One Thing That Changes Everything by Steven Covey