1. In 1983, Donny Deutsch joined his father’s small New York City advertising agency, just as his father was considering selling the company because of his advancing

age. But young Donny persuaded his father to change his mind, and his father left the company to his rebellious son to run as he saw fit. The agency’s

clients today include major companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, Pfizer, Mitsubishi, and IKEA, as well as Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign

ads. In 2000, Donny sold his stake in the company for nearly $300 million, while remaining its chairman. He then turned his attention to filmmaking by

starting a production company. He also hosted his own television show on the American network CNBC, called The Big Idea

…the largest, and he wrote a book aimed at encouraging entrepreneurship, in which he tried to distill two decades of experience in advertising.

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2. Donny admits he was lucky to have a father who owned an advertising company. He was also fortunate that, despite spending his youth watching TV, going to parties,

and playing sports, the companies he worked for while studying kept him on, even though he didn’t take his work responsibilities seriously enough. Those short-term jobs

made Donny realize he didn’t want to spend his life in finance or accounting, but in creativity and the arts. He went to his father and said, “Let me work in a small corner

of the company and bring in new clients.” And so Donny began bringing in one client after another. Rather than take over his father’s company, he started a new advertising agency

within his father’s agency.

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3. Donnie’s work philosophy is based on attracting andhiring talented young people, especially those who are smarter and more promising than he is, and persuading them to work with him as part of the

team. Donnie is always looking for people who are on the verge of reaching the peak of their creative and professional abilities—not those who have already reached it. He says he gives a management position

to someone who wants to become a successful manager and whose eyes show the spark that suggests they can make it. He would not give it to a manager who has already achieved the kind of success he is looking for. Donnie’s model

of self-motivation is based on the idea that no one is a complete, true genius. Therefore, anything is achievable, and any great achievement can be surpassed. This approach

Naive—as Donny himself put it—helped him get to where he is today.

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4. Why did Donny sell his company, which was growing sales by 20% a year, at the height of its success? Because he wanted a mountain to climb. Donny had become

the darling of anyone looking to create a one-of-a-kind TV commercial. His television show welcomed leading figures and prominent guests, and covered politics and music.

He had achieved many of his dreams, and now he had to find more dreams to pursue and more challenges to overcome.

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5. Donny ran the company with the creative vision of an entrepreneur. He insists that he never forced any client to accept an advertising or promotional idea

he presented. His work was so creative that it was accepted on its own merits, without pressure or debate. We also find that many companies

Today, it relies on dividing its departments into competing profit centers. Donny, however, brings everyone in his company together under one roof with a shared goal: to generate

profits collectively.

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6. In Donny’s view, success doesn’t depend on who is the smartest or the best. It depends on who says, “Why shouldn’t I succeed too? I deserve to

succeed.” He considers the skills needed for success essential, but not sufficient. Anyone who wants to succeed must feel hunger and thirst

and have the determination and firm conviction that they deserve to succeed. Successful management In Donny’s view, it is the ability to bring a group of people together and deeply understand their goals.

And leverage their individual skills to build an organization and workplace where they can pursue the desired outcome and achieve your goals.

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There’s no doubt we disagree with Donnie on many personal and intellectual levels, but that doesn’t mean we can’t benefit from some of his practical ideas, such as:

- If you stop moving forward, you risk getting run over by the person behind you… If you stand still to avoid taking any risks, you’re actually risking everything.

- Don’t orbit someone else’s world—create your own.

- Be strong enough to make others resent you. (Don’t hold yourself back for fear of upsetting someone.)

- Good work ethic doesn’t encourage upsetting others, but sometimes you’ll have to.