Accomplishment Comes First

Always a fan of the peerless globetrotting people-explorer Alan Whicker, in downtime I watched his personal career reprise. It was stunning to see his first 1963 ground-breaking film, The Solitary Billionaire.

(Jean) Paul Getty was the reclusive subject, and the universal plaudits noted the subject matter was mournful, stumbling and an “essay in gloom”. Hard to imagine today, but the overwhelming public reaction was one of pity. Everyone felt sorry for the then world’s richest man, with seemingly everything, but in fact, nothing.

The wonderful interviewer selected one simple ethos from Getty’s mouth that is a telling reminder for salespeople who primarily chase the blinkered pursuit of commission for nothing but the sake of cash, rather than focus on the success enjoyed from helping a customer:

“money is secondary, no-one makes money unless they run a mint”