The tough-minded executive is an individual, whether a man or a woman who have some of those qualities:

1. Practices self-discipline in terms of legal and ethical rules of conduct, recognizes that a vigorous, outgoing, and sometimes passionate way of life can only be possible and lasting as a product of such discipline.

2. Knows that developing and maintaining maximum physical fitness is an important requisite of mental health and acuity. And fitness is not self-indulgence but part of an executive’s obligation to his business, his employees, and his family.

3. Enjoys life—and people know it! The dour, angry, dreadful executive accomplishes little by his behaviour except for ulcers for his team and himself.

4. His interests and activities may range widely or may center in certain worthwhile areas. At his best, the truly broad-gauge executive reads widely and has his own private development program.

5. He has either developed or is moving toward a personal faith. He feels that religion is a personal thing, a way of living, and is tolerant of the views of others.

6. He never apologizes for a thing before doing it; he apologizes only when he knows he has not done his best.

7. He takes the stand that negativism is neiver justified. He knows that there are pluses and minuses in many situations but that the minuses can become pluses. Minuses are really only the absence of pluses.

8. He always wants to know the why of a happening and supplies the why conscientiously to others.

9. He predicates his actions on facts but, knowing that the variables often exceed the constants, he is not hemmed in by them.

10. He is very much his own person and believes in God and himself.

11. He keeps working on his abilities as a communicator. He knows eloquence is no substitute for understanding, talking no substitute for action.

12. He retains his sense of wonder until death.

13. He slices right to the heart of problems and does something about them.

14. He knows that life without work is a shortcut to deterioration.

15. He feels that a broad and eclectic fund of knowledge makes not only for a better generalist but also for a better specialist.

16. He is proud of his way of life and seeks to enrich the lives of others.

17. He does not confuse wit or intelligence with wisdom and strives steadily for greater wisdom.

18. He aims for a balanced existence in the full knowledge that wholesome recreation and rest habits enable him to do a better job.

19. He doesn’t see tired people with harried expression as successful ones.

20. He is satisfied with nothing less than full success as a whole person.

21. He takes his work seriously but never himself.