Just in case you don’t know her well, here’s her introduction in one line: Thai Lee is the owner, CEO and president of the largest female-owned business in America, SHI International.
She’s one of the most inspirational women alive today! Who wouldn’t like to learn some lessons from her life so that some of her success rubs off on us?
We may not be able to copy her success exactly, but here are six traits of Thai Lee that you and I need to know about and learn from.
1. She’s focused
Not knowing your goals, wishes, strengths or weaknesses is a sure recipe for disaster. If you look at Lee’s life, she has always been very clear and focused about what she wants to achieve.
Even during her studies, she was clear that she wanted to become an entrepreneur and not work for someone else. Due to this quality of hers, she didn’t waver and ultimately ended up where she is today.
2. She values people
Many of the successful people in our world are above-intelligent, resourceful and wealthy, and possess other similar qualities. What sets Thai apart is that she values humans above everything else.
She’s as concerned about her employees as she is about her clients, which is unusual to find in today’s brutal business world.
3. She takes charge of her own chores
Who can imagine a billionaire doing small stuff like booking flights themselves? Astonishing though it may be, Thai does it all herself!
She takes care of all of her small chores herself. Instead of depending on others, she likes to take charge of things; whether they are big or small.
This is something that we can all learn from. Doing things yourself can definitely lend you more control over your day-to-day life and, ultimately, can have a huge impact on your life in general.
4. She’s modest
Despite Thai being an exceptional person in today’s world, she likes to keep mostly to herself. You won’t find her involved in many publicity exercises, let alone bragging about her status or achievements.
This is definitely a unique trait in an overly-connected world that puts almost everything in highlights.
Modesty and humility are also important in a self-made billionaire – this just means that you consider yourself to be an eternal student, so you always make it a point to learn from experts, even if they’re older (or even younger!) than you are.
5. She’s an excellent planner
There’s this saying, “If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.”
Knowing what one wants to do is the first step for success; planning for its execution is the next!
Thai knew from the beginning that she wanted to do her own thing and become an entrepreneur, but for that she made proper plans and then executed them.
To achieve this end, she worked for two years at Procter & Gamble and then two years at American Express. Thus, instead of jumping into a business, she spent her time learning the tricks of the trade and ultimately applied them well in her own business.
6. She had a long-term vision
This is something that all successful people have in common; they focus on the long-term instead of the present. When Lee bought her current business, it was a struggling software company that didn’t seem to have much potential but with her vision and relentless hard work, she managed to turn it around and today, it is no doubt one of the most successful businesses in America.
What do you think of her story? What is her most outstanding trait according to you? Let us know in the comment below!
Featured photo credit: davidewalt/0521_power-women-thai-le via blogs-images.forbes.com
