Entrepreneur Sam Zell Explains "What Makes Sammy Run"
2/6/2006
Students, faculty, and local residents gathered in a packed auditorium and two overflow rooms in the
After an introduction by
Zell deliver an insightful lecture entitled “Life from an Entrepreneur's Perspective” and subtitled “What Make Sammy Run.” During the presentation, Zell explained how his unique outlook and willingness to take risks have made him a success in the real estate industry. A native of
Having learned the power of persuasion at a young age, Zell went on to a career focused on leadership, selling ideas and concepts. “Nothing is bought,” he said. “Everything gets sold.” He talked about his “unjustifiable self confidence” and how standing alone and taking risks led to his success. “My greatest enemy was conventional wisdom,” said Zell, “I’ve been willing to walking right when everybody else walks left.”
Zell received his undergraduate and law degrees from the
During the lecture, Zell stressed the importance of keeping things simple. He encouraged students to utilize simplicity instead of complicated ideas and techniques. According to Zell, the key was “simple and unfettered ideas, steps that go from one step to the other.”
Currently, Sam Zell is the founder and chairman of Equity Group Investments, an entrepreneurial investment firm. He also serves on the President’s Advisory Board of the
Zell knows what he wants on his tombstone. The man who says he wants to “make a difference” would like his headstone to reflect his view that he is “a man of his word, someone you’d do a second transaction with, and focused and obsessed with being fair.”
Near the end of the lecture to the overflow crowd estimated at over 400, Zell gave students an insightful piece of advice. “You've got to have heart and conviction. Being a leader is all about execution, and how to maximize your ideas.”
––Lane Song
