Know what you want, then go in pursuit of it

After I graduated with a bachelor's degree, I first intended to go on to a master's degree, but there was a problem about scholarship. So I had to change my mind; to work and gather some money. I aimed to work in international marketing because I had discovered an interest in this subject while I was studying.

However, I never considered becoming an employee, and this was a wrong. Had I become an employee, I would have been able to learn and gain experience, and not to fail repeatedly, as I did in the first two or three years of running my own business. That was very hard.

I asked for advice from others who were near to graduation, then went out to find real working experience.

I needed to understand my own ambitions; to examine my interests and plumb the depth of my skills, and I needed to find work nearby.

For every one of us, success has a different meaning; we set different standards for ourselves. But the important thing, after we know ourselves well enough, is to decide what we need to do to have a happy and successful life.

That is a secret that we have to find by ourselves.

Management Leadership Tips is excerpted from the business version of "Be a Better Man", by Vikrom Kromadit, chairman of the Amata Foundation. For more information, visit www.vikrom.net or contact Vikrom Kromadit at vikrom@vikrom.net