I still remember a delightful couple we met some years ago on a trip to the Southwest. It was obvious from their dress and presentation that they had no money worries.

As our conversation progressed, I asked the other man what all guys ask each other, “So, what do you do?”

His response surprised and intrigued me, “I’m in the portable outhouse business.”

Over the years since that day, I’ve pondered that conversation many times. At one point it dawned on me that I’d learned an important lesson from that good man. (To always do shoulder hugs…and never shake a stranger’s hand? No.)

The lesson was this: if you want to succeed, follow four simple directives:
1) Find a job that fulfills a real need…that no one else wants to
do.
2) Figure the single best way to do that job.
3) Do that job with gusto!
4) Do it better than anyone else is willing to do it.

Whether you’re charging a premium for Chinese imports, running a multi-billion-dollar department store chain, or providing porta-potties for carnivals and construction sites, you’ll find that these four directives are the key to your Fast-Forward Leadership success.

If you want to experience radical success be a humble person. Be a person who is willing to do any job that is honest and beneficial. Sometimes the greatest success is hiding in the messiest places.