Ted Turner’s autobiography, Call me Ted has been criticised for not being open enough at certain points in the story.  And when it comes to his personal life, he’d rather look ahead than behind.  But get the man talking about business and you’ve got a classic overcoming obstacles Cinderella story.

Call me Ted provides an up close and personal view into the mind and heart of the man who, among other things, founded CNN, gave $1 billion  to the UN, created the first national cable channel and as a result, the first direct response TV ads.  Remember the Ginsu Knife? 

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abLB7aTmnE4]

What about vinyl repair kits or the 70’s super bad party ring?  Yes, indirectly, we can blame Ted Turner for those annoying Billy Mays Oxyclean commercials!

The man’s not a saint, nor does he claim to be.   Anyone who’s accomplished as much as Ted Turner has rubbed some people the wrong way.  Yes, he has detractors, but he’s done a lot of good.  Turner made a lot of mistakes but learned from them all; and he lays them bare in Call me Ted .  

His philosophies are homespun, conventional wisdom that he’s applied to his life and business, while other anecdotes are uniquely Ted Turner.  Nothing game changing and above all, he makes it plain that there are no magic bullets, that hard work is key and yes, a little luck doesn’t hurt. 

Here are 20 take aways from the book:

• Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise.  Turner didn’t coin the phrase but he lives by it.
• Honor and trust are the two most important things in business.
• Look for an unconventional angle and approach to problems:  The SuperStation couldn’t get noticed in the TV listings  when they were becoming a national station, competing with the networks in the early days of cable so he created Turner Time which made all their start times for programming  5 minutes after the hour or half hour 7:05, 7:35 etc.  As a result, they stood out!
• Community service in business is crucial.
• Set your goals so high you can’t possibly achieve them in one lifetime.
• You may not be in a glamorous business but you can still look for ways to use creativity everyday.
• Problems are inevitable; go around or through them.
• Don’t always negotiate on price.  Negotiate on terms.
• Doing the smallest things to take care of your customers is essential.
• Break down barriers:  When he purchased MGM and as went through to tour the place and meet the employees he said to each one who addressed him as Mr. Turner:  “Call me Ted.”
• You don’t know the roadblocks until you get started.
• Keep sights set on the future, don’t dwell on the past.
• Even bad publicity can be valuable—just make sure they spell your name correctly!
• Don’t haggle over a good opportunity.
• Don’t set your goals in monetary terms.
• Move fast.  Take advantage of opportunities before they become obvious and have passion for efficiency
• Talk to lots of people in your industry, including your competition.
• Speak your mind.
• Boundless energy will serve you well.
• And my personal favorite:  You can loose 10 million dollars a day for 2 ½ years and still be OK.

Turner wraps up the book by outlining his 11 voluntary initiatives, so named because he has trouble living up to his own personal code—so far be it for him to try to tell others how to live.  But the suggestions are bold and massive in scope.  I am not listing them here!  It’ll give you a reason to read the book.

Like any advice, take what works for you and leave the rest.  You may come away invigorated and ready to take on the world, or pissed that he’s made it so big.  Maybe he’ll provide anti motivation as in:  if he can do it I know I can do it.  I think he’d laugh and probably agree to know he had that effect.

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