Impacting the World

"The measure of true success is the ability to impact society in a positive manner." Paul Alofs.

There are quick victories like winning a game of tennis or a particularly grueling marathon, maybe the fastest success is the 100meter dash. Usain Bolt currently holds the world record at 9.58 seconds, and despite the thousands of hours he has put into training, someone can take it away in 9.57 seconds. There are in contrast other victories that will continue for generations after you are gone.

For Paul Alofs no one will ever be able to take away the good he has done as President and CEO of Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation. Over his tenure he has helped raise over 550 million dollars, and through this just may have played a key role in saving a whole town of lives.

Long-term success is not temporary and should not be measured at a single point. No matter how much you earn or how big an empire you build, no matter how skilled your plastic surgeon or how good your legal team, you cannot take your good looks, your popularity, houses and cars, your position in society,  or even your trophies with you when you leave this earth. If you are looking for long-term success you need to focus beyond the horizon and concentrate your efforts on what impact you will have on your grandchildren and your grandchildren's grandchildren.  Success and purpose in life go hand in hand. If you want to fulfill your purpose in life you must first find out what it is. Now is a good time to start.

Here are some questions to get you started;

1. Is money a central part of your definition?
2. Is good health?
3. Is a loving relationship?
4. Is peace of mind?
5. Is recognition?
6. Is success a destination or a journey?
7. Is success how you leave this world a better place?
8. Do you measure success by what you do or is your success  measured by what you have?

Prior to joining The Princess Margaret, Paul was President of HMV Music Stores Canada, and during his tenure with the music retailer, the company's annual revenue increased from $30 million to over $200 million. He then joined BMG Music Canada as president and was named Music Industry Executive of the Year in 1996.

He then moved to California to oversee 500 Disney Stores and 15,000 employees throughout North America.  But that was not his final business success. He left Disney to help found MP3.com. In his role as President, Strategic Business Units, Alofs helped launch one of the more successful IPOs of the Internet age. After selling his MP3.com shares in November 1999, he became a private investor, board member and not-for-profit volunteer. However it is his most current role that will contribute most to his leaving the world better than the day he arrived.

The vision, mission, ambition and passion of The Princess Margaret are to Conquer Cancer In Our Lifetime. Paul has helped lead and fund The Campbell Family Cancer Research Institute, the de Souza Oncology Nursing Institute, the Gattuso Rapid Diagnostic Centre and is on the board of Ozmosis Research, a company specializing in clinical trials and new drug development. The Foundation was recognized as one of Canada's Top Ten Corporate cultures in 2010 by Waterstone Human Capital. He has now been elected to the board of the International Cancer Foundation in Geneva and continues to set new goals for what he plans to accomplish.

He is a good role model and has been well recognized for his contributions.

He was named one of Canada's 'Top 40 Under 40'business leaders in 1995; and in 2005, was voted one of the 'Best of the Best' by his fellow Top 40 alumni. He has received the Outstanding Progress and Achievement Award from the Schulich School of Business at York University.

The Retail Council of Canada named Paul Innovative Retailer of the Year.

He, like all of us, has just one life. He appears to be spending it with vision and purpose. How high are you setting your sights?

What do you want your life to contribute? What are you doing today to get the skills, experience and position at the table not to get where you want to go but to do what you want to do?

We would love to hear how you have defined success and how you would mentor someone who asks – What are the three things you would recommend to get there?

Follow @SchulichExecEd or email your thoughts and questions to editor@community.seec.schulich.yorku.ca to continue the conversation!

Comments

My wife, Fook Fook Hsu, has passed away on may 18, 2011 after six years from lung cancer. She was an out-patient of Princess Margaret Hospital and spent her last few week in the hospital before moving back to our home. I understand what you said about how success has to leave a significant impact which could easil be overlooked. My wife gave away a lot of material things in her seventy three years life in moderation while she works as a teacher, but seldomly in the form of money; however, she decided to write a cheque for $1,000 during her treatment at the hospital and she was very surprised that her name will be listed as a founding member of the foundation for which you  have founded. The story doesn't end here because  her donation had left her name unintentionally on a list kept among other donors has started a chain of other donation to the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation long after she was gone.

Nov 23 2011 - 13:59 PM - Donald Y Hsu

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