Trotman also stressed the importance of having clear career goals. Although this seems like common sense, he said, a surprising number of people only have vague aspirations to be rich or retire early. Your goals have to be specific enough “to drive your every day behavior.” Where do you want to be in ten years, he challenged the Fletcher audience, and how much are you willing to give up to get there?

Trotman continued: “One more thing about career development. You’re in charge of it. Don’t think anyone else is going to care as much about your career as you do, because they won’t.” Secret ambitions are rarely realized, he said. So if you think you can do something, let your superiors know about it, and don’t give up if they “slap you down.”

Trotman’s own career bears out his advice: He began working for Ford in Great Britain, and asked to be transferred to the U.S, even though such moves were discouraged at the time. Trotman quit his job in Europe, paid his own way to the U.S. and took a demotion in order to start working in the U.S. operation. Years later, he was working as a middle level executive. When his boss was fired, Trotman said Ford did not know what do with him. The Vice President in charge of personnel asked Trotman what he wanted to do. “The next morning, I gave him a worldwide organization chart of Ford and I’d colored-coded, numbered and prioritized the vice president jobs I aspired to.” Six months later, Trotman had one of the jobs he had asked for. “It was specificity and clear ambition that made that happen. If I hadn’t done it, I don’t think I would have ever become the CEO of Ford Motor Company.”

Trotman outlined the qualities that he thinks most leaders need to succeed. Integrity is essential: make it clear you don’t have any hidden agendas or double standards. Respect every member of your team and make them feel they’re making a valuable contribution. You need courage to deal with rough situations, like layoffs, and you need to communicate well. And the most important quality is the ability to compromise. A friend once told him an old Cuban proverb, which says, “In the end, you will be judged not by the strength of your convictions, but by the quality of your compromises.” This had a big impact on Trotman. He believes you have to find solutions that work for the greatest number of people most of the time. But you never compromise your ethical standards

Trotman fielded some provocative questions from the audience about agricultural subsidies, investing in the Middle East, and corporate social responsibility. “Why don’t auto companies invest more in high volume fuel cell, hybrid or electric vehicles?” asked one student. Trotman said the bottom line was profitability. Alternatives to conventional designs were still very expensive to manufacture and enormous investments would be required to replace today’s very efficient designs. You can’t invest huge sums if you can see no likelihood of a return. As research continues on fuel cell and other designs, the internal combustion engine will also continue to be developed and will become even more efficient and cleaner than today’s models. “In my opinion, it’s highly likely that your children will be driving vehicles powered by the internal combustion engine” he stated emphatically.