O’Neill stirs crowd with keynote address
Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, Editor, Railway Track & Structures; and Engineering Editor, Railway Age
There are a few occasions when one is fully aware of who the baddest dude in the room is. Such was the case during the Railway Interchange 2015 keynote address by retired Navy SEAL Robert O'Neill.
O’Neill held the crowd’s attention with his humor and stories of war, including headline making raids that resulted in the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips in April 2009 and the death of Osama bin Laden in May 2011. His message to attendees on the topic of success was one that translates from the theater of war to the operations of an office or railroad: Never quit, his personal mantra.
O’Neill touched on several main points when developing a “never quit” attitude, including developing people skills, knowing the difference between overplanning versus being prepared and removing emotion from the decision-making process. His advice to keep moving forward through challenges is to recognize that all stress is self-induced and that failure is a great learning tool. He also noted that keeping a sense of humor helps.
Railway Interchange 2015 continues through Oct. 7, 2015.
