10 Things You Didn’t Know about DISH Network CEO W. Erik Carlson
You may not know who W. Erik Carlson is, but you certainly know the company he works for, Dish Network. It doesn’t matter if you have Dish or not, there’s no way you can live anywhere in the United States near a television set and not know something about the company. That being said, if you want to know more about the person that essentially runs the company, then you can learn ten things about him be reading through the list below.
1. He makes more money in a year than most make their entire lives
In just one year, he made more than one million dollars. Sadly, that’s more money than most people will ever see throughout their entire lifetime. The fact that he makes that much money is definitely good news for him, but maybe not so much for others who are slaving away to make some paltry amount.
2. He went to a prestigious university
He attended Bradley University, a place that is challenging to study at and even harder to get into. It wasn’t much of a challenge for him, as he got in without any trouble and he basically sailed right through his studies, graduating near the top of his class.
3. He’s been working for Dish Network for over a decade
The first time he ever set foot on the grounds for the company was in 1995. He’s been working for them ever since, taking on ever more challenging roles until he finally made it all the way to the top and became CEO a few years ago.
4. He has a background as a salesman
In his early days as a professional, he worked as a salesman. This was before he went to work for Dish and as you might already suspect, he was good at that job, too. As a matter of fact, it was his ability to sell just about anything that landed him the job at Dish to begin with.
5. You might say he brought Dish into the twenty-first century
During his tenure at Dish, one of the things he did was work tirelessly to make sure that those who were working out in the field had the technology they needed to make things go seamlessly. As a result, he was largely responsible for the upgrades made by the company, including new laptops and tablets for all personnel who worked to provide Dish service to customers in the field.
6. He stays connected to the college where he got his foundation
Like most business professionals who are extremely successful, he hasn’t forgotten how he got to this point in his life. He still has connections to the college where he got his education and more importantly, he finds new and creative ways to give back to the college on a regular basis.
7. He is known to be extremely driven
You don’t find this level of success without being driven. In his case, he has more desire to succeed than most. That’s precisely how he has managed to get where he is today, by being driven enough to put in the long hours and hard work necessary to find the success he’s looking for.
8. He understands what it takes to be successful in big business
He definitely understands how major corporations work. That fact, coupled with his desire to do well in business, makes him quite formidable.
9. However, he still finds time to unwind
Even though he works hard and he puts in a lot of time to get what he wants, he doesn’t work all the time. In fact, he actually finds some time to unwind whenever he can. He enjoys doing some of the simple things in life such as taking a walk, enjoying nature, and even going camping. He also likes doing a few things that might be considered more adventurous, namely hang gliding and white water rafting.
10. He believes having a good balance in life is key to solid performance
He is quick to tell most people that the way to find a high level of success in business is to find a balance between work and everything else in life. That’s how he has found success and through his efforts, he believes that having a balance allows him to focus even more when it’s time to go to work.
