St. John’s alum and New York Times bestselling author, Jack Carew returned to the University Sept. 29 to give students tips for success in the business world.

The event, called “Your Ticket to Greatness is You!” was held in Marillac Terrace and during a brief and witty motivational workshop, Carew said the key to greatness was just being yourself.

“Everyone has the gift of success,” he said. “Having it and using it, however, are two different things. Be who you are and be that person well.”

Since graduating from St. John’s in 1959, Carew has written two NY Times bestsellers, “You’ll Never Get No For An Answer” and “The Mentor” and has appeared on CNBC, CNN and numerous other media outlets discussing business leadership and teamwork.

He also founded Carew International, a company that specializes in leadership development and sales training, management and customer service.

Along with the lecture, Carew had audience members participate in an exercise where they ranked what they thought were the most essential qualities to have in the business world.

According to a survey done by the motivational speaker prior to the event, listening skills, competitiveness and reliability were the most important traits.

Students said left the event impressed by Carew’s advice.

“I really enjoyed this workshop,” said Trentina Withworth. “He was a great speaker and a lot of the things he spoke about stuck with me.”

Sally Ren, another student, said she also learned some helpful tips.

“The most important thing I gained from this experience is to be fearless, persistent and trustworthy,” she said. “He is a great speaker and the overall experience was great.”?