How To Adapt The Key Attributes of Leadership to Think and Grow Rich
Become a Better Leader by Improving These 11 Things
I just finished reading Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, a classic personal development and self-improvement book I encourage everyone to read. The concept of the book is that if you want to become rich you need to write down exactly how much money you want to make, when you want to make it, and what you’re willing to do to achieve it. By reading these affirmations aloud every morning and every night, you will tap into your subconscious and every decision you make will guide you to realize your dreams.
This concept was inspired by Andrew Carnegie, and applied by thousands of successful entrepreneurs, and the likes of Henry Ford, Teddy Roosevelt, and Charles Schwab, to name a few, have attributed their success to this philosophy.
Will it work for me? Ask me when I’m 50.
In the book, Hill outlines the key attributes to Leadership. This fueled my creative cannons to reflect on my role as a leader, and how I can improve these attributes to guide me on my journey.
The Key Attributes to Leadership
1. Unwavering Courage
Being a leader requires courage that cannot be faltered, and true grit when you are tested. When things are going well, you need to double down on preparation for the hell that’s coming, because those speed bumps are doing push-ups while your celebrating your successes. When they do come, be ready to respond, and not react, to these situations with unwavering courage.
“It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.” — Dumbledore (written by J.K. Rowling)
2. Self-control
One of the most important attributes to leadership is your ability to control yourself. I do this by following a routine that involves exercise, reading, writing, learning Spanish, meditation and, of course, bowling. I slip often as we all do, but we aim for spiritual progress, not spiritual perfection. By displaying self-control you let your light shine and inspire others to work within a harmonious system toward a common vision.
“The man who cannot control himself can never control others.” — Robert E Lee
3. A keen sense of justice
Without a sense of fairness and justice, you will lose the respect and attention of your team. Fairness is not an attitude or a predisposition, it is a skill that can be developed with practice. While fairness is an abstract concept that is difficult to exercise, I try to approach every day with an open mind, and offer complete transparency with the inner workings of our company. This makes the difficult conversations easy, and the easy conversations second nature. One of my personal mottos right now is “Live by my principles, play by the rules.”
4. Definiteness of decision
The man who wavers in his decisions, shows that he is not sure of himself, cannot lead others successfully. It’s best to make a decision, pursue it relentlessly, and refine as you progress, than it is to make no decision at all. The amount of time wasted from being indecisive can lead to months, or even years lost, in what could have been pursuit.
“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” — Teddy Roosevelt
5. Definiteness of plans
The successful leader must plan his work, and work his plan. Having a good morning and evening routine is the key to a prosperous life, and organizing tomorrow today will help you prioritize your plans so you don’t get distracted by the shiny objects that float your way.
6. Doing more than paid for
There are two styles of leaders. Those that bark orders from the top, and those that roll up their sleeves, get their hands dirty, and aren’t afraid to go above and beyond to support their team. Hitler and Napoleon are good examples of the first type of leader. These two dictators swept nations successfully for decades, but as we know the ending of their stories. There is a much greater reward by leading from the front, and inspiring others to work with you rather than for you.
7. A pleasing personality
No slovenly, careless person can become a successful leader. To develop a “pleasing” personality, learn to be a better listener, read more and engage with others. Send the positive vibrations, and smile more.
“Let us meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.” — Mother Teresa
8. Sympathy and understanding
The best way to be in sympathy with your team is to ask the right questions often. Listen to their challenges, understand their roadblocks, and acknowledge the struggles they face. Don’t be eager to find the solution for them, but rather be present and supportive while they figure it out themselves.
9. Master of detail.
The devil is in the detail. Successful leadership calls for mastery of the details of your position. In order to be detailed, I’ve found I need to slow down more in every aspect of work. Practicing mindfulness in meetings, using Grammarly to help proofread emails, and recapping the day while preparing for tomorrow are a few ways to master the details.
“Perfection is attained by slow degrees; it requires the hand of time” — Voltaire
10. Willingness to assume full responsibility
Leaders encourage everyone to be proactive and make decisions on their own. If they are wrong and a fire arises, it is the leader’s job to back them 100% and assume responsibility for the mistakes and shortcomings of the team. As a CEO, I’m supposed to be a Visionary and a Salesman, but for everyone’s sake, “I’m the Fireman” — Tunechi.
11. Cooperation
Team lunches. Beach cleanups. Happy hours. Team bonding is essential to creating a great culture, but it only sets a foundation for the true cooperative exercises that are needed to succeed as a team. Daily stand-ups. Project reviews. Paired programming. We try to instill a culture of collaboration on a daily basis, believing the mind works like a battery — you produce more energy when they work together. In other words, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
“Let us go forward together.” — Howard Hughes
Let’s Rise Together.
This analysis of leadership is one of many valuable concepts I learned from reading Think and Grow Rich. Napoleon spent 20+ years studying Andrew Carnegie, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, among others, and created a philosophy that has stood the test of time for more than 80 years.
You can can download the book at this link.
Thanks for reading.
Jordan Rothstein
CEO @ King Tide — A Digital Product Development Company
