Winners see problems as just another way to prove themselves. Problems are never truly hardships to them, and if you haven’t got any problems, then you must not have a business to run.
Regard your company as a living, breathing organism, because that’s what it is. Those figures you see on your spreadsheets will reflect the health of that organism. Watch out for bad cells while allowing good cells to flourish.
Growth is an indication of life, so keep your organization moving forward at all times. Having a passion for what you do is crucial. If you can’t get excited about what you are doing, how can you expect anyone else to? If your employees can see and feel your energy, it is bound to affect them.
Don’t intimidate people. If you do, you’ll never get a straight answer from anyone, and you’ll be defeating your own purpose. I keep my door open, and my people know I’m available as well as approachable. We don’t have chat-fests, but whatever needs to be done gets accomplished, and quickly.
Remember that your organization is
Don’t Equivocate
If you equivocate, it’s an indication that you’re unsure of yourself and what you’re doing. It’s also what politicians do all the time, and I find it inappropriate, insulting, and condescending.
I try not to do it. Fortunately, I don’t have to try too hard at this one, because I’ve been known to be on the blunt (and fast) side at times, which is good.
I once asked an executive in my organization to give me a synopsis of a new development we were considering. He’d been to the city in question, had spent some time there, and had done some careful investigating. He went on to describe the merits of the site, the pitfalls, the good things, the bad things, the pros, the cons—on and on in great detail. He must’ve talked for ten minutes straight. Judging from what he was telling me, there were just as many reasons to drop the project as there were reasons to jump right in and get going. It was like a tied game with no overtime.
I asked him more questions, and we ended up exactly where we were before. He was on both sides of the fence at once and didn’t seem to want to take a stand either way. This guy had a lot of experience and a good track record, so finally I asked him what he thought of the project in ten words or less.
It stinks, he said.
He had eight words left, but he didn’t need them.
Ask Yourself Two Questions
1. Is there anyone else who can do this better than I can?
That’s just another way of saying: Know yourself, and know your competition. If your competition is better than you are, you need to offer some quality they lack.
2. What am I pretending not to see?
We can all get swept up in the euphoria of a creative moment, or what former president Richard Nixon’s speechwriters used to call the lift of a dream. Before the dream lifts you into the clouds, make sure you’ve looked hard at the facts on the ground.
Bullshit Will Only Get You So Far
I think it’s funny that the phrase most closely associated with me these days is You’re fired, because, the truth is, although I’ve had to fire people from time to time, it’s not a big part of my job. I much prefer keeping loyal and hardworking people around for as long as they’d like to be here. There’s a wonderful lady in her nineties, Amy Luerssen, who worked for my father and still reports to work every day at our Brooklyn office. Here at The Trump Organization, Helen Rakotz has worked for me from the day I moved to Manhattan, and she still puts in long hours every week. She is eighty-two.
Once I delayed firing someone for two years because this guy always had such a great line of bullshit every time I came close to the topic. No matter what was going on, he had some huge deal lined up that was just about to come through.
He managed to string me along for two solid years, and I believed him every time—or wanted to. Finally, I was forced to realize that his claims were bogus, but I gave him every chance before finally axing him.
Unless your boss is a total sadist, he (or she) doesn’t want to fire you or cause hardship to your family. If you think you’re in danger of being fired, take control of the situation and ask your boss for a meeting.
Make sure you ask for the meeting at the right time. Tell your boss you want to make sure you are communicating and doing your job to everyone’s satisfaction.
Of course, if your boss is a sadist, or just a lousy communicator, you’ve still got a problem. In that case, fire your boss and get a better job. There’s no sense in trying to cope with a bad situation that will never improve.
I never try to dissuade people from quitting. If they don’t want to be here, I don’t want them to be here, either. No one has ever come to me with an ultimatum. People see how it works here, and if it doesn’t suit them, they move on. Sometimes it happens quickly. A qualified and experienced receptionist worked here for a grand total of six hours. She realized right away that the pace just wasn’t suited to her, and she very politely told us so and left. I appreciated her quick thinking and efficient decision-making skills. She’ll have a successful career somewhere else.
Every New Hire Is a Gamble
Some people give such great interviews that you’re ready to make them vice presidents on the spot, until you realize that their true talent is simply giving a great interview. That’s why, in a sense, every new hire is a gamble.
Impressive credentials don’t always add up to a great performance or a good fit. Nonexistent credentials don’t necessarily mean a no-talent. Being circumspect helps a lot and keeps you from being surprised. People can offer an interesting mix of pros and cons. Time will do the weeding out for you. All you have to do is pay attention.
What I look for in employees is a sense of responsibility that goes beyond what is merely sufficient. Some people do the bare minimum, and some people will actually be concerned about the organization as a whole. They see themselves as having a direct relationship to the success or failure of the company they work for. They believe they are important, and their work shows it. If you can instill this sense of worth in your employees, you will have a tip-top team working for you. People who take pride in their work are the kind you want to have around—and the kind I like to keep around.
I especially like employees who spend—and, more important, save—the company’s money as if it were their own. Companies suffer when employees don’t make enough of an effort to control costs. The employees who feel a personal responsibility for their budgets, who view the company’s bottom line as an extension of their own personal savings account, are often the ones who get the best results. If you let your boss know that you’re watching out for his or her bottom line, you’ll always be appreciated.
