Think Like a Champion: An Informal Education in Business and Life (19 page)

I mention intrinsic value because as a businessman, it’s something that gives integrity and even mystery to everyday business. Not everything is dollars and cents, although in many cases it has to be. Look for the gray areas—it will enhance your life as well as your business sense.

As a businessman, I have realized that “to whom much is given, much is expected.” See yourself as having a lot already, and keep your integrity intact. It’s the best way to pave your way to a comprehensive success.

—CARL SAGAN

T
hat’s an empowering thought. It’s also a real possibility. If it seems you’re being thrown curveballs every day, that means it’s time for some strategy. In short, you need to be bigger than your problems are in order to handle what’s being delivered.

Here are a few things to think about:

“Creative capital” deserves a bit more explanation. In essence, one way to become rich is to be able to move an idea into your asset column. Those people who’ve had an innovative idea and put it into production, whether it was for an automobile or for Post-Its, have been able to move their invention from “idea” to “asset” in a very big way.

A lot of great ideas get discarded before they’re developed, and some ideas deserve to be discarded before they take up too much time and end up being more of a problem than a solution. This is where objectivity and research are useful.

Let’s say you have an idea for a new product or a variation on one that has been successful. The first thing to do is to check out the global marketplace. The best scenario is if you can find a void in that marketplace and find something unique to fill it. It’s important to consider that you could have something to offer that would be viable as well as valuable.

In the current economy, many people are being challenged to find alternative venues for income. That can be an exciting time if you approach the situation in a positive light. It’s also empowering to think of being an inventor—what doesn’t exist yet that could or should exist? That way of thinking will open you up to the possibilities that are definitely there. One important consideration is to make sure you define yourself instead of allowing others to define you. They will limit you when instead you should see that your possibilities are limitless. When it was
reported that I was done and in financial ruin in the early 1990s, I took control by refusing to believe that I was finished. That’s not the definition I chose for myself, which gave me a resiliency that probably surprised a lot of people.

Another point to consider is that when you allow others to define you, you become a bit of a puppet in their hands. Be very wary of this kind of strategy, because some people need to win by getting their competition out of the way instead of being superior to their competition. Be your own barometer of success. We all experience failures, but that doesn’t make us failures, even if others say so. Take control of the circumstance by seeing it in a different light.

Each of us has a different route to our destiny and challenges are part of that path. Keep your self-image strong and intact by defining yourself in the best way possible—every day, no matter what the circumstances might be. Know from the inside out that you have the power to succeed and you will. That’s taking control. Your creative capital might be waiting to be discovered.

—SENECA

S
ynergy is a word that implies the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It’s a coming together of energies that is made clear by the Greek roots of the word: syn + ergos =
together working
.The word has a scientific application, but it also works for business aptitude—as in, combining forces to create a greater momentum, a greater whole.

This can apply to teamwork as well as to individual enterprise. I may be an entrepreneur, but I also head a large organization, so I know how important this concept is. Teamwork and individual responsibility combine to create a force that will make you far more viable in the marketplace. This is one of the concepts of
The Apprentice
that business students are likely to recognize.

When you have a job, always consider the big picture and the gestalt of the organization first. This is a bit like a negotiation technique—take into consideration where the other side is coming from. How you can contribute to the overall success will be made clearer to you. When everyone works that way, success is much easier to attain. You will also be on the wavelength of the CEO,
because it is his or her job to keep the organization healthy, vital, and moving forward.

If you are an entrepreneur, you’ll find there are times when you are your own team. I’m surprised sometimes to notice that people can actually be working against themselves. Pay attention to that possibility and cooperate with yourself. Make sure you are airtight by combining the forces within yourself to create a whole. Your efforts will automatically become more effective.

A recent and good example of synergy is my golf course development in Scotland—Trump International Golf Links Scotland, in beautiful Aberdeen. It’s been a tremendous but challenging experience due to the complexities of the situation. Everyone got together and we are moving forward, but initially it was my determination to develop this magnificent property that got us going. The synergy was at first individual then it became a significant team effort. It can be a wonderfully effective combination.

by Sun Tzu

This is a classic book about military strategy written during the sixth century BC.

 

by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter

This is about working smart and is a good, clear guide to help you move toward financial freedom.

 

by Norman Vincent Peale

This book was published in 1952 and contains useful concepts to enable successful behavior. I’m a cautious optimist but being optimistic is important to be effective.

 

by Mario Livio

“The story of phi, the world’s most astonishing number.” This is fascinating whether or not you are a math whiz.

 

by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Goodwin reveals just how brilliant Lincoln was, with a political spin that has historical as well as contemporary interest.

 

by William Manchester

This is Manchester’s second volume on Churchill. It gives a great insight into Churchill as well as World War II.

 

by Doris Kearns Goodwin

This book brings to life a most interesting and pivotal time in U.S. history side by side with the Roosevelts.

 

by Albert Einstein

Einstein was not just a scientist, but a great mind at work on many topics, which are covered here.

 

by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Emerson’s writing is lucid and thought provoking, and he provides a balance of thought that can be edifying.

Achievers

habits and results

higher self and

results

traits of

See also
Success

Adaptation

See also
Flexibility

Aesop

as challenge

description/tasks

experience and

positive thinking and

success and

team spirit and

Aristotle

Art

life as performance art

work as

Art of the Deal, The
(Trump)

Art of War, The
(Sun Tzu)

Artists

attributes of

Audience

common denominators and

knowing

Barrack, Tom

BBC

Beethoven, Ludwig van

Bell, Alexander Graham

Bellino, Ricardo

“Big picture”

Biorhythms

Blaming others

Brand name

building

importance of

See also
Power of a name; Trump name

Brave New World
(Huxley)

Brokaw, Tom

Buck, Pearl S.

Buffet, Warren

Building.
See
Developing/ building

Burnett, Mark

Bush, George W.

Calamari, Matthew

Campbell, Joseph

Camus, Albert

Carter, Dominic

Cashflow Quadrant
(Kiyosaki)

Cavuto, Neal

Challenges

dealing with

effects of

significance of

The Apprentice
as

Champions

attributes of

thinking like

Chanel

Churchill, Winston

Clear Channel

Comfort zone

Commercials

Common denominators

Confucius

Control

Conversation economizing

Creativity

business and

going against the tide

See also
Art; Artists

Cross training your brain

Curiosity

Da Vinci, Leonardo

Darwin, Charles

De Gaulle, Charles

Deadlines

Deficit of U.S.

Demographics

Dempsey, Jack

Developing/building

background work

golf courses

learning and

mixed-use condominium/ hotel concept

Economizing conversations

Education.
See
Learning Efficiency

Ego

Einstein, Albert

Emerson, Ralph Waldo

Emmy Awards

Employees

getting the best

people you like

“Entitlement mentality”

Environment and heredity

Ethics

Experience

Failure

Fears

of being unique

confronting

of failure

of winning

Federer, Roger

Financial literacy

Financial Times
(UK)