- By Camila Ante
When journalist Napoleon Hill interviewed industrialist Andrew Carnegie in 1908, Carnegie liked Hill so much that he decided he would share all the strategies that turned him from a poor immigrant to one of the richest men in the world.
From that point on, Hill dedicated his career to understanding the work ethic of successful people like Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, collecting them to create his own philosophy and translate them into articles, books and readings for ordinary people who wanted to achieve more in their work. lifetime. His 1937 Think and Get Rich is one of the best-selling books of all time.
Before beginning to write the books, Hill ran two magazine articles that served as the basis for his most famous work. In the inaugural 1921 issue of his magazine, Hill wrote "The Magic Stairway to Success," an essay based on the speech he gave on a tour of the United States and later included in a 1930 book. We find it in "Las Napoleon Hill First Editions: From the Napoleon Hill Archives "
After spending 12 years analyzing more than 12,000 men and women, both successful entrepreneurs and ordinary people, Hill unveiled 16 elements of exceptional leaders that anyone can practice.
1. They have a definite purpose in their life. "Keep in mind that your purpose and your plan to achieve it can be modified from time to time ... the important thing is that you understand the meaning of always working with a goal in mind and with a well-structured plan," says Hill.
2. They have confidence in themselves. In order to have ambitious goals, you need to believe that you can follow the plans to achieve them. When you believe in yourself, others tend to believe in you too.
3. They show initiative. The only way to grow up the corporate hierarchy or build your own business is by looking for other things to do once you've done your duties.
4. They are imaginative. When you don't have initiative or creativity, "95 percent of the world's people don't have a goal in life."
5. They are active. Maybe you graduated from prestigious universities and have read the most important historical books, but that means nothing if you don't turn that knowledge into action.
6. They are enthusiastic. Do what you love or you won't have the energy to be truly successful.
7. They practice self-control. Hill says that he didn't start being successful until he learned that he was working against himself when he was arrogant or angry. "Nobody becomes a leader until they learn to control themselves."
8. They go beyond what is asked of them. The most successful people outperform the competition and, when they reach the top, they compete with themselves.
9. They are extremely nice. When you are charismatic and take care of relationships with others, you build a network of people who are willing to help you when you ask.
10. They know how to separate the truth from what is doubtful. They know that their actions have ramifications for other people, leaders understand that they cannot believe everything they hear or read, and they learn to extract the truth from other people's worldviews.
11. They focus. Successful people are able to focus their energy and skills toward specific goals without being distracted by irrelevant things.
12. They are persistent. Those who are able to achieve success are not held back by unavoidable challenges and setbacks that come their way.
13. They are resistant. “When you begin to realize that failure is an important part of anyone's education, you will not look at it with fear. You will be sure that there will be no failures ”. No one got up in a blow or defeat without being stronger and wiser than before.
14. They are understanding. In "Think and Get Rich," Hill writes that it is no coincidence that history is full of tyrants and dictators who were overthrown. The most successful leaders work in harmony with their team, not dominating them.
15. They work hard. Hill says this sounds very simple, but it's important to remember that even if you reach your biggest goal, you need to keep pushing yourself or you're going to risk losing everything.
16. They are empathetic. Hill's favorite philosophical idea is "The Golden Rule," which states: "Treat others as you would like to be treated." He uses it as the bottom rung of the ladder to true success. Hill writes:
The golden rule acts as a barrier to all tendencies of man towards the destructive use of energy that comes from the development of the other qualities described in this ladder. It is the thing that serves as an antidote to the harm done by a man without knowledge and power, which guides men to the intelligent and constructive way of using those qualities that he develops from using the rungs of this ladder.
entrepreneur.com
