Guys who like to be told what to do might make mama happy, but they will never be leaders. If you want to lead, you have to live like a shark, always be moving and making things happen. To be a leader, you have to think faster than the followers so that they don't get bored or disgruntled, because when they don't have enough to do, they get whiny. Followers are like children and can be controlled by anyone who tells a good story. Followers are also necessary, because without them you would have to do all the work yourself. There's no need for taking out the trash when you have plenty of fools with two hands to do it for you.
Leaders naturally rise in an organization. It's true that idiot sons often get vaulted into top positions, but real leaders don't get places because of daddy's pockets and daddy's buddies. A real leader takes offense to this kind of bum-squatting on unearned power. Frankly, it's appalling. A guy should rise on his own merits, he should be recognized for being talented, raking in cash, and making deals happen whether the cash comes in from busting heads or basic handshakes.
Still, anyone who wants to be a leader can't just sit back and imagine that hard work alone is going to get the job done. The same thing goes for women, you might be the star football player, but that doesn't mean you get to nail the hottest chick in school unless you pursue that goal. The meek will inherit nothing. The game of life requires more than dice, it takes balls. You have to go after what you want, you have to get up and go without hitting snooze six times and luck will find you. When luck becomes success, let everyone know that you made it happen. Don't be shy, because if you don't take credit, assholes will. In fact, taking credit is a time-honored principle of leadership. If you took someone else's idea and made it happen, then it's yours. Uncle Ben didn't build the building, but he got his name on it.
It's much simpler to think about being a leader than it is to actually be one. But if you want it, then follow these rules:
Wear Blinders
If you want to lead a group, I don't care if it's the Girl Scouts or the Russian Mafia, you’d better commit to the ideas of that group and believe them in your core. You should at least start out with this mindset, because it will help you get to where you're aiming. Along the way, you might find out that the Girl Scouts are more corrupt than the Russian Mafia, but once you are inside the power structure, you can deal with that like a professional. If you are a cynic or can't get behind an idea without weighing all of the nuances, you're too slow to lead. Doubters don't inspire people to make money.
Be Stable
Show up each day with the same face and the same demeanor. Don't be a mess in your personal life and let it spill into onto the job. The more stable you are, the more likely others will trust you. Whatever your vice is, limit it to a degree that doesn't affect your work ethic. Get a wife at some point and act like a grown-up. You can still chase girls, but guys who don't have a status quo life at home generally don't move up the ladder as fast as married guys. That's a fact. They make more money, they get more done and I suspect it's partially because they've gotta feed the monkey at home.
Reward Others
Nobody wants to work for a glory hog. The best way to get people to work for you is to give kickbacks. Money. Promotions. Gold stars. Whatever. Anything that makes a guy's head swell, that's what generates loyalty. The best leaders bask in the glory and then give rewards to the underlings that make them feel like winners. But this doesn't mean you should dole out rewards for the slightest thing if you do that, the rewards will have no meaning. If the cash flow is slow, nobody gets a reward until someone takes the initiative and creates some dough. Likewise, it helps to give a rat's ass about another guy's home life. God knows that everyone loves to talk about himself. Just ask a guy about his kid's sports talemts and he'll tell you more than you ever wanted to know about Junior and walk away thinking you cared.
Get In The Right Group
On your way to the top, you will meet a lot of people, some on their way up and others on their way down. The important thing is to get in the clique with momentum. Don't close down sniffer's row with the fools who stumble home broke and blitzed. Instead, be with the brass on the golf course for the 7 a.m. tee time. When you make contacts that can help you go places, pay them visits so that your name stays fresh in their minds. Don't look at the guys above you as enemies, but rather, see them as tools you can use. Once you are in the right club, don't screw it up.
Be On The Offense
In conversations, be the one with all the good ideas. Follow your instinct and you'll be a faster thinker than the cows who chew it over for an hour. You have to live in the moment while looking 10 years down the road. Whatever is going on that day, that's your job. You can hold grudges, but not if it slows business. Get a thick skin and don't become gun-shy when you get rebuked. Always be ready for the next thing.
The last thing any group needs is a slow-witted pacifist taking charge. If you want to lead, learn how to be scrappy and know what you want. Nobody is perfect and the followers don't have to love you. They just have to do what you tell them.
the audacious truth
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