Foundation for Success for Every Businessman
As a broker for Merrill Lynch, then a banker, later an appraiser and business consultant 40+ years in business has taught me that "business relationships" of trust and integrity are key factors to success. Look at the giants of business and industry and you see they had foundations of trustworthy relationships with people of quality and character. A few years ago I flew all the way to India (14 hours) and then drove another 12 hours just to meet HH the Dalai Lama. When I finally got to his mountaintop home, in Dharamsala, I watched his actions and listened carefully to his teachings and his words. He believes and follows a code that says a successful life is centered by respect, wisdom, compassion, trust, joy, optimism and integrity in dealings with every human. Not a bad model for a busness leader. Men like Warren Buffett epitimize these traits. Remember during the heart of the Great Recession, Warren Buffett was a positive voice in our world.
Economic cycles come and go. Political trends come and go. Technology and engineering progress and change. But good relationships make good business possible. Thus it behooves us as business leaders to be better and to strive to encourage our people to be better, do better and to create and foster business relationships which are solid, based upon the highest integrity, professionalism and which have superior work ethics and determination to deal only in quality of products and services. The good relationships become more valuable than gold. My personal list of "quality" businessmen included thousands of extraordinary people throughout the world. I never attempt to "use" or "manipulate" these people, because their friendship is worth so much to me. But I find that their friendship often encourages and motivates me to go farther, higher and achieve even when chips are down. Often, just a friendship with a quality person is enough to open a door.
I encourage you, myself included, this upcoming year to incorporate compassion, love, respect, loyalty and kindness in every action, every product, every development that you undertake. Be a quality person, while encouraging others to do the same.
Ben Boothe, Publisher, Global Perspectives President: The Boothe Companies