The Magic of Thinking Big - Chapter 13

"You are not pulled to high levels of success. Rather, you are lifted there by those working beside you and below you. Achieving high levels of success requires the the support and cooperation of others. "

Simply put, relationships matter.

Leadership is the ability to get people to move in a certain direction, to take certain actions. Leadership is about influence. And influence is about relationships.

In order to influence people, you have to enter their world, feel like them, speak like them, think like them, be interested in things that interest them. You have to be able to understand their values, what's important to them. Speak to their hearts, not just to their minds. Put yourself in the other person's shoes, how would you react if you him or her?

Take interest in the people around you. Spend more time talking about them than talking about yourself. If you have the ability to help them in any way, do it before they even. This way you're planting seeds of goodwill. Do this sincerely, not with the intention of harvesting favors for yourself in the future. Remember the golden rule? Treat others as you would want to be treated.

If you have to criticize, Dr. Schwartz encourages the sandwich technique we learned in the One Minute Manager.

Start by praising the person for the good qualities they exhibit. Then show them the specific behavior that doesn't serve them. Close the discussion with more praise and a desire to help the person with taking corrective measures.

Praise people in many different ways, at every available opportunity. Everyone is facing some kind of challenge and they're looking for someone to lighten the load. True, I'm an advocate for accountability, but I've also had moments where I wished for a miracle, for an outside force to swoop in and make things better. One way you can make things better for the people ground you is with words of encouragement.

Next way to become a leader is to raise your standards. Push for progress. Find ways to make things better.

Also raise the standards of the people around you. Give them more responsibility. Give them a fine reputation to live up to. Help them believe they are capable of more and better.

Dr. Schwartz gives a us a significant question to ponder: "What kind of world would this be if everyone in it were just like me?"

Your answer to this question should guide your behavior. Lead by example.

 Spend time alone with your thoughts, away from the distractions of the world. Think about a specific problem you want to solve, or a specific opportunity you want to capture. Plan. Strategize. And then follow through.

The last sentence of the book is this:

"A wise man will be master of his mind; a fool will be it's slave."

Be wise. Direct your thinking in positive ways. Think big. Win big.