I just finished listening to the audio CD of Outliers, the new book by Malcolm Gladwell. He makes a point that success takes more than just being ambitious, extremely smart or working hard. We all know plenty of ambitious people who don't make it very far in life, or the hard-working person who makes just US$10 an hour.
Gladwell's main point is that success doesn't just happen with the individual. For a person to achieve extraordinary results and to be considered an “outlier,” you must also look at his/her culture, community, family and what's happening in his/her generation. Gladwell uses Bill Gates in a particular example. He writes that Gates became the world's richest man not just through his smarts, but because he had extraordinary circumstances happen to him.
For instance, Gates had extraordinary access to computers in high school in the 1960s, when even professors at leading universities had limited access to computers. Gates also had connections to the right people because of the right family circumstances. So if we don't have the lucky gene pool that Bill Gates has, does this mean we're doomed to fail? Absolutely not.
Here are three lessons I learned when it comes to achieving success:
Success Does Not Happen Alone
In order for me to achieve success, I need others to be in on my plan. No one who has achieved tremendous success has done it on his own. It doesn't matter if you’re talking about financial assistance or contributing positively to a big cause. Entrepreneurial companies need loyal and smart employees to build and achieve the entrepreneur's vision. I’ve learned it’s all about involving others in my plan.
Am I a Practitioner or an Entrepreneur?
There is nothing wrong with being a practitioner in a business. There are many successful practitioners out there making a great living helping clients and living a highly effective life. However, if my goal is to change an industry or change the world, then I need to move from being a practitioner to an entrepreneur. An entrepreneur works on their business, not in it.
Sharing My Success with Others
I've seen many rookie entrepreneurs make the mistake of claiming they want others to be successful. They then create a billion shares, keep 97 percent for themselves and give their employees 10,000 shares of stock options. If the company they build grows to be worth US$50 million, those 10,000 shares are worth US$500. Who would be motivated to earn US$500 while helping you build a $50 million company?
In my opinion, anyone who is willing to work for you and is a good employee deserves a decent chunk of that US$50 million. Bill Gates became the richest person in the world because he also helped thousands of others become millionaires. In my business, I make it a point to be realistic when it comes to sharing my wealth. After all, motivated employees are productive employees.