Leadership

"A leader is someone who empowers others."
   -- Bill Gates

"Leaders are people who translate vision into reality."
   -- Warren Buffett

"Leadership is influence."
   -- John Maxwell

Success leaves clues.

Our ability to lead at a high level translates into the ability to serve more people and to earn more income. In order to succeed in real estate, real estate investing - indeed any business - the entrepreneur must become a leader that people want to follow.

How does one develop the skills to become a great leader?

There are many fine books and resources on leadership. Someone dedicated to improving in this area would do well to spend a few minutes every day, or a few hours every week, reading something inspirational, motivational, or geared towards personal development.

One of my favorite books on translating dreams into reality is Put Your Dream to the Test by John C. Maxwell. Indeed, anything by John Maxwell, who has written extensively on leadership, is worth reading.

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill is another classic that goes beyond the mere making of money, and includes a great deal on service to others.

I am sure you have your favorites, and I am always looking for more great reads on this topic. So dear Blog Readers, what are some of your favorite books on leadership, success and personal development?

Happy Investing!

Keys To Success

Home Land Investment Properties, Inc will be holding its staff retreat today, and discussing strategies to move our business forward. All of the employees of our company are real estate investors, so we are obviously looking at opportunities to generate more income through company and personal portfolios.

As motivation, here is one of my favorite inspirational poems by William Arthur Ward, as quoted in the John C. Maxwell book, Put Your Dream to the Test:

Believe while others are doubting

Plan while others are playing

Study while others are sleeping

Decide while others are delaying

Prepare while others are daydreaming

Begin while others are procrastinating

Work while others are wishing

Save while others are wasting

Listen while others are talking

Smile while others are frowning

Commend while others are criticizing 

Persist while others are quitting.

Happy Investing!

Dream Test

One of the books I have just finished reading, which I would recommend to all investors and entrepreneurs, is "Put Your Dream to the Test: 10 Questions to Help You See It and Seize It" by John C. Maxwell, a NY Times best-selling author who has written many excellent books on leadership,

This book was recommended to me by Keller Williams MegaAgent Rodolfo Hernandez McIntyre, whom I admire very much as a successful entrepreneur. Originally from Mexico, he runs his own real estate brokerage in Burien, WA - and somehow has a system in place to also import food items for Trader Joe's in his spare time. He and his wife Shannon are real estate investors and world travelers. They are great leaders!

Rodolfo certainly believes in multiple streams of income and business ownership as the path to wealth. But what he subtly was suggesting to me was that I could benefit from having more clarity about my goals. How large was my vision and how specific? The book has been enormously helpful in forcing me to focus my vision more clearly.

The ten questions in the book are:
1)Is my dream really my dream?
2)Do I clearly see my dream?
3)Am I depending on factors within my control to achieve my dream?
4)Does my dream compel me to follow it?
5)Do I have a strategy to reach my dream?
6)Have I included the people I need to realize my dream?
7)Am I willing to pay the price for my dream?
8)Am I moving closer to my dream?
9)Does working toward my dream bring satisfaction?
10)Does my dream benefit others?

There are so many good quotes and inspiration in this book, that I will try to incorporate a few in my future blog posts. In the mean time, I encourage you to get the book and start dreaming BIG!

Thank you, Rodolfo!

Happy Investing!

If Success Were Easy, Everyone Would Do It

Thomas Edison on failure:

Failure is really a matter of conceit. People don't work hard because, in their conceit, they imagine they'll succeed without ever making an effort. Most people believe that they'll wake up some day and find themselves rich. Actually, they've got it half right, because eventually they do wake up.