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Most Leadership Advice Is Useless. Here's What I Really Learned Running20 Copanies.

October 1, 2014LinkedIn Infuencer, James Altucher , published this post originally on LinkedIn.

 They fred me. They fred me as CEO. Then they fred me as a board member. Thenthey took away my shares. And now none o them ever talk to me. started the com!any, had the "n"t"al "dea, ra"sed #$0 m"ll"on or "t rom A%"nvestors &".e. 'r"ch !eo!le(), bo*+ht two com!an"es or "t, h"red the frst 0em!loyees, and then was shown the door.

 The reason- was a bad leader. ere are some th"n+s d"dn/t know abo*t my owncom!any d"dn/t know what o*r !rod*ct d"d. d"dn/t know any o the cl"ents. d"dn/t know how m*ch money we made. d"dn/t know how m*ch we lost. And hadcr*shes on the secretar"es and maybe two or ten other em!loyees. wo*ld/ve +ladly st*ck my ton+*e "n the ears o any o those em!loyees. Eewww*t why was fred- 3*st d"dn/t do anyth"n+ or anyone. never wanted to talk. wo*ld lock mysel "n my o5ce and !eo!le wo*ld knockand wo*ld !retend not to be there.Related! Multi"#as$ing Will %ill &ou Lin$edIn( anyone wanted to talk to me abo*t 'v"s"on( wo*ld 3*st nod my head and saysometh"n+ l"ke, 'make "t ha!!en(, l"ke was Ca!ta"n 6"card on the 7tarsh"!Enter!r"se.e"n+ a leader doesn/t mean yo* are the +*y who r*ns th"n+s.e"n+ a leader doesn/t mean yo* created someth"n+ or yo* d"d someth"n+ +reat "nthe !ast or some other !erson has +"ven yo* any k"nd o a*thor"ty.e"n+ a leader ha!!ens 89T :O;, today, and can be done w"tho*t money,w"tho*t a*thor"ty, and w"tho*t anybody. <"rst, yo* have to lead yo*rsel.t/s a m"ndset. /m +o"n+ to make a l"st. <or+"ve me. <eel ree to add to the l"st oradd yo*r own e=!er"ences "n the comments. n act, wo*ld really a!!rec"ate " yo*can add to th"s l"st.Ater r*nn"n+ 20 or so com!an"es &most o them a"l*res). Ater "nvest"n+ "n $0com!an"es &most o them s*ccesses) ater adv"s"n+ or be"n+ on the board o ado>en com!an"es &most o them s*ccesses) and ater be"n+ marr"ed tw"ce &0?s*ccess rate), have a sense o what th"nk a leader "s. may be wron+ b*t th"s "s my l"st.

A( More success )or others than )or you

@ost "m!ortant by ar yo* care abo*t the s*ccess o others more than yo* careabo*t yo*r own s*ccess. Everyone aro*nd yo* needs to *lt"mately become betterthan yo*.

 That/s how yo* lead. The l"+ht "s "n ront o yo* and yo* take them to the l"+ht andthen +o back. all the !eo!le aro*nd yo* ach"eve more than yo*, then l"e w"ll be +ood. o*don/t have to bel"eve me. /ve seen th"s ha!!en re!eatedly.

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t doesn/t matter " they are em!loyees, "nvestors, r"ends, s!o*ses. yo* 3*stoc*s on th"s one !r"nc"!le "n all o yo*r act"ons then yo* are a leader. Today f+*reo*t how the !eo!le aro*nd yo* can have a s*ccess*l day."nt don/t st"ck yo*r ton+*e "n the"r ear.

*(&es+ and

3*st wrote a book called The 6ower o :o. *y "t beca*se yo*r l"e w"ll be better&and am not ashamed o !l*++"n+ "t).*t now /m abo*t to tell yo* to say 'yes(.Cla*d"a had an "dea or a 3oke th"s morn"n+ that she wants to start a talk oB w"th. had a s*++est"on to chan+e "t. d"dn/t say, 'on/t do that. o th"s.( sa"d, 'es,and( a techn"D*e *sed "n "m!rov comedy.;hat does "t mean- tr*st Cla*d"a and val*e her tho*+hts so " 3*st say 'no(( "t

shows haven/t +"ven eno*+h res!ect "nto the t"me she !*t "nto com"n+ *! w"th an"dea.7o say 'es, and( and say what "s +ood abo*t her "dea and then how th"nk "tcan be made even better and why. +"ve all o her "deas and tho*+hts res!ect andadd to them rather than ever s*btract rom them.CO:7T8CTFE C8TC7@ ;O8G7 HGE T7a. 'es, and(b. H"st what/s +oodc. ow yo* wo*ld "m!roved. <"+*re o*t the v"s"on that "s the base o the "dea that yo* are talk"n+ abo*t.e. Connect the ';hy( o what yo* are s*++est"n+ to the "n"t"al v"s"on. oes "t workbetter than the "n"t"al "dea-

. e o!en to the act that yo* m"+ht be wron+. AH;A7 AH;A7 yo* m"+ht bewron+.

C( ,ratitude

was talk"n+ to Hew"s owes yesterday. e/s an athlete t*rned m*lt"Im"ll"on dollarweb"nar and H"nked"n e=!ert ater l"v"n+ on h"s s"ster/s co*ch. e was on my!odcast a ew months a+o.

don/t have a vo"cema"l set *! on my !hone. *t Hew"s told me h"s vo"cema"l says,'beore yo* leave me a messa+e, tell me one th"n+ yo* are +rate*l or.(e says the messa+es !eo!le leave blow h"m away.

Related! #he - $ills /eeded to *ecoe a uper Connector Lin$edIn( always "ma+"ne a +ood leader "s s*rro*nded by !eo!le who call the"r mothers atthe end o the day and tell them, '@om, yo* can/t bel"eve what d"d today. Het metell yo* abo*t "t.(:ot that every day "s *n. eca*se some work "sn/t. *t make s*re every day yo*rem!loyees can call Hew"s owes and they have at least one new th"n+ they can be+rate*l or.

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@aybe they learned a new sk"ll. @aybe they met a new cl"ent and created val*e orthat cl"ent. @aybe a cl"ent they hated was fred beca*se yo* can/t let yo*rem!loyees +et the d"sease that bad cl"ents are all too ha!!y to s!read.

(#he 10"30 Rule or...#he 4ision Rule(

elow $0 !eo!le, an or+an">at"on "s a tr"be. J0,000 years a+o, " a tr"be +ot b"++erthan $0 !eo!le there/s ev"dence "t wo*ld s!l"t "nto two tr"bes.A tr"be "s l"ke a am"ly. ;"th a am"ly yo* learn !ersonally who to tr*st and who notto tr*st. o* learn to care or the"r "nd"v"d*al !roblems. o* know everyth"n+ abo*tthe !eo!le "n yo*r tr"be.At $0 !eo!le, a leader s!ends t"me w"th each !erson "n the tr"be and knows how tol"sten to the"r "ss*es.<rom $0I10 !eo!le yo* m"+ht not know everyone. *t yo* know O< everyone. o*know yo* can tr*st K"ll beca*se Kack tells yo* yo* can tr*st K"ll and yo* tr*st Kack.Ater 10 !eo!le yo* can/t kee! track o everyone. t/s "m!oss"ble. *t th"s "swhere h*mans s!l"t oB rom every other s!ec"es.;e *n"ted w"th each other by tell"n+ stor"es. ;e told stor"es o nat"onal"sm,

rel"+"on, s!orts, money, !rod*cts, better, +reat, E7T two !eo!le bel"eve "n the same story they m"+ht be tho*sands o m"les a!art andtotal stran+ers b*t they st"ll have a sense they can tr*st each other.A HEAE8 TEHH7 A F7O:A8 7TO8. ;e are del"ver"n+ the best serv"cebeca*se. ;e are hel!"n+ !eo!le "n *n"D*e ways beca*se. ;e have the bestdes"+ns beca*se. ;e treat !eo!le better beca*se.A +ood story, l"ke any story ever told, starts w"th a !roblem, +oes thro*+h the!a"n*l !rocess o solv"n+ the !roblem, and has a sol*t"on that "s better thananyth"n+ ever seen beore.<"rst yo* l"stened to !eo!le, then yo* took care o !eo!le, b*t now yo* *n"te!eo!le *nder a v"s"on they bel"eve "n and tr*st and bond w"th.Com!an"es l"ve and d"e on th"s. One com!any adv"se +ot b*"lt *! by b*y"n+ 200

re+"onal o5ces, now they are *n"y"n+ them *nder one brand. The key to the"r s*ccess "s how !ower*l the story w"ll be that they tell o thatbrand. ;hy are they del"ver"n+ the +reatest val*e- 6eo!le need to bel"eve "n thestory.y the way, th"s "s how h*mans k"lled everyone else. eca*se now we co*ld !lanand coord"nate "n m*ch lar+er +ro*!s than any other s!ec"es. That/s why there areno other sa!"ens let on the world. Only homo sa!"en sa!"ens &".e. 'h*mans().6roo w"th"n $000 years o h*mans frst land"n+ "n A*stral"a, no s!ec"es was letthat co*ld !*t *! a f+ht w"th *s. ;e k"lled them all.

 ay h*mans

5( Change

Everyone has !a"n they don/t want to eel. <or "nstance, m"+ht eel !a"n "someone makes *n o my looks. *sed to eel !a"n " someone D*est"oned my networth, wh"ch eD*ated w"th sel worth. /m CEO m"+ht have !a"n " the'n*mbers( +o down.7o we do th"n+s to h"de the !a"n. ;e m"+ht wear n"ce clothes not beca*se we l"kethe clothes b*t beca*se they are b*Bers or the !a"n nobody w"ll make *n o mylooks.Related! lo6 o6n or ie Lin$edIn(

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ma+"ne all the th"n+s we do as b*Bers or !a"n. ;e m"+ht avo"d +o"n+ to the storebeca*se we don/t want to r*n "nto the !eo!le who ca*se *s !a"n. ;e m"+ht h"desome n*mbers beca*se we don/t want "nvestors to th"nk we are bad CEOs.7oon, everyth"n+ "n o*r l"ves we m"+ht th"nk +"ve *s !leas*re &beca*se we are nowavo"d"n+ all the !a"n) are act*ally 3*st b*Bers a+a"nst !a"n and chan+e.;hen yo* can +et r"d o the b*Bers a+a"nst !a"n and chan+e l"e becomes more

"nsec*re, b*t we become <8EE.;e l"ve "n a b"++er world, a world where r"sk and bea*ty +o hand "n hand and weare no lon+er ara"d o the *nderly"n+ !a"ns.A leader "s always !re!ared or chan+e. And real">es that !a"n "s 3*st o!!ort*n"t"esto l"ve "n a b"++er and more ab*ndant world.

 Th"s "s the secret that most !eo!le or+et when they b*"ld the"r br"ck ho*ses andh"de "ns"de rom the o*ts"de world so !a"n doesn/t seek them o*t.

7( ignity

 The other day someone cancelled on my !odcast at the last m"n*te. hadresched*led other meet"n+s and even chan+ed the t"me wo*ld see one o my

da*+hter/s !lays so co*ld "nterv"ew th"s !erson, a very very s*ccess*lentre!rene*r.7he wanted to now resched*le b*t sa"d 'no(, even to the detr"ment o my!odcast and all the !eo!le who work w"th me on the !odcast who were look"n+orward to the "nterv"ew. wasn/t an+ry w"th the !erson. 7he/s r*nn"n+ a b*s"ness and was !robably veryb*sy. And !eo!le resched*le all the t"me. 3*st d"dn/t l"ke that "t was last m"n*te. had st*d"o t"me booked and no s!ace to fll "t. have a v"s"on or my !odcast. Everyone who comes on are !eo!le who havetransormed the"r l"ves and created the l"ves they wanted to. want my l"steners tobe hel!ed by the transormat"ve stor"es o my +*ests.

 The world "s chan+"n+ very ast and "t/s scary. want to hel! !eo!le be less scared

and know am less scared when hear the stor"es o my +*ests and learn romthem.Altho*+h /m relat"vely new at !odcast"n+ &J months), treat my !odcast as " "t/salready ach"eved the dream have or "t. The !lace where !eo!le come on to hel!others deal w"th the cra>y chan+es ha!!en"n+ "n o*r world and economy. don/t treat my own !ro3ects w"th res!ect then how can e=!ect others to- don/t treat mysel w"th d"+n"ty, then how can e=!ect the !eo!le aro*nd me totreat me, or even each other, w"th d"+n"ty-

,( #here's al6ays a good reason and a real reason

6eo!le come to yo* every day w"th !roblems. The !roblems are *s*ally very +ood

!roblems. 'The cl"ent "s ask"n+ or too m*ch(. Or 'K"ll d"dn/t do her 3ob r"+ht( or '@ycar broke down(. One t"me an em!loyee asked to meet me o*ts"de the o5ce. 7hewas cry"n+. asked her what was wron+. 7he was ara"d she was do"n+ a bad 3obw"th a cl"ent.And she was. *t "t t*rned o*t the real !roblem was she heard one o my b*s"ness!artners talk"n+ !oorly abo*t her beh"nd her back and th"s was aBect"n+ her everyday at work.

 Th"s was the real !roblem that had to be f=ed. And "t d"d. And then everyth"n+,em!loyee, cl"ent, !artner, etc went well.

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