Last week I connected with Eric Trump. I use the word connected loosely, but I had the chance to learn a little bit from him when I had a meeting at the Trump National Golf Club outside of Charlotte. We asked for an impromptu lesson or words of wisdom on business.
I was struck by two particular things.
The first is was what he was saying.
The place we were meeting had been a golf club long before it had acquired the Trump name. It was going through some changes or renovations as the Trump organization began to make improvements. Eric shared about some of the changes they are making and the process of taking over ownership of the club.
It was previously run by the collective stakeholders of the club itself, and many people were resistant to the Trumps taking over. They wanted to maintain control, and were worried about what would happen if outsiders took over.
People campaigned either for or against the club, with much drama in the neighborhood. At the end of the day the vote was ‘for’ Trump and the transition began.
Eric shared with us that today he often meets people in the community who had campaigned ‘against’ him. He said they are the first to complement the changes being made and to say, “I was wrong.”
They have come to realize that the Trumps know more about the golf business than they ever would.
I relate this to some of the entrepreneurs I meet who are resistant to coaching. They are smart people. They are committed. And they know their own area of interest better than anyone – just like the golf club members. But they don’t necessarily know the business end. And they can’t see what they can’t see.
When I started I knew marketing. I knew how to develop a product people wanted. But I didn’t know how to market myself, or how to talk about a product so personal as what I was selling. Thankfully I consistently found (and still find) people who know more than me about the thing I most needed to learn. And I’m thankful for the clients who willingly recognize the things I have figured out that they most need to learn, and allow the process of trusting the changes to unfold.
Every entrepreneur at some point in their journey will need to get their business model into alignment with their Truth. And when they are ready, they ‘vote for’ the expert. 🙂
And the second thing that struck me about Eric Trump…
The second thing was how he was being.
We were in a private mastermind meeting in one of the golf club meeting rooms, and suddenly a LOUD and brief knock on the door. In walked a small group of 3-4 people. Of course the instant thought in the room, “how rude!”
One of the men announced Mr. Trump, and soon he was in the room, towering above the table (according to Wikipedia he is 6’5). Instantly the annoyance melted. He was calm, graceful, and in command. There was no question he was the boss here, yet he carried an unassuming ease.
He was introduced to us, asked some questions about the businesses we were in, and asked how we liked the club. We requested from him a piece of business advice, and he quickly moved in to sharing his story of the golf club acquisition.
We had just been talking in our mastermind about the value systems that keep first generation entrepreneurs from acquiring real wealth. As he spoke I began to think about the value system HE had been raised with. He is 31 years old, and carries himself as though he’s never had a doubt about his place in the world at the head of the table.
Of course I don’t know that. But I imagine Eric Trump’s ‘rules for life’ were a fair bit different from my own. Don’t shine, wait to be asked, and more money, more problems, to name just a few.
I remembered back to when I was first inspired to start my business. My core thought at the time was for the children. “What if we could raise children who trusted themselves to be who they are?” As I consider children myself (my clock is ticking, and the decision is near :-)), I am again present to the difference it makes to put a few more kids out there in the world with the value system I would like to program them with.
What about you? What if creating massive amounts of success, empowerment, and leadership in your own life and business would have a major impact on the next generation? Would you be more committed to making it happen?
Let me know in your comments below…