I have spent decades
“being educated” – in college, graduate school, numerous professional
certifications, and now a PhD program. All of that schooling and training
helped shape the person I am today, but at no point in my life has
there been a more profound education than my time working for Enver
Yucel andOprah Winfrey.
Enver and Oprah are two
extraordinary people. And on top of that, they’re both billionaires. On the
surface, they appear to be totally different people. They are in different
industries, have different family structures, practice different religions, and
speak different languages. However, once you get past their written biographies
and dig deeper, you will notice they possess many of the same successful habits.
I had the opportunity to work with both Oprah and Enver for 6
years collectively and those were, hands down, the best professional
experiences of my life. I worked my ass off for them and in doing so absorbed
everything I could.
It’s my honor to share with you what I learned from them. Here
is Part 1 of the 20 successful habits I learned working for two billionaires:
1) Invest in Yourself
This is a very simple
concept, but something you would think someone who has “made it” would stop
doing. Not at all for these two. I saw them both spend a significant amount of
time dedicating their resources to self-development (whether
it be a new language, exercise, social media classes, etc). The moment you stop investing
in yourself is the moment you have written off future dividends in life.
2) Be Curious…About
Everything
What the average person sees as mundane or overly complicated is
not viewed the same way with a billionaire mindset. I once had a 30 minute
conversation with Enver about the height of the curbs in Washington DC versus
Istanbul, Turkey. Billionaires are incredibly curious; what the rest of
the world thinks is a problem and complains about — that’s what these people go
and work on.
3) Surround Yourself With
“Better” People
I hope this is why they
kept me around. Seriously, I never knew my bosses to keep anyone
less-than-stellar in their inner circle. There
were many times I thought to myself, “Damn, they have dream-teams built around
them.” Jim Rohn had it right, “You are the average of the 5
people you spend the most time with.”
4) Never Eat Alone
The last time I had dinner with Enver, as well as the
last time I ate dinner with Oprah, there were easily 15 people at our tables,
respectively. Coincidence? While most of us derive our key information from
blogs or the newspaper, power players get their information from the source
(other power players), directly. However, just because you can’t call up the
Obamas and break bread with them doesn’t mean eating with others in your circle
doesn’t carry value. In one of my favorite reads of the last few years called Never Eat Alone author
Keith Ferrazzi breaks down how you can identify “information brokers”
to dine with you. I’ve seen first hand how enormous the benefits are
of this strategy.
5) Take Responsibility For Your
Losses
I was working for Oprah
during the time she was taking heat from the media about poor network ratings.
I was also working for Enver during the closing of one of his prized divisions.
What I witnessed them both do in response was powerful. Opposed to covering the
losses up with fancy PR tactics, both stepped to the stage and said in essence
“I own it and I’m going to fix it” and dropped the mic. Guess what? They
sure did fix things (It’s widely noted Oprah’s network is realizing ratings gold and
Enver’s assets have probably doubled since the division closing).
6) Understand The Power Of
“Leverage”
This is something that
was quite a shock to me. From afar, a billionaire appears to be someone who is
a master at everything. But, in truth, they’re specialists in one or a few
areas and average or subpar at everything else. So, how do they get so much
done? Leverage! They do what they do best and
get others to do the rest . Here’s a great article on
leverage. Keep in mind I see this done with wealthy people and their money all
of the time – they use OPM (other people’s money) for most or all of their
projects.
7) Take No Days Off
(Completely)
I recall going on
vacation with Enver several times, yachting up and down the southwestern coast
of Turkey (also known as the blue voyage). Sounds ballerific, right? No doubt we had
a great time, but mixed in with all that swimming and backgammon was discussion
of business, discussion of strategy, planning and plotting. The best way I can describe
this habit is thinking about your business or your idea like your literal baby. No
matter your distance, you don’t stop thinking of him/her (and after just having
a second son, I can attest to this).
8) Focus On Experiences vs.
Material Possessions
When you have money, your
toys are big. However, the vast majority of money I saw spent on their
“leisure” was on actual experiences versus the typical car, jewelry, and
clothes we’re familiar with seeing in music videos and gossip blogs. I recall
one time at dinner with Oprah, I spotted a table of about 20 girls off to the
side. I later found out Ms. Winfrey was treating some of her graduating girls
from her school in South Africa to dinner in NYC. Experiences create memories,
and memories are priceless.
9) Take Enormous Risks
This is another one of
those successful habits every entrepreneur can
attest to. A matter of fact, Entreprenuer.com created a great infographic outlining commonalities of the
world’s billionaires and one of the most prominent was this characteristic:
billionaires are not adverse to risk. What intrigues
me even more about Enver and Oprah was that even at their high financial status
and success level, they still possessed a willingness to risk their most
precious asset (their name and legacy) on new and bolder projects. If you’re not taking risks, you’re
not making moves!
10) Don’t Go At It Alone
Nothing great in life is
achieved alone. Especially in business, success isn’t a solo act. This
character trait is akin to “surrounding yourself with better people.” It takes teamwork to make the
dream work.
What I witnessed from
working for Enver and Oprah were characteristics and successful habits that not
only apply to business “wins,” but also translate to general life success. I
sincerely hope the tips I’ve
shared here will inspire you to create (or maintain) great habits for your success.
Credit: Paul Carrick Brunson
