Picked up a copy of FHM magazine in the gym and became fascinated by a feature entitled: How to Become an Alpha Male. In fact the feature consisted of no more than a series of pithy statements from various individuals the magazine had judged as qualifying for the title.
These statements, and their authors, were a diverse bunch including Clint Eastwood, Sean Connery and assorted actors, sportsmen and entrepreneurs who all had “life pretty licked” according to FHM. So I was interested to hear their philosophies, some of which were – frankly – nonsense. Actor Michael Madsen, for instance, thought it important to “knock out” strangers in hotel lobbies for staring at his wife (what a hero!). Indeed, there were plenty of other “take no shit” offerings from professional hardnuts with too much testosterone but there were also some everyday statements from successful people I thought worth noting – not least because many of those included in the survey had overcome barriers of one sort or another to achieve success.
So here they are (although most – please note – would have been much improved by some strong editing from FHM) – rules for wannabe alpha (and probably beta) males (and females) everywhere (at least my top 10 pick from around 50 statements).
Alan Sugar (entrepreneur with humble East End origins)
Be better: To succeed, you have to perform. Get on and do what you’re paid to do and come up with results. That’s the best way – if it’s selling something sell more, if it’s recruiting, recruit more people. In business, results are the only things that will get you noticed. Nothing else.
Accept your failures: You have to fail in order to know what not to do. There might be products that fail which you thought would be a big success, and products you thought would be a mild success which turn out to be blockbusters. In business, life is all about learning what not to do.
Donald Trump (property magnate and three times bankruptcy filer)
Never take your eye of the ball: In the ‘80s I was riding high, but I lost focus. I’d fly off to Europe to attend fashion shows, and I wasn’t looking at the clothing. My lack of attention was killing my business and when the real estate market crashed I ended up owing $9bn. But I learned my lesson.
Duncan Bannatyne (entrepreneur with Clydebank-hardman background including time spent in prison)
Don’t be a jerk: You don’t need to be. Whether it was health clubs, nurseries or nursing homes, I bought the land from someone who wanted to sell it, hired builders who wanted to build it and filled it with people who wanted to be in it. Why be ruthless?
Theo Paphitis (entrepreneur and dyslexic)
Decisions: Never be scared of getting a decision wrong – the simple trick is to get more right than wrong. The person who’s never got a decision wrong is the person who’s never made a decision.
Delegate: The trick is to aim to make yourself redundant. I promise you, you won’t actually be made redundant, because everybody looks for people who have got time on their hands. Make yourself redundant and you’ll get more work, and because of that you’ll progress.
Ron Jeremy (the world’s most famous male pornstar despite being quite unattractive)
Have an ego: A lot of people are very selfless; they’ll do things and never tell anyone that it was their idea. If you make a suggestion that the boss goes for and takes the credit for keep it in mind. And if there comes a day where your boss gets fired, remind your boss’ boss that it was actually your idea.
James Caan (entrepreneur with humble East End origins)
Sharpen your image: The boss has to lead, to be inspirational and motivational. And if you have a poor image or you’re a poor communicator then how can you be a good leader?
Valentino Rossi (motocycle racer and a bit of a spoilt lad by all accounts but had something to prove to daddy)
You’re nothing without back-up: I surround myself with the right people, the kind of team-mates who could lead me to my goals. That’s why my victories have never been down to coincidence. Everything has followed from the choices I made. I choose my teams.
Daniel Craig (commands the James Bond role despite many doubters)
You don’t have to be a show off: Can you imagine me driving around in an Aston Martin? To me, it’s kind of like, urgh. So I drive a small car. The important things in life have less to do with the amount of money I earn. It’s the simpler things.
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