Influencing People

"Benjamin Franklin, tactless in his youth, became so diplomatic, so adroit at handling people, that he was made American Ambassador to France. The secret of his success? 'I will speak ill of no man,' he said,'. . . and speak all the good I know of everybody.'

Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain-and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.

'A great man shows his greatness,' said Carlyle, 'by the way he treats little men.'"
-How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie

The success of an entrepreneur is a result of their ability to influence people in a way that encourages them to drop what they are doing, support crazy ideas, and work long hours.

The success of any good person is their ability to influence people in a way that encourages them to live better lives, develop their strengths, and improve their weaknesses. 

Every good entrepreneur has the ability to gather people around a battle cry and march into the unknown with the full support of his friends and co-workers. Successful people recognize that they can't do it alone. Building a business requires a lot of time and sweat. It is necessary to get others on-board the bus in order to accomplish all that needs to be accomplished. Leadership is not commodity to be neglected as an entrepreneur, and in order to be a leader one must not criticize, condemn, or complain about others.

In an entrepreneurial firm everyone is doing everything. Business is fast paced and work jumps from one thing to the next. As a result, feathers are frequently ruffled and people are stressed. To keep everyone focused on the prize there can't be criticism and bickering among the team. There is no such thing as "constructive" criticism. Criticism by definition demeans, tares down, and destroys. It does not help at all. An entrepreneur or anyone that truly wants to influence people must avoid criticizing employees and fellow co-workers. Trust me. I have learned and am continuing to learn from experience.

Truly great entrepreneurs are very skilled - either naturally or developed - at handling people. Through their mature attitudes, solid leadership, non-criticizing demeanor, and supportive attitudes they are able to get people to do amazing things. This does not mean that they except less from employees. On the contrary, they typically require more. But it means that they can get more out of little - more work out of fewer employees. Entrepreneurs find success through the way the treat others.  

Abraham Lincoln is one of the greatest examples of good leadership.