Think Like a Champion: An Informal Education in Business and Life (7 page)

This might sound simplistic, but I’m a firm believer in visualization, and it worked for me. A blueprint might not work for you,
but they are something I was familiar with. It might be a Miró painting or some other design or sculpture that works for you. I’ve heard some interesting stories of what people visualized on their path to success. One person used a photograph of bread and salt as his inspiration, and he became vastly successful. To each his own on this one.

Some financial courses are dry—but necessary. I was able to handle them by making them more interesting in my own mind by applying the principles immediately to some imaginary project I would come up with. By doing this, I was already working in the real world while I was in school, which I think saved me a lot of time when I actually got started on my own. I had been multitasking before I knew what multitasking was.

In reviewing my career, I think this aspect of my approach, on top of having the foundation of great schooling, is largely responsible for my success. I didn’t realize I was doing it until much later, when I would somehow know how things worked or where things went in the big picture of any project I might be considering or actively involved in. I had already been working on it years before, and while I still encountered problems, things would somehow fall into place as they should. It’s one way of being prepared.

A lot of people have imagination, but it doesn’t help them because they can’t execute. I’m able to execute with the imagination. Make sure your foundation is there to begin with and then grow from there in your imagination. That’s how vision and transparency work together—and results can be remarkable.

—ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON

A
lot of people think I’m a natural at business. In some ways they might be right, but it’s also an acquired skill that takes discipline and focus, just as being an athlete or a musician takes perseverance and years of training. Before I decided to go to the Wharton School of Finance, I had thought about attending the University of Southern California to study film, but once I decided on Wharton, I was a very serious and focused business student.

There’s a certain amount of bravado in what I do these days, and part of that bravado is to make it look easy. That’s why I’ve often referred to business as being an art. I’ve always liked Andy Warhol’s statement that, “making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.” I agree.

I received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in January of 2007, which was a big surprise for someone who opted for Wharton and real estate as a career. Did I have a natural talent
for the entertainment industry? Maybe, but I’ve also always paid attention to it. I understand how it operates, and I’m always learning. When I was in school, I always did more than was expected and studied on my own in addition to what was required. I’ve noticed that a lot of very successful people have done the same thing, no matter what their respective fields might be.

Winston Churchill was known for being a great orator, and I remember thinking he must have been born with this talent until I read about him and discovered he spent a great deal of time developing this skill. It wasn’t just a natural ability—he worked at it constantly. His talent was the result of deliberate and focused work. Mozart studied music at an unusually early age, and his aptitude was obviously there, but that aptitude was carefully developed.

The natural ability I may have as a businessman is being able to see the big picture while I’m taking care of a lot of details. I can focus on a few things at once at this point and find them working themselves out.That comes with experience, but I remember making a deliberate attempt to assimilate as much as possible at all times, even back in school.

Some people are visionaries. Bill Gates is an example, as is Mark Burnett, but they are also very good businessmen. So where does talent come in? Some people just seem to have an edge for what they do, like Tiger Woods or Roger Federer in sports. There are prodigies, it seems, but under close scrutiny all prodigies were carefully trained. I think talent has to do with aptitude for what you are doing. Some people are simply doing the wrong thing, and when they find the right thing, they become successful. Working hard and working intelligently should go together.

Heredity and environment are two factors that I consider seriously, from personal experience. My father was a great example: He was in the construction and real estate industry, and I saw first-hand what it took to succeed. I had no delusions of it being an
easy or glamorous path. I chose to make it more glamorous because my tastes went toward that aesthetic. I consider myself very fortunate to have had this education from my father from an early age. I believe it gave me a great advantage, and I often say that I’m a member of the lucky sperm club.

But did it give me a natural talent? I don’t think so. It gave me an advantage that I deliberately chose to develop into an advantage. You can be around something and either have no interest or aptitude for it, so it wouldn’t be of any help to you. My elder brother had no interest in real estate and decided to do something else. I had a friend who worked on Wall Street because everyone in his family did, but he was a disaster. All the familiar indications were there for his success, but he wasn’t suited for it, and not until he left and did something else did he become successful.

When I started to develop golf courses, I had a lot to learn. I loved the game and knew golf courses as a player, but developing a golf course is another story. I consulted with the world’s experts before I started out. My golf courses have won awards for their beauty, but it wasn’t a natural talent I had as a developer. My advantage is that I had a passion for the game and wanted the most beautiful courses possible to be realized.

There has been research done on cross training your brain, and they mention how you can transfer the skills developed to enhance your performance in other areas. That’s one reason I have always encouraged people to golf—it’s a brain game and it works on several levels. I’ve gotten a lot of great ideas and solutions to problems during a golf game, so I readily endorse this theory. It works. It might be painting or playing the piano that works for you, but it gives credibility to the developing of a hobby or outside interest that will complement your business bent.

I’ve also come to believe in luck. I’ve known people who have worked hard and done everything to succeed, and yet it just
doesn’t seem to happen for them. I’m not sure what the concrete reasons might be, but it makes me believe in luck to a certain extent. It’s also true that not everyone can be wildly successful. Maybe it’s just a balance in the world that we can’t always control. But I’ve noticed that it helps to believe you’re lucky, because luck will seem to favor you.

Business is about creativity. That’s where the art part comes in. Every industry has its leaders, and if I’m known in real estate, it is because I approach my work cognitively as well as creatively. Peter Gelb, the general manager at the Metropolitan Opera, is really putting the opera back on the map by applying contemporary marketing ideas to this venerable institution. He is promoting it in ways that today’s market can absorb and appreciate. You have to be alert for ways of revitalizing the old and creating the new, or combining them, to achieve the best results.

It was decades ago that I bought the deserted rail yards along the Hudson River, and today Trump Place is nearing completion—eighteen beautiful buildings, a park, and a pier that have enhanced Manhattan’s West Side. Sometimes people think things just happen overnight, but that’s not always the case, even if you are well known and well established. Success is often a matter of patience, and patience can be developed if you don’t have it naturally.

In summation, is business success a natural talent? I think it’s a combination of aptitude, work, and luck.

—CONFUCIUS

W
hen Confucius mentions “agonize” in his quote, I have to tell you that I can relate. As someone on the receiving end of conversations with people who do not know how to edit themselves, I can understand what agony means. I don’t mean to be impolite, but I am often thinking to myself, “how long is it going to take for this person to get to the point? We could’ve flown to Australia by now and they’re still in the middle of take-off.” Business is no place for stream of consciousness babbling, no matter how colorful you might think you’re being. Whatever you’re doing, keep it short, fast, and direct. It’s also more polite. Most people don’t have time to waste. I realize that Confucius was referring to the noneconomizer, and they will suffer, too, but why make everyone miserable by being unnecessarily chatty?

I mentioned in my book
Think Like a Billionaire
that Ricardo Bellino had exactly three minutes to give me his business presentation. I was extremely busy that day and not particularly in the
mood for a presentation, so I thought he might decline, which would free up my day a bit. Not only did he not decline, he gave me such a great presentation within those three minutes that we did a deal together. It’s surprising what people can do with a deadline.

I mention that because sometimes we have to give ourselves deadlines. Practice giving your presentation in under five minutes. Practice giving your introduction in less than three minutes. You will discover that you can be an effective editor by cutting out everything that isn’t absolutely necessary. Your audience, or your superiors, will be grateful for your ability to distill the essence for them.

We probably all know what it’s like to receive junk mail. Sometimes there are piles of it waiting for us, and we have to sort through it all to get to the important stuff. Don’t offer any junk mail to anyone—just give them the good stuff, or the necessary items. That can get you places far faster than you can imagine.

In that sense, business is often like a relay race. To have a tight team, a winning team, you can’t have someone who lags behind, because everyone will suffer because of it. Make sure you’re not the one who holds things up for everyone. Learn to sprint when it comes to being clear. Have a contest with yourself by asking, “How concise can I possibly be?” Then best yourself every time. Get to the essence immediately.

Someone who analyzed my negotiating technique said I had an advantage over most people because I had the ability to get to the point faster than anybody else.While they were still formulating their sentences, I’d already written the book. I already had the deal done in my head. That ability didn’t happen overnight—I’ve worked at it for a long time. But we can all put that technique to work every day, whether it’s relaying a message to someone, writing a letter, or ordering lunch.

Those of you who have watched
The Apprentice
will notice that the candidates who can present the facts with the least amount of verbal decoration will have an advantage. Listening to a five-minute explanation that can be easily edited to thirty seconds auto matically sends a red alert to me and my advisors. We don’t have the time for loquacious colleagues, and the longwinded diatribes we often have to suffer through will greatly diminish their chances of winning.

Simple as it sounds, there is great wisdom in the short, fast, and direct route. Knowing where you’re going in your conversation and demonstrating to others you know where you’re going by being concise, is a big step toward leadership and respect. Hone these skills in every situation and with every opportunity you have, whether you’re in line at the corner deli or in the boardroom on
The Apprentice.
Learn to economize. People appreciate brevity in today’s world.