by George L. Rosario aka #GeorgeTheSpeaker, CEO & Co-Founder at GC Rosario Group
1. Be Authentically You
Have you ever had a business contact or business partner in the past who was revealed to be a fraud? Fake friends break your heart. Fake friends break your bank account. Perhaps that partnership was all one-sided. Perhaps it seemed authentic because on the surface, they gave as much as they received. What thoughts come to mind when you think of those people?
How would you feel if you found out someone is saying this about you? What if you've come across as a fraud to a friend or a business partner?
There is no place in your business for anyone who lacks authenticity, especially if as a leader, that person is you. There is no real honor or sustainable success if you fake it 'til you make it. Honor comes to those who are themselves, and are only someone different when they grow and evolve into someone different and better. It is OK to be imperfect. It is OK to have flaws. Honesty will allow your partners to rely on your strengths and help you work through your flaws.
When you are honest with yourself and others, you will feel comfortable though any circumstance that you and your partners face together.
2. Be Authentically Authentic
Stop with the excuses.Mean what you say and say what you mean, and present it all in love and with growth in mind. Learn to say yes when you can and no when you need to. Keeping promises is a better reputation builder than breaking them. When possible, deliver a greater service than you promise to deliver.
In my life, I've grown closer to friends and colleagues who are real with me than with those that yes me to death (or bankruptcy). For example, honesty is what made Ernst Achildiyev one of my most trusted business contacts, Patrick Powell one of my favorite people to work with, and Michael Goldberg one of my go-to guys in the real estate world, Darryl Davis a trusted speaking mentor, and Roel Patterson my most prized intercoastal and international business connection. As a matter of fact, it is the "Making it Real" approach that showed me I had to make a pretty, young, feisty colombian my Kingdom Queen, my wife. Mrs. Claudia P. Rosario definitely keeps it real, and is never afraid of sharing some tough love with me and with others.
3. Be Authentically Interested
Are you familiar with the scene in glengarry Glen Ross when sales guru and trainer Blake (Alec Baldwin) yells at Sheldon "Shelley the Machine" Levene those famous words; "Put that coffee down." You know how many times I've been in a room where a speaker or trainer is giving and wanted to yell, "put that cellphone down" to those who have their noses stuck in their phones.
If you are truly honest (point #2), you know that you are guilty of being in a room and not being present in that room. I'm talking about those moments when you are hearing the sound of a person's voice without listening to the person's message.
A great business partner is one that carves out time to engage in active listening when you are together. It proves how good a friend/partner you are. Put the phone down. Make eye contact. Take notes if necessary. Be fully engaged and fully interested. A good business partner or service provider will be genuinely interested in what you have to say. Reciprocate that respect.
4. Be Authentically Generous
Give more than you receive. Go the extra mile. Whoever sows generously will also reap generously (2 Corinthians 9:6-8).
Time is the one thing in life you cannot get back, and even if you live past 100, you have very little of it here. Be generous with your time and if your partner is appreciative of it, keep that business partner. If your business partner does not appreciate you sacrificing your time, let them go, they aren't worth it.
Be prepared to receive the same consideration. Make every moment count. Respect your colleagues' time. Treat the time you spend with a business partner, a colleague or a client as precious, because it is! When you make time for someone who matters to your business, it means you in being generous with your most important commodity; time. It tells others that if you are willing to give them this, you are willing to be generous with your effort, your resources and your success.
5. Be Authentically Loyal
If you asked the people you work with to describe you in one word, would they ever use the word loyal? Would you describe your business partners as loyal to you? Would you consider them someone that can be lifelong friends? Would they consider you a lifelong friend?
How do you build loyalty? You respect each other even when you make mistakes, and leaders, partners, equals and followers will make mistakes. You walk together through mistakes. You stick together through highs and lows. mourn and celebrate through every season of your business' existence.
Loyalty also requires trust. Have you ever told someone something you believed you were sharing in confidence, believing they would take it with them to the grave, only to have that person share it with others as soon as they leave your sight? A loyal business contact sticks closer than a brother and protects your reputation as if it were his life. If you are considered someone who others can confide in, they will trust you with their deepest secrets and will be loyal to you regardless of what comes their way.
6. Be Authentically Uplifting
Edification is key to your success. Don't always chase recognition and praise. Instead, give others credit where credit is due, and be the lever that lifts them up above yourself. Good business partners understand this. They can sit and listen and will expect you to do the same. A good business partner will expect you to be transparent with him and will be transparent with you. More importantly, a good business partner will find ways to encourage you. You must encourage and edify your partners as well.
Being uplifting to others is difficult when you are facing hard times, tough obstacles and your own stressful, depressing struggles. This is why experts recommend that those in leadership positions surround themselves with supportive people they can turn to when they are facing difficulties. That way, as a leader, you can have confidants that can walk with you through these moments, together.
Great partners should celebrate great moments with each other, recognize each other's accomplishments, highlight the wins, and also uplift each other when the tide turns.
7. Be Authentically Resolving
One of the greatest talents a great leader has is the ability to solve problems. I would go as far as to say that it is the greatest talent of a great leader. You can probably think of a President that caused more problems than the ones they solved, and another President who has fixed the problems that previous administrations caused. The same is true in business.
You can probably point to a leader in your past or present business life that is a great problem solver, and another so-called leader who is great at creating problems. Conflict resolution is a tall wall for new leaders to climb on their way to being great leaders. Be a problem solver and you will surely be seen as a great business leader, and a great potential partner for other in business, and help you develop life-long relationships that both sides will see as time worthy friendships.
Conclusion:
Genuine business friends have each other's backs. This is especially true when either person on the side of the friendship is walking on the wrong path. As a Christian, I pray the Lord's Prayer, which finishes with "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." I believe God puts trustworthy (as trustworthy as a person could be) in your life to help deliver you from evil.
I lost a great life-long business friend years ago. How can this person be a life-long business friend and not be in my life now? Simple. He was my friend for as long as he lived, so we were life-long business partners for the entire duration of his life. I have many great business friends but none has replaced him. Not because they aren't great, but because they are great in their ways, not is his ways. Value your life-long friends because this life here is not forever. I pray God will bring you great life-long business friends. I pray that you have the privilege of being someone else's valued life-long business friend.
1. Be Authentically You
Have you ever had a business contact or business partner in the past who was revealed to be a fraud? Fake friends break your heart. Fake friends break your bank account. Perhaps that partnership was all one-sided. Perhaps it seemed authentic because on the surface, they gave as much as they received. What thoughts come to mind when you think of those people?
How would you feel if you found out someone is saying this about you? What if you've come across as a fraud to a friend or a business partner?
There is no place in your business for anyone who lacks authenticity, especially if as a leader, that person is you. There is no real honor or sustainable success if you fake it 'til you make it. Honor comes to those who are themselves, and are only someone different when they grow and evolve into someone different and better. It is OK to be imperfect. It is OK to have flaws. Honesty will allow your partners to rely on your strengths and help you work through your flaws.
When you are honest with yourself and others, you will feel comfortable though any circumstance that you and your partners face together.
2. Be Authentically Authentic
Stop with the excuses.Mean what you say and say what you mean, and present it all in love and with growth in mind. Learn to say yes when you can and no when you need to. Keeping promises is a better reputation builder than breaking them. When possible, deliver a greater service than you promise to deliver.
In my life, I've grown closer to friends and colleagues who are real with me than with those that yes me to death (or bankruptcy). For example, honesty is what made Ernst Achildiyev one of my most trusted business contacts, Patrick Powell one of my favorite people to work with, and Michael Goldberg one of my go-to guys in the real estate world, Darryl Davis a trusted speaking mentor, and Roel Patterson my most prized intercoastal and international business connection. As a matter of fact, it is the "Making it Real" approach that showed me I had to make a pretty, young, feisty colombian my Kingdom Queen, my wife. Mrs. Claudia P. Rosario definitely keeps it real, and is never afraid of sharing some tough love with me and with others.
3. Be Authentically Interested
Are you familiar with the scene in glengarry Glen Ross when sales guru and trainer Blake (Alec Baldwin) yells at Sheldon "Shelley the Machine" Levene those famous words; "Put that coffee down." You know how many times I've been in a room where a speaker or trainer is giving and wanted to yell, "put that cellphone down" to those who have their noses stuck in their phones.
If you are truly honest (point #2), you know that you are guilty of being in a room and not being present in that room. I'm talking about those moments when you are hearing the sound of a person's voice without listening to the person's message.
A great business partner is one that carves out time to engage in active listening when you are together. It proves how good a friend/partner you are. Put the phone down. Make eye contact. Take notes if necessary. Be fully engaged and fully interested. A good business partner or service provider will be genuinely interested in what you have to say. Reciprocate that respect.
4. Be Authentically Generous
Give more than you receive. Go the extra mile. Whoever sows generously will also reap generously (2 Corinthians 9:6-8).
Time is the one thing in life you cannot get back, and even if you live past 100, you have very little of it here. Be generous with your time and if your partner is appreciative of it, keep that business partner. If your business partner does not appreciate you sacrificing your time, let them go, they aren't worth it.
Be prepared to receive the same consideration. Make every moment count. Respect your colleagues' time. Treat the time you spend with a business partner, a colleague or a client as precious, because it is! When you make time for someone who matters to your business, it means you in being generous with your most important commodity; time. It tells others that if you are willing to give them this, you are willing to be generous with your effort, your resources and your success.
5. Be Authentically Loyal
If you asked the people you work with to describe you in one word, would they ever use the word loyal? Would you describe your business partners as loyal to you? Would you consider them someone that can be lifelong friends? Would they consider you a lifelong friend?
How do you build loyalty? You respect each other even when you make mistakes, and leaders, partners, equals and followers will make mistakes. You walk together through mistakes. You stick together through highs and lows. mourn and celebrate through every season of your business' existence.
Loyalty also requires trust. Have you ever told someone something you believed you were sharing in confidence, believing they would take it with them to the grave, only to have that person share it with others as soon as they leave your sight? A loyal business contact sticks closer than a brother and protects your reputation as if it were his life. If you are considered someone who others can confide in, they will trust you with their deepest secrets and will be loyal to you regardless of what comes their way.
6. Be Authentically Uplifting
Edification is key to your success. Don't always chase recognition and praise. Instead, give others credit where credit is due, and be the lever that lifts them up above yourself. Good business partners understand this. They can sit and listen and will expect you to do the same. A good business partner will expect you to be transparent with him and will be transparent with you. More importantly, a good business partner will find ways to encourage you. You must encourage and edify your partners as well.
Being uplifting to others is difficult when you are facing hard times, tough obstacles and your own stressful, depressing struggles. This is why experts recommend that those in leadership positions surround themselves with supportive people they can turn to when they are facing difficulties. That way, as a leader, you can have confidants that can walk with you through these moments, together.
Great partners should celebrate great moments with each other, recognize each other's accomplishments, highlight the wins, and also uplift each other when the tide turns.
7. Be Authentically Resolving
One of the greatest talents a great leader has is the ability to solve problems. I would go as far as to say that it is the greatest talent of a great leader. You can probably think of a President that caused more problems than the ones they solved, and another President who has fixed the problems that previous administrations caused. The same is true in business.
You can probably point to a leader in your past or present business life that is a great problem solver, and another so-called leader who is great at creating problems. Conflict resolution is a tall wall for new leaders to climb on their way to being great leaders. Be a problem solver and you will surely be seen as a great business leader, and a great potential partner for other in business, and help you develop life-long relationships that both sides will see as time worthy friendships.
Conclusion:
Genuine business friends have each other's backs. This is especially true when either person on the side of the friendship is walking on the wrong path. As a Christian, I pray the Lord's Prayer, which finishes with "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." I believe God puts trustworthy (as trustworthy as a person could be) in your life to help deliver you from evil.
I lost a great life-long business friend years ago. How can this person be a life-long business friend and not be in my life now? Simple. He was my friend for as long as he lived, so we were life-long business partners for the entire duration of his life. I have many great business friends but none has replaced him. Not because they aren't great, but because they are great in their ways, not is his ways. Value your life-long friends because this life here is not forever. I pray God will bring you great life-long business friends. I pray that you have the privilege of being someone else's valued life-long business friend.
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