CHAPTER 01
What makes people happy?
During my travels and conversations with leaders, one subject kept coming back: What does building people really mean?
It matters if you already lead a large organisation. And it matters if you are starting out and want to develop strong leaders in the future.
In 2004, we shaped our approach around a simple question: “What makes people HAPPY?” It changed our approach. Instead of building a business with people, we focused on building people within the business. Strong, independent people who could lead.
The response was exciting. But liking the idea is one thing. Understanding what it asks of us is another.
Growth ONLY happens OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE.
CHAPTER 02
Building people is not about making everything comfortable
Real independence comes when partners take responsibility for themselves, their businesses and what they can influence. A strong leader eventually becomes someone we can learn from as much as they once learned from us.
That is the goal. Getting there means facing challenges and growing through them.
“Follow me and I will make you successful. We have everything ready for you!” sounds attractive. But that is not how you help people become independent.
Building people means helping them move outside their comfort zones and stay there long enough to grow. By definition, that will not always feel comfortable.
Some experiences will be painful. If you understand why they matter, you can face them with a different attitude. You know you can become stronger through them.
Staying comfortable may spoil you. It will not necessarily develop you.
No pain, no gain.
CHAPTER 03
The trouble with doing too much
I have watched talented, hardworking leaders try to create the perfect environment for their partners. Everything prepared. Every difficulty removed. Every challenge taken over.
Two things happen.
First, their partners have little room to grow. The upline does the very work that would help them become independent. By removing each challenge, the leader removes the opportunity to develop.
Second, those leaders never gain real independence or time freedom themselves. They either fail to duplicate or duplicate more leaders who do everybody else's work. Everyone is busy. Nobody becomes free.
Then comes the frustration: “I did everything for my people!” Perhaps that is exactly what needs examining. Did you make them stronger? Or did you teach them to rely on you?
An upline is there to SUPPORT and COACH, rather than take over the business. That is the distinction I mean by support instead of help. I stand beside you. I do not take your steps for you.
Look for strong partners: strong belief, strong desire, strong commitment and a strong vision. Their WHY matters enormously.
CHAPTER 04
If there is no WHY, there is no way
Why is the WHY so important? Because you need a true reason to leave your comfort zone. And a reason strong enough to keep you from retreating when things get difficult.
The more your goal matters, the more willing you are to pay the price. A pleasant motivational phrase will not carry you through every challenge. Something real has to be at stake for you.
Face your challenges. Master them. Grow stronger. And duplicate that approach with your partners.
Do not turn their challenges into your own. Help them face what is theirs to master. That is how they develop into leaders.
This is an uphill journey. Sometimes steep, sometimes less steep. But up is where you want to go. You cannot avoid every climb and still expect to reach the top.
CHAPTER 05
Think and GROW Rich
One of my favourite books is Napoleon Hill's “Think and Grow Rich”. There is enough wisdom in it to make repeated reading worthwhile.
Something about its German title struck me years ago. The translation reads more like “Think and GET Rich”. To me, that loses the most important word: GROW.
Not simply think about wealth and wait for it to appear. Grow towards it.
We have plenty of thinkers and highly educated people. Are they all rich? And I mean more than money. I mean fulfilment too. Knowledge alone does not create that. You have to develop as a person.
So building people means guiding them towards responsibility for their actions and what they create. What THEY build. Not what YOU build for them.
Taking responsibility away from others can prevent the very growth and success we want for them.
CHAPTER 06
Why recognition means so much
Have you ever wondered why recognition is celebrated so deeply in this business?
The people recognising you understand what stands behind that moment. They know the doubts, the work and the challenges. They are honouring more than a rank. They are honouring the journey.
And why do so many successful leaders seem charismatic and strong? Perhaps you have looked at them and wondered whether you could succeed because you are not like them.
They were not always like that either. They grew into those people over years of personal development. Through what they faced and mastered themselves.
That growth is open to you too. The question is: Are you willing to pay the price?
All the best, Sven