Leadership and followership

When we think about leadership, we tend to focus almost entirely on the leader.
Yet without followers, there is no leader. Leadership is participatory: leaders and
followers exist in a mutually beneficial relationship where each adds to the
effectiveness of the other.
Key to this process is listening, because leadership is as much about listening as
it is about talking, or perhaps more so. From the beginning, a leader must be
informed by the followers values, beliefs, and aspirations, the followers identity.
The commitment gap people frequently experience, the difference between what
the leader desires and what the followers actually do, can often be traced back
to not aligning the elements of leaders and followers identitieswho they think
they areto find common ground on which to function and grow.
There are certain skills and traits that tend to define a leader. Not everyone
possesses those skills, or even if they do, they simply may not desire to be in a
leadership position. That doesn't make them any less valuable to the
organization and certainly doesn't make them a lesser person. Though it might
seem to be an obvious concept, those who find themselves in leadership
positions need to occasionally remind themselves that it's those followers who
keep them employed. Without people who follow, obviously there would be
nothing to lead, but more importantly, nothing would be accomplished because it
usually isn't the leaders who actually do the work.
I like to be very blunt with leaders about their relationship with followers;
however, I am equally forthright with followers about their relationship with
leaders. Followers have a responsibility to support their leaders. That doesn't
mean just do as you're told and don't disagree or speak up. As Kellerman points
out in Bad Leadership, followers who do not communicate honestly with leaders,
or who merely ride along on coattails, don't help their leaders or themselves. A
good follower will always be honest with their leaders and always give them the
best they have to offer.
Of course, a good leader must seek out, and give serious consideration to input
from their followers. This is a key point! Followers who feel their contributions
and expertise are not appreciated will be unlikely to continue to give their
support.
Action learning
Action learning has quickly emerged as one of the most powerful and effective
tools employed by organizations worldwide to develop and build their leaders.
Companies such as Boeing, Du Pont, Motorola, Alcoa,and Nokia have recently
turned to action learning to solve their critical, complex
problems as well as to grow the competencies and attributes needed by their
leaders if they are to succeed in the twenty-first century. What has become

increasingly clear to almost every organization is that our new century demands
new kinds of leaders with new skills. Leadership styles and skills that
may have worked in a more stable, predictable environment of the twentieth
century will be inadequate in this new era of uncertainty and rapid change,
where we can hardly define the problem, much less engineer possible solutions.
Although many organizations continue to use a variety of ways to prepare their
leaders (e.g. traditional training programs or business school courses), they
recognize that the
results are both slow and highly unsatisfactory. Why? The main reason appears
to be that most management development initiatives focus on isolated
dimensions of managerial work the personality of the leader, professional
competence at specific tasks, or competence in dealing with the organization's
culture and environment. Leadership development, as practiced by most
corporations and institutions of higher learning, according to Dilworth
(1996),``produce individuals who are technologically literate and able to deal
with intricate problem-solving models, but are essentially distanced form the
human dimensions that must be taken into account.'' They may be good at
downsizing and corporate restructuring, but cannot deal with a demoralized
workforce and the resulting longer-term challenges. These so-called development
programs provide excellent technical skills, but the ``social and
interpersonal aspects of the organizations that largely create the dynamics of
corporate
culture are left unattended'' (p. 49).On the other hand, action learning derives its
power from the fact that it does not isolate any dimension from the context in
which managers work. It develops the whole leaderfor the whole organization. It
also recognizes that what leaders learn and how they learn cannot be dissociated
from one another, for how one learns necessarily influences what one learns.

case example for action learning.

Action learning and leadership development at General Electric Hundreds of
organizations around the globe, including Unilever, Skandia, BASF, Volvo,Johnson
and Johnson, Asea Brown Boveri, BHP, and Singapore Airlines have incorporated
action learning into all of their leadership programs. Perhaps the best known and
longest existing of all action learningbased leadership programs is that of
General
Electric.
Prior to 1986, GE's leadership programs consisted primarily of lectures, case
studies, computer simulations and outdoor activities. Curriculum included
modules on leadership, teamwork, global competition, and business strategy.
The program ended with an integrating activity that synthesized these

various themes. CEO Jack Welch soon recognized, however, that leadership
learning was not sufficiently intense and impactful in developing the new GE
leaders. GE therefore decided to move from a model that was based on
individual cognitive learning to one that was based on action learning, involving
real
problems, real team challenges, and real risks. GE leadership programs now have
four key objectives, each of which was deemed to be best achieved through
action learning: (1) Enable participants to learn, apply and receive feedback on
business concepts and skills applied to real GE business issues.
(2) Provide help on important issues to GE businesses.
(3) Help participants develop leadership and team skills essential to leading and
working in high-performing, multifunctional business teams.
(4) Assist participants in developing personal action plans for applying new
business and leadership skills in their worksettings.
Action learning teams are built around GE problems that are real, relevant, and
require decisions. Formats may vary, but typically, two teams of five to seven
people who come from diverse businesses and functions within GE work together
on the problem. Before the course begins, GE staff work with the
businesses being studied to define the issues and compile a dossier of pertinent
market, customer and financial information on each issue that the participants
review as they begin the program.

Single loop and double loop

Fundamentally, there are three categories of learning that help us grow our
knowledge. These categories are: single loop learning double loop learning and
triple loop learning.
First, there is single loop learning. I heard this metaphor about single loop
learning once, but can't recall where, but it makes sense. Single loop learning is
like a thermostat. You set it for a temperature. On a hot day, if your home heats
up, the thermostat activates your air conditioner to bring things down to your
desired temperature (the thermostat setting). If on the other hand, it's cold
outside and your home's temperature goes below the setting, the heat kicks in.
And so it goes.
In your organization, single loop learning happens all the time. A client phones in
with a complaint. You deal with it, hopefully fix what happened, and the
complaint is resolved. Or you discover one of your employees is off on the wrong
track doing something. He didn't understand the directions the first time, so you
give the directions again and the employee gets back on track.

Single loop learning is important, but not enough. That's where the second type
of learning comes in: it is called: double loop learning.
Double loop learning does deeper and takes longer. The thermostat just
regulates your equipment based on a setting. But it does not address the
reasons why your home's temperature fluctuates so much. Sure the environment
changes, but do you have sufficient insulation? Is your equipment running
efficiently? Are all your filters clean? Delving into the reasons why the
temperature fluctuates is about double loop learning In the client complaint and
staff examples: What caused the client to complain in the first place? Was it a
flaw in your service, in your communication protocols, or an error on the part of
your staff? Did the staff person go off on the wrong track because they way
directions are given are ambiguous or not made explicit in writing?
Double loop learning is about investigating the conditions and actions that
caused the problem or issue in the first place. Often this type of learning calls for
people to "get out of the box" and think imaginatively. It calls on people to
understand how an alternative approach might work better. Learning experts will
tell you that the capacity of an organization to be successful depends on its
ability engage in this type of learning and at a quick pace.
From Group to Team Getting There
Be Enthusiastic it's Contagious
Become enthusiastic about one aspect at a time. Start by initially looking for a
quick problem to be solved. Most teams trace their advancement to key
performance oriented events that forged them together. Potential teams can set
such events in motion by immediately establishing a few challenging, yet
achievable goals.
First, find a problem and start to talk about it with the team; do not delegate it to
an individual or small group, make it a project for everybody. Choose a simple,
but distracting work-related problem and solicit everybody's views and
suggestions. Next, get the problem solved. Demand urgency against a clear
target. There is no need to allocate large amounts of resource or time to this,
simply raise the problem and make a fuss. When a solution comes, praise it by
rewarding the whole team. Also, ensure that the aspects of increased efficiency,
productivity, and/or calm are highlighted since this will establish the criteria for
success. When the problem has been solved, find another (preferably bigger) one
and repeat.
Develop a Sense of Urgency
Team members need to believe the team has an urgent and worthwhile purpose.
Establishing a sense of urgency and direction will help them know what their
expectations are. The more urgent and meaningful the need to reach a goal, the
more likely it is that a real team will start to emerge. The best teams define their
performance expectations, but are flexible enough to allow changes to shape
their own purpose, goals, and approach.

Set Clear Rules of Behavior

Teams develop rules of conduct to help them achieve their purpose and
performance goals. Some rules you might want to consider:
o

attendance - no interruptions to take phone calls

discussion - no sacred cows

confidentiality - personal revelations must remain among the team

analytic approach - facts are friendly

constructive confrontation - no finger pointing

the most important - everyone does real work

Keep Them Informed

Challenge your team with fresh facts and information. New information causes a
potential team to redefine and enrich its understanding of the objectives,
thereby helping the team to set clearer goals.
Grow Together
Teams must spend a lot of time together (bonding), especially in the beginning.
Yet potential teams often fail to do so. The time spent together must be both
scheduled and unscheduled. Creative insights as well as personal bonding
require impromptu and casual interactions.
Reinforcement Works Wonders
Exploit the power of positive feedback, recognition, and reward. Positive
reinforcement works as well in a team context as elsewhere. For example, by
being alert to a shy person's initial efforts to speak up, allows you to encourage
continued contributions.
Other methods include:
o
Focus on both development and performance. Make teamwork the norm
for all actions. Model teamwork in the way you conduct business and the way
you interact with your colleagues.
o
Use all your leadership tools, such as coaching, counseling, mentoring,
tutoring, and concentrating on improving performance.
o
Use informal processes, such as the way you communicate, showing
respect, and appreciating and celebrating their achievements.
o
Your feelings must show commitment, loyalty, pride, and trust in your
team.
o

Share the credit.

o
Create subcommittees for key areas and give them decision making
authority.
o

Take turns having a different member facilitate or lead the meetings.

Talk last in discussions, after you've heard from the others.

o
Be clear about when you're expressing your own personal opinion, that of
the organization, or that of the whole team.
Leadership shows itself in the inspired action of team members. Traditionally,
organizations have assessed leaders by their actions and behaviors. But, the
best way to assess leadership is by the degree to which people surrounding
leaders are inspired. It is this inspiration that leads organizations on to excellent
performance, rather than mediocre performance.
Charisma Versus Character

Charisma will take you to a level or height but character will keep you there or
bring you down. These were the words of advice my mentor gave me in one of
our conversations. I have pondered on these words in my heart since. In this
article, I will try to relate what my mentor taught me to every reader in the best
way I can.
Firstly I want to define charisma. Charisma is the great charm or personal power
that can attract, influence and inspire people. We find great charisma among
people like comedians, politicians and inspirational speakers. These people
influence those that they communicate with and that is why sometimes people
want to imitate these highly charismatic men.
Charisma can sometimes be a gift, potential, talent or ability and sometimes
results from hard work. Charisma has lifted a lot of men to the top, charisma
makes way for men where there seems to be no way, but the issue is not just
getting to the top, the issue is how
Charisma and character must play along each other to achieve enormous
success in life. It is necessary for everybody who wants greatness in life to fully
develop both charisma and character in his life. Everyone should examine
himself to see which area he is lacking and move to see that the deficit is fully
restored. A mans gift is soon aborted if he does not organize his character to
synchronize with the impact of his charisma. If you just go on in the strength and
power of your potential or ability and you dont take time to develop your inner
qualities, before long you will be flushed off the scene. For example, charisma
can provide money for you but it takes strength of character to manage the
money wisely. So character should not be separated from charisma in order to
achieve a healthy and successful life on earth.
Most people tend to emphasize one side more than the other. They are either
more charismatic or more character-oriented. Whichever side one is on, he tends

to be biased towards that side and lean away from the other side. Both sides are
fully necessary without exception. It is the healthy state of any man to find
himself pulled in both directions. This is not double-mindedness but rather the
paradox of greatness on this earth. When one aspect is not fully developed, its
just like throwing the baby out with the bath water. My reason for writing this
article is to emphasize the importance of character because a lot of people are
charismatic. This is not to say that I have a strong character. I just want to strike
a balance between the two. It is truly the dream of several people to have a
great and enviable future. But what is the way to this desirable future?
You cannot separate the future of a tree from its nature. The nature of a tree is
what determines the fruit it bears in the future. An orange tree cannot produce
mango fruits; neither can a guava tree produce durians. And you will also agree
that the fruit of a tree is what determines its future because inside the fruit is the
seed and inside the seed is the tree again. The tree bears the fruit and the fruit
bears the seed, the seed goes back top the ground and becomes the tree again.
Hence wherever you have a fruit, there is a tree. Your future is therefore, largely
determined by your nature.
It means the absence of good fruits will terminate any great destiny- the future is
dashed because good fruits are not being produced. IT is your nature that
determines your future. Your habit defines your habitat and your make-up
determines your end-up. Understand therefore that having a successful or great
future is not a product of chance but a task that has to be consciously tackled.
Mike Murdock once said that men dont determine their destinies, they
determine their character and their character defines their destiny. Let me say
therefore that character is the block with which great futures are built.
You may ask, what is character? The oxford dictionary defines character as all
the mental or moral qualities that make a person; it also defines it as a personal
reputation.
Success, I must say is not so much a function of what to do, but what to be.
There are many people who are excellent in their field of endeavor, yet every
opportunity for lifting passes them by, why? They lack the character required to
match the position they aspire to attain.
What to be therefore is much more important than what to do, because what you
are actually determines what you do. Character is not a gift, it is a choice, and it
leaves you with a personal responsibility to cultivate it. The quality of your
character is the foundation of how great your future will be. Unfortunately,
awareness of this fact is greatly missing in the world today. Consequently so
many are struggling with doing, not realizing that the fundamental requirement
for success lies in being.
An African proverb says, Character is the commander of fortune. This goes to
show how vital what you are is as opposed to what you do, in determining your
success. Character, should be considered as one of the greatest assets in the
school of success. Ability alone will never take you far, character would.

Character crisis is basically at the root of every misfortune in life. Do you want to
enjoy success in life? Then continuously develop a lifestyle of enviable character.
There are three modules that we should always be conscious of as we build our
character for a great future. They are;
Gifts and habits
Nature and efforts
Papers and character.
No matter how gifted a man is, if he lacks character, he will not have value.
Think of a motor mechanic who is an expert in his trade but lack integrity. People
say, Oh, yes he knows his job, but you cant trust him. He therefore loses the
market; the future of his career is at stake, not because he lacks expertise but
because he lacks character.
That apart, nature is far superior to efforts. Thus you will need to spend more
time in building the kind of nature that will secure for you the kind of future you
desire, than you spend on efforts.
A chimpanzee, for instance, looks very much like a man, but his nature places
clear limits on his future- no matter how hard it tries, it cannot run for election in
any country. Thus, how you are determines what you become.
Thirdly, no matter the quality of the degree that you have acquired, you require
character to make it. There are people who have never enjoyed any fruitful
tenure of office in any organization. The season is character deficiency.
It is therefore not enough to have what the world needs you must be who they
want. Have you heard such statements as He is very intelligent but unreliable;
He is very smart but lacks integrity. And that ends the matter.
I have seen a lot of situations where placements are being decided to fill very
senior positions, and you hear comments flying from everyone; if it is that man,
forget about it! He has everything but lacks character.
Character crisis for instance, is the reason for the family crisis many good looking
men and women are suffering. Listen to some women when they talk, you can
quickly pick the reason why they cannot keep a home- they are too much be
married! And look at some men; they are too arrogant to keep a home. Have you
heard some men say she is beautiful but not a wife material? Character is
lacking there.
A vital aspect of character is attitude. Though it sounds passive, it is indeed
dynamite. Attitude largely determines responses while response determines
results.
Attitude can also described as a two fold cord that is your attitude to work and
attitude to life. Your attitude to life also plays a significant role in your ultimate

success. Note that life is a gift, not a grief. It is a privilege, not an imprisonment,
when you see life as a privilege and a gift, you will embrace it and you will not
despair. Life is about contributions not collection. It is all about responsibility and
not dependency, and as someone has said, responsibility is the price for
greatness. Life is about relevance not significance, it is also about service not
status.
Life is about disposition, not position. Its about sacrifice and not surplus, it is
about giving and not just receiving, your attitude to life will determine what it
offers you. Your attitude to work is also very important, work is not a curse, and it
is a blessing.
Inheritance is not a substitute for practical input. Value is not transferable, it is
earned. It is work that determines worth. This is simply why a beggar has no
worth because what you have not worked for does not add to your worth. There
is no prize without a price, no star without a scar, no impact without an input. It
is your attitude to work that determines your attainment in the world.
In conclusion, I would like to state it clearly the charisma alone is not enough
neither is character alone sufficient. There must be an equal interplay of both
sides. Just like one author said charisma without character is void, insincere and
deceptive. Character without charisma is lifeless, vain and falls short of the true
character.
Charisma without character is illegitimate; charisma without character is not
really charisma at all but a true counterfeit of it. Character without charisma is
not true character at all but a form of humanism. True character demands
charisma and true charisma produces fruits of character.

Warner Buffet Leader Example;

Warren Buffett was born in Nebraska, Omaha USA on the 30th of August in 1930.
He is one of the worlds richest men, with a fortune that is only surpassed by Bill
Gates of Microsoft fame. He is considered one of the most successful investors of
all time and has picked up the nickname of the "Oracle of Omaha".

Buffett was born to Leila and Howard Buffett and was the second of three
children, he being the only boy. Buffett's father, Howard was a stockbroker and
also became a member of congress. Warren Buffett showed early signs of being
entrepreneurial through being involved in various business dealings as a child,
including purchasing bottles of cola cheaply and selling them for a profit. He also
made his first investment in the stock market when he was just 11 years old.

Buffett began studying at the Wharton School of Finance at the University of

Pennsylvania, but transferred to the University of Nebraska where he graduated.

He then went on to the Columbia University to do a Masters in economics. This

was where he met the influential value investor Benjamin Graham.

The young investor was very influenced by Benjamin Graham and went to work
for him in his company "Graham-Newman". It was here that Warren Buffett
developed many of his stock market investing skills that have now become
legendary. Graham developed a method where investors could work out the
intrinsic value of a company and make intelligent investing decisions by
comparing the stock price to the intrinsic value.

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Berkshire Hathaway

After Graham's retirement, Buffett returned to Omaha and began a limited
investing fund partnership with a group of friends, family and associates. The
"Buffett Partnerships Ltd" fund racked up amazing returns for its investors over a
ten year period, with returns 10 times higher than the Dow Jones Industrial
average for the same time. Buffett liquidated the fund and took control of the
textile company Berkshire Hathaway.

It was a difficult time for the textile industry and Buffett eventually wound up
Berkshire Hathaway's textile activities, but kept the name for Buffett's portfolio
of companies and investments. The insurance industry was the first major area
of success that Berkshire Hathaway had, with the funds used to acquire carefully
selected investments each year. Major undervalued companies that Buffett took
advantage of included "American Express", "Coca-Cola" "The Washington Post"
and "Gillette". Berkshire Hathaway owns large holdings of each of the above
major brand companies (more than 5% each).
Selected Berkshire subsidiary companies include:

Borsheim's Fine Jewelry

Acme Brick Company

Buffalo NEWS, Buffalo NY

Clayton Homes

Fruit of the Loom

GEICO Direct Auto Insurance

General Re

Helzberg Diamonds

Nebraska Furniture Mart

The Pampered Chef

See's Candies

United States Liability Insurance Group

Warren Buffett lives with his long time partner Astrid Menks in Omaha, USA. He
was married to Susan Thompson up until her death from stroke in July 2004, but
the couple were separated in 1977. They chose not to divorce and remained
good friends and business associates. Buffett's late wife was set to inherit much
of his fortune upon his death. Buffett is a generous philanthropist and was giving
more than $USD12 million each year to the Buffett Foundation (no called the
"Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation"). His largest charitable donation was to be
upon his death when he had planned to give 99% of his massive fortune to the
foundation.

In June 2006 Buffett announced plans to give much of his wealth away while he
is still living. The majority of the Buffett billions will go to the foundation of his
Bridge partner and friend of fifteen years, Bill Gates.

Henry Ford was an inventor, philanthropist and successful American

businessman. Ford was the founder of the still popular Ford Motor Company
which had its first success with the Model T Ford car that was released in 1908.
Henry Ford revolutionized the way cars were designed and built, introducing
assembly line factories for producing mass amounts of vehicles that led to lower
prices for consumers and an explosion in car ownership throughout the United
States.

Henry Ford was born on July 30, 1863 in Dearborn, Michigan, United States, in
what was then known as Springwells Township. Ford's parents were Irish
immigrants and the family lived on a farm, with Henry Ford being the eldest of
six children. The family had a comfortable upbringing on the farm with a decent
income, but even as a young person, Ford believed there was too much work and
not enough income living from the land.

"It was life on the farm that drove me into devising ways and means to better
transportation. I was born on July 30, 1863, on a farm at Dearborn, Michigan, and
my earliest recollection is that, considering the results, there was too much work
on the place." Henry Ford Quote

Ford began his career as an apprentice machinist in 1879, then returned to his
family farm in 1882 before starting work with the Westinghouse company to

service their steam engines. Ford then went to work at the Edison Illuminating
Company where he became chief engineer in 1893.

Henry Ford had always enjoyed mechanical things and was always trying to
improve or create more useful machinery. In 1893 he created his first gasoline
driven buggy or Quadricycle that was completely self propelled. He then started
the Detroit Automobile Company with several other investors to improve on his
design, but the company went bankrupt soon after. Ford then started the Henry
Ford Company, which he also left, before eventually starting the Ford Motor
Company in 1903.

The Ford Motor Company released the successful Model T car in 1908. Generally
cars were built one at a time and were only accessible to the very wealthy, but
Ford continued to improve the way the cars were manufactured. In 1913 the cars
were being mass produced by one of the first moving assembly lines. In 1918,
half of the total amount of cars in the United States were Model T's, 15 million
cars were sold, and production of the Model T was finally stopped in 1927.

Ford also had interests in politics but was never successful as a politician, and
unsuccessfully ran for Senate as a Democrat. He also had strong views on labor
and how the workforce should be treated. He paid his workers more money for
less working days and made the 5 day 40 hour working week a normal part of
working life.

Henry Ford created the Ford Foundation in 1936 to promote human welfare
through research grants, educational grants and development.

In 1947, at the age 83 Henry Ford died of a cerebral hemorrhage and was buried
in the Ford Cemetery in Detroit.

Steve Ballmer is the Chief Executive Officer of the Microsoft Corporation,

one of the world's leading software development companies. Microsoft is best
known for its Windows operating system for personal computing devices and the
Microsoft Office Suite.
Steven Anthony Ballmer was born in Detroit, Michigan on March 24th, 1956. His
father was a Swiss immigrant who worked as a manager at the Ford Motor
Company and his mother was a Jewish American. Raised with academic values,
Ballmer graduated from Detroit County Day School in 1973 (where he now sits on
the board of directors). While there he managed the school's basketball team
and graduated as valedictorian.

With a perfect score of 800 in the mathematical section of the SATs, he was
accepted into Harvard where he befriended Bill Gates, the man who eventually
created Microsoft. Although Ballmer was interested in business and Gates prone
to computer programming, they seemed to make a good match.
While in college, Steve Ballmer sold ads for the Harvard Crimson, managed the
football team, and worked on the Harvard Advocate. After graduating magna
cum laude in 1977 with a degree in applied mathematics, Ballmer joined the staff
at Procter & Gamble to work as an assistant product manager. Despite his
success working on publicity campaigns such as Duncan Hines Brownie Mix,
Ballmer decided to return to school for his MBA after two years with the
company. He quickly enrolled in Stanford Graduate School of Business.
After his first year at Stanford, Steven Ballmer decided to head up to Seattle to
take a job with Microsoft for the summer. At the time Microsoft had only 23
employees and a total of $12.5 in annual sales. After a summer of work, Gates
managed to convince Ballmer to quit school and work for Microsoft full time.
They agreed on a salary of $50,000 and 7% ownership of the business. Ballmer
never went back to Stanford.
As the first business manager hired by Bill Gates, Ballmer took control of
employee pay scales and managed to double the number of employees. While
Gates continued to work on the evolution of the software industry, Ballmer
focused on building a greater financial structure for the company.
Over time Steve Ballmer headed various divisions within the company such as
Operating Systems Development, Sales and Support, and Operations. With his
strong work ethic and equally intensive management, Gates promoted Ballmer to
President in July of 1998. Two years later he was named Chief Executive Officer
when Gates resigned from the position. Although Bill Gates still maintains control
over the "technological vision", Ballmer now controls the overall operations of
Microsoft.
Ballmer sold of 8.3% of his stocks in 2003 but still maintains control over 4% of
Microsoft shares. The same year saw Ballmer replacing Microsoft's employee
stock option program with a stock grant program.
Steve Ballmer, a Detroit Pistons fan (NBA basketball team), has been happily
married to Connie Snyder since 1990 and is the proud father of two sons. He is
described as a funny, focused, passionate, sincere, and dynamic man that has
infused Microsoft with energetic leadership and vision over his time with the
company.

Anthony Robbins (Tony Robbins) is a best selling self help author,

motivational speaker, and advisor to many world leaders, sports professionals
and business people. He is an internationally recognized personality and has
appeared on countless infomercials, television interviews, talk shows, radio
programs, and has even appeared as himself in the romantic comedy "Shallow
Hal" starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Jack Black.

Tony Robbins was born on the 29th of February 1960 (leap year), California, USA.
He became determined to change his life after a particularly low period in his life
where he was struggling to pay his bills, over weight and without direction.

Robbins transformed his life and developed systems to change the lives of
thousands more. Neuro-linguistic programming or NLP became an integral part of
Robbins' current philosophy and teachings. His popular motivational technique
"neuroassociative conditioning" was developed from the teachings of NLP.

Anthony Robbins gets his message out to an international audience of millions

through his best selling motivational books, audio programs, motivational
seminars, motivational coaching and the philanthropic work that he and his
companies do with the less privileged members of society. Some of his popular
motivational products include:

Awaken the Giant Within: Book & Audio Program

How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical, and Financial
Best selling self help book where Tony Robbins sets out to teach the reader
strategies to achieve success in life, overcome phobias, improve relationships,
and to make lasting change by eliminating destructive habits.

Unlimited Power: Book & Audio Program

The New Science Of Personal Achievement
Robbins shares some of his Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) techniques to
learn how to eliminate phobias in minutes, create rapport with strangers, and to
duplicate the success of others.

Anthony Robbins has created an almost fanatical group of followers worldwide

with people prepared to pay thousands of dollars to attend his motivational
seminars and workshops, but he also has his critics. One area critics talk of is his
firewalking workshops where participants are encouraged to walk barefooted
across hot coals. Critics say it is simple logic and not the power of the mind that
gets people across the coals without burning their feet.

Robbins is also an active and generous philanthropist. The "Anthony Robbins

Foundation" had its beginnings in Robbins giving out bags of groceries
anonymously to impoverished families at Thanks Giving each year. The
organization now feeds more than 500,000 people each year worldwide during
Thanksgiving, Easter and December holidays. Inspiration, education and training
are also delivered to disadvantaged people in society.
Steve Jobs is the Chairman, CEO and co-founder of Apple Inc., a leading
manufacturer of electronic devices including the Macintosh Computer (MAC),
iPod, iPhone, and the music and video software itunes. He was CEO of Pixar
Animation Studios until it was acquired by Disney in 2006. Although he is known
as a business and sales wizard, Steve Jobs is credited with many of the electronic
inventions now patented by Apple.

Steven Paul Jobs was born in San Francisco to Joanne Carole Schieble and
Syrian Abdulfattah John Jandali and adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs. He attended
the Cupertino Middle School followed by high school at Homestead H.S. in the
same town of Cupertino. He spent his childhood in the South Bay area, a region
that would later become known as Silicon Valley. During high school Jobs held a
summer job at the Hewlett-Packard Company in Palo Alto prior to attending
college. His original association with Steven Wozniak began as a result of
attending lectures and working at HP.
Although he attended Reed College in Portland, Oregon, Steve Jobs never
graduated, having only spent about six months at college. He returned to
California in 1974 and began attending meetings of the Homebrew Computer
Club with his friend Wozniak. At the same time he took a job at Atari to save
money for a spiritual retreat to India. While working there he discovered that a
popular whistle recreated the tones needed to make long distance phone calls
with AT&T. Jobs convinced Wozniak to go into business with him to create "blue
boxes" and sell them to people wishing to make free long distance phone calls.
Jobs ended up backpacking through India but returned to work with Atari. He
continued to work with Wozniak on other projects and finally convinced him to
market a computer Wozniak had built for himself. On April 1, 1976, Apple Inc.
was born. Although the business started with printed circuit boards, Steve
Wozniak and Steve Jobs eventually created their first personal computer, the
Apple I, and sold it for $666.66. They later followed it with the Apple II, a large
success for their business. Apple Inc. began selling shares in December of 1980.
As the company grew, so did its merchandise and the hugely successful
Macintosh was introduced to the public in 1984 and became the first personal
computer with a graphical user interface (GUI) through which individuals could
interact with the items on the screen. As Apple grew even more, Jobs
experienced tension with the board and the struggles led to Jobs leaving Apple in
May of 1985.
Steve Jobs went on to create the company called NeXT in 1986. Although it
began as a company designed around aesthetic interpersonal computing, it later

focused more on software development. NeXT ended up playing a major role in

the development of email and the world wide web.
Apple bought NeXT in 1996 and reinstated Jobs as the Chief Executive Officer. His
current annual salary is $1, but he receives executive gifts from the board that
give better tax advantages than does his salary. He is well known for his work
ethic as well as his rumored temper, but has consistently helped to grow Apple
from a company bordering on bankruptcy in the 1990s to a very successful
company today. Steve Jobs has helped establish the new electronic divisions and
personally helped to create the ipod, iphone, and other personal devices.

Sam Walton was the founder of Sam's Club and Wal-Mart, one of the world's
largest general retail chain stores. By 2001, Wal-Mart had over 4500 stores
worldwide.
Sam Walton was born on March 29, 1918 in Kingfisher, Oklahoma to Thomas
Gibson Walton, a farmer, and Nancy Lee Walton. In 1923, Walton's father
determined that their farm did not provide enough income on which to raise a
family and decided to move the family to Missouri to become a mortgage banker,
his previous profession. The Walton family moved from town to town with
Walton's father, but young Sam Walton still remained focused on his studies and
sports.
While attending the 8th grade, Sam Walton became the youngest Eagle Scout in
Missouri history and he excelled at basketball and football during his high school
years. Walton's life was not easy, though, and his academics were met with
equal challenges at home. Growing up during the Great Depression meant that
his family was always looking for ways to save money and Walton's parents
required him to tend to matters at home as much as those at school. Part of his
daily routine involved milking cows and delivering milk, along with newspapers,
to people in the neighborhood.
After graduating high school, Walton pursued a higher education at the
Univeristy of Missouri-Columbia in hopes of finding a career that would help
support his family. During his time at the university, Walton was an officer with
the ROTC unit, worked odd jobs to help feed and support himself, and joined
various prestigious fraternities such as Zeta Phi, Beta Theta Pi, and Alpha Kappa
Psi. He graduated with a degree in economics and was known as an honorable,
scholarly student.
With his degree, Sam Walton joined the management team of JCPenny in Des
Moines, Iowa, only three days after graduation. Having served with the ROTC in
college, Walton anticipated military service when World War II began in 1942.
Walton resigned his position and worked at the DuPont munitions plant awaiting
his call to duty. It was in this plant that he met Helen Robson, his future wife.
They met in April of 1942 and married in February of 1943. Shortly thereafter,
Walton left with the military to serve with the Intelligence Corps where he
eventually became a captain.

Walton left the military in 1945 and decided he wanted to open his own
department stores. Instead of starting with ones that would compete with his
former employer, Walton chose to focus on variety stores. His father-in-law
loaned him the initial $20,000 to help him start his first store, a Ben Franklin
franchise variety store, in Arkansas.
Sam Walton wanted to focus on providing a wide range of goods at discounted
prices to the consumer and keep his stores open longer than his competitors,
even during the Christmas season. His lower-priced strategies allowed him to
drive up sales and negotiate lower prices on purchases with his wholesalers. A
combination of his location and price strategies made him a top seller in the
chain in the six-state region of the franchise market.
Higher rent and unfair lease negotiations eventually forced Sam Walton to open
his own store in Bentonville, Arkansas called "Walton's Five and Dime" and sell
off his inventory and franchise location to the location's owner, instead. In
Bentonville, Walton continued to provide low prices and long hours while
subsequently participating in community activities such as the Rotary Club and
Chamber of Commerce. He continued to open new stores and offered the
managers to become involved in the business from an investment perspective.
By 1962 Walton and his brother Bud owned a total of sixteen stores in Kansas,
Missouri, and Arkansas, most of which still functioned under the brand of Ben
Franklin.
Walton is best known for starting the chain "Wal-Mart" which first opened in 1962
in Bentonville, Arkansas. He transferred his philosophies from his Ben Franklin
stores to his own brand stores in the process and worked hard to help bring a
large variety of products and low prices to his consumers throughout his career.
Walton remained dedicated to keeping Wal-Mart involved in local activities by
allowing charities to hold bake sales on his property as well as providing
scholarships to high school graduates from local schools.
As a result of his accomplishments, Sam Walton eventually received the
Presidential Medal of Freedom from George H. W. Bush in 1992. Walton also
reached the ranks of the richest man in the U.S. From 1985 until 1988. Walton
passed away on April 6, 1992 and left his business to his wife and children who
became the primary shareholders of the company.

Ralph Lauren is an American fashion designer and executive of the

internationally recognized Ralph Lauren brand of products and clothing.
Ralph Lauren was born on October 14, 1939 as Ralph R. Lifshitz to Fraydl and
Frank Lifshitz, Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants. He grew up in the Bronx, a
neighborhood in the southern area of New York City, and acquired a taste for
expensive clothing at an early age. He worked hard to earn enough money to
afford more expensive clothing, preferring quality over cheaper, more affordable
attire.

Although he continued to focus on his appearance, Lauren studied hard in

school, attending the Salanter Academy Jewish Day School and later MTA and the
DeWitt Clinton High School. He graduated in 1957 with a reputation as a clothing
salesman, having sold ties to his classmates during his years at DeWitt. When
Ralph Lauren's brother Jerry changed his last name to Lauren, Ralph followed
suit, discarding the Lifshitz name in favor of Lauren.
Lauren continued his academics at Baruch College at the City University of New
York to study business. He dropped out of college after two years and joined the
US Army in 1962 and served for two years.
In 1968, four years after his discharge, Ralph Lauren married Ricky Low-Beer.
Lauren began working for clothing companies as a salesman, selling a variety of
goods from gloves to ties. He eventually worked for Brooks Brothers and A.
Rivetz & Co. While working at Rivetz, Lauren began designing his own line of
wide ties. He secured a loan from Norman Hilton to found his own company in
1968 under the label Polo Fashions. Lauren later repurchased the rights to the
Polo brand from Hilton.
The department store Bloomingdale's originally tried to prevent Ralph Lauren
from selling his new line of ties and attempted to persuade him to change the
look and label of the accessories. Lauren resisted and continued on his quest for
quality and branding. He succeeded, later selling his goods with Bloomingdale's
under his own terms.
Lauren expanded his tie business to include all forms of business and casual
attire. In the 1980s, Lauren suits were considered the high style in corporate
circles. Although his designs were later pushed aside by designers such as
Armani, Lauren was still able to influence the public through his wide range of
quality casual attire.
Ralph Lauren later introduced Polo and Ralph Lauren lines of linens, perfumes,
colognes, paints, and a variety of household goods. Ralph Lauren stores are
scattered through the US and his designs are sold in countless stores and malls.
Ralph Lauren has three sons and a daughter. His son David works as an
executive at Polo Ralph Lauren.

Peter Lynch is best known for his work with the Magellan Fund through
Fidelity Investments. He grew the fund from $18 million to $14 billion over the
course of 13 years. His investment strategies and policies have been studied
around the world and Lynch wrote about investing in a series of books published
during his career. Although he still works with Fidelity Investments, he now
spends most of his time engaged in philanthropic endeavors.
Peter Lynch was born on January 19, 1944 in Newton, Massachusetts and later
attended Boston College to study finance. He graduated in 1965 and was hired
as an intern with Fidelity Investments the following year. Lynch had been working
as a caddy for the president of Fidelity, as well as other investment bankers, at

the Brae Burn Country Club in nearby Newton and had befriended the
gentlemen.
After working with the paper, chemical, and publishing industries in Fidelity,
Peter Lynch took two years to join the Army and serve his country. When he
returned in 1969, Fidelity hired him full time and put him in charge of
investments involving textiles, mining, metals, and chemicals. Five years later, in
1974, Fidelity made Lynch the director of research and three years later he was
named the head of the Magellan Fund.
In 1977, the Magellan Fund was small and obscure, worth a limited $18 million in
assets. Thirteen years later, in 1990, the Magellan Fund was worth $14 billion
largely due to Lynch's work.
Due to the success of his investments, Peter Lynch wrote investment books
alongside co-author John Rothchild. One Up on Wall Street, Beating the Street,
and Learn to Earn were published during his career. Although they discuss
theories and the application of these theories, Lynch's greatest feat was creating
strategies that anyone could use. Investors today still rely on these books.
Peter Lynch never had one specific investment style, instead he changed his
strategies with changes in the market. According to Lynch, despite his
"chameleon" approach to investments, he did rely on certain core investment
principles. He firmly believed that no one could predict fluctuations in the
economy or interest rates and therefore it was futile to try and do so. As a result,
he was an advocate of research and suggested that people take the time to
identify great companies in which to invest instead of taking long shots.
Lynch also believed in good management and that individuals looking to invest in
a company should study the management structure and the people in charge of
running the business. Most importantly, however, Peter Lynch believed in buying
what you know. Familiarity is key according to Lynch.
Although he still serves as vice-chairman of Fidelity Management & Research Co.,
the investment advisor to Fidelity Investments, he spends most of his time on
philanthropic endeavors. He gives money through the Lynch Foundation, Fidelity
Charitable Gift Fund, and charitable trusts. The foundation named for Peter Lynch
supports religious organizations, cultural and historical organization, education,
and medicine.

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