The Trump Blog

Competition is almost always a good thing. It usually brings out the best in a person or a business if they know they are battling for a job or a client. They know they can’t win by being complacent.

But in the Democratic primary, the competition between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama may be hurting both candidates as well as their own party.

Because the fight between the two of them is, at times, getting so dirty, voters are getting turned off. Their supporters are so firmly camped in their own candidate’s court that many of them wouldn’t switch loyalties to the other candidate if their own candidate didn’t win the nomination. They’ll go to the other side.

In fact, according to a new poll, about 20 percent of Clinton supporters and 20 percent of Obama supporters say they’d actually vote for Republican Senator John McCain if their candidate doesn’t win the nomination.

They’d actual defect from their own party because this primary competition has become so fierce, divisive and nasty.

So this is one competition that may be causing more harm than good. It looks like the Democrats may need to find a way to resolve the situation quickly before it’s too late and the competition gets the best of them. But based on the obvious dislike that these candidates have for each other, I doubt that’s possible.

With the Democratic presidential nomination far from decided, the candidates were jockeying a little bit recently, talking about a “dream ticket.”

Hillary Clinton said she’d consider naming Barack Obama as her vice-president when she gets the nomination, but she’s nowhere near a shoo-in. For his part, Obama said he’s just focused on winning the nomination, although at least one member of his team said Clinton would make a good vice-president. (I know Hillary and I think she’d make a great president or vice-president.)

It’s interesting to see what the candidates are doing. They’re playing the same kind of power games that you see in any kind of business environment.

Sometimes if you project a powerful attitude then the people around you can’t help but pick up on it too. It’s great positioning and it often works.

It’ll be interesting to see, however, if it works in the political arena. A lot of people think a Clinton/Obama or Obama/Clinton pairing would be a dream pairing for the November election. But for that to happen, one of them has to willingly agree to be Number Two.

Until then, keep an eye on all the power games and maneuvering. It will reveal a lot about who might one day sit in the Oval Office.

If you are running a business or even conducting a meeting, here’s the ticket to success. Have a lot of attractive people around.

New research proves that people naturally work harder when they’re around a good-looking person. There’s an inherent desire to be near beautiful people and to please them. So when an attractive person asks for help, most people will jump at the opportunity.

Apparently that’s why football teams with handsome quarterbacks tend to be so successful. And, in office environments, that’s why bosses are smart when they put a great-looking man or woman in charge of leading an important project.

We already knew that better-looking people tend to be promoted at a faster rate and often get hired with larger salaries than their more average-looking counterparts. Now we know that they often inspire their coworkers to put in the extra effort and to work harder.

I always liked the idea of surrounding myself with very talented people who also happen to be very attractive. Now I know I’ve been on to something all along. But I’ve also been around plenty of average-looking people who have done a great job too. So I’m guessing that looks, honestly, don’t mean all that much.

Negotiating is an art. There are nuances and finely honed techniques and rules to be aware of. Here are a few of them:

Know what you’re doing. Sounds simple, but I’ve seen a lot of instances where I couldn’t believe how much the other side didn’t know. I immediately knew I could have a grand slam and fast, just based on their apparent lack of preparation. My father used to tell me, “Know everything you can about what you’re doing.” He was absolutely right, and I’m giving you the same advice. Follow it.

Remember, it takes a lot of smarts to play dumb. This is a good way to see how much your negotiating partners don’t know. It’s also a good way to see if they are bulldozing you.

Keep them a bit off balance. What they don’t know won’t hurt you, and that may help you down the line. Knowledge is power, so keep as much of it to yourself as possible.

Trust your instincts. There are a lot of situations that will not be black and white in negotiating, so go with your gut. Combine this with your homework and you’ll be ahead of the game.

Don’t be confined by expectations. There are no exact rules, and sometimes I’ve changed course in the middle of negotiations when something new has occurred to me. Remain flexible and open to new ideas, even when you think you know exactly what you want. This attitude has provided me with opportunities that I would not have thought about before.

Know when to say no. This has become instinct for me by now, but I think we all know when that buzzer goes off inside. Pay attention to that signal.

Be patient. I’ve waited for some deals for decades, and it was worth the wait. But make sure what you’re waiting for is worth it to begin with. 

To speed up negotiations, be indifferent. That way you’ll find out if the other side is eager to proceed.

Remember that in the best negotiations, everyone wins. This is the ideal situation to strive for. You will also be laying the ground work for future business deals with people who know what integrity is.

In summing up, I can say that negotiation is an art. All the arts require discipline, technique, and a dose of imagination to take them beyond the realm of the ordinary. Don’t be an ordinary negotiator when you can be an extraordinary one. Devote time to this art and it can bring you enormous rewards.

We’ve all heard the saying “connect the dots.” I see it as having enough knowledge to be able to connect the dots in a reasonable and informed way.

In a conversation I was having a few years ago, one guy mentioned that the Trump name had become a famous brand around the world. Then he added, “What’s in a name?” and sort of laughed and then said to me, “In your case, a lot!”

I noticed that another man seemed out of the loop about the quip. So I said “That’s Shakespeare. ‘What’s in a name’ is a famous line from Shakespeare.” So he still looked perplexed and asked “From what?” And although I knew it was from Romeo and Juliet, I said, “Look it up. You might learn some interesting things along the way.”

I’m not proposing that you spend years studying Shakespeare, but a topical knowledge of certain things will greatly enhance your capabilities of dealing in the major leagues with people who are well educated in a variety of subjects. Don’t be left out! Take a few hours a week to review the classics in literature, or history, or something outside of your usual range of interests. Limiting yourself is not the best choice.

Many topics come up in the course of a business discussion or interview, and while we can’t know everything, we should know as much as we can.

“Tenacity is absolutely necessary for success” - Meredith McIver

Don Trump Jr. started at the Trump Organization the same month I did, which was September of 2001. I remember being impressed by how unassuming he was as well as how diligent he was. Not that I should be surprised, because he has his father’s work ethic to the core. He’s a serious businessman who takes on a lot of responsibility and doesn’t expect any breaks because of his family heritage. If anything, he has more responsibility, which he handles with aplomb. He is mature beyond his years.

A few years later, Ivanka Trump came on board, and by then we knew what to expect. She’s a very hard worker, a dynamo in fact, and there’s no nonsense when she and Don Jr. work together. They make a great team, and share their father’s passion for real estate. Their passion is not fabricated, it’s for real. They’ve taken the Trump Organization global, in a big way and in a short time. It’s been remarkable to watch. Ivanka’s incredibly beautiful too, by the way, but her demeanor cannot be mistaken for anything other than professional. She’s a class act all the way. I heard her father refer to her as being “formidable” and I thought, right on.

Eric Trump joined his siblings in the fall of 2006, and he too brings the same Trump work ethic to his position. He is 6’5” tall, but his countenance is not one of intimidation. He knows what he’s doing and has a low-key approach to getting things done. Which means, being a Trump, they will be done right and done with speed and gusto. He hosted the September Concert tribute to 9/11 in Trump Tower, and did a fantastic job at the microphone. He’s a natural.

Everyone is impressed with the Trump children, although it feels strange to refer to them as children. They are professional, articulate, well mannered, well grounded and as far from being childlike as you can get. I know Mr. Trump is proud of them, and rightly so. Watching them in action is the best antidote to skepticism. They will do the Trump name well for at least a couple of generations to come. The Trump ethos is quality and it is in good hands.

Last week I was telling Don Jr. about the new book I am working on with his father, which is called Never Give Up! It will be similar in format to Trump 101: The Way to Success, which came out last fall and was well received. Don asked what it was about, and I told him it will describe some of the challenges involved in the seemingly Midas-touch empire that his father has built. When we hear the Midas-touch syndrome applied to the Trump properties, we always have a laugh. The Trump brand is what it is today as the result of the hard work, integrity and the incredible tenacity that started with Fred Trump, continued in a big way with Donald Trump, and is flourishing today with the three new Trumps at the Trump Organization. I’d say the Trump brand is poised to be bigger and better than ever.

One of my original observations here had to do with the complexities of the development and management of large properties. It requires amazing daily diligence as well as an eye for details. I began to see how it can become a consuming passion - because if you’re not passionate about it, it could drive you nuts. Nothing is easy, and to hear the meetings and negotiations makes you aware of that fact. Mr. Trump has likened doing business to combat, and I will say that sometimes there is a war zone feeling around here. One journalist who came up commented that spending a day in the offices was like “a day in the trenches” - but the good part is that it is never boring. The Sturm und Drang is there for a good reason - just look at the results! It will be exciting to see how the next few years unfold.

One lesson I’ve learned from watching Donald Trump in action is that tenacity is absolutely necessary for success. That means a daily application of 100 percent focus and nothing less. It’s astonishing to see how he zones in on something, and holds on until he’s satisfied or the problem has been resolved. It can be about trees, sinks, chairs or a multi-million dollar project. All of them will receive his rapt attention. So be tenacious, every single day, day in and day out - and you too will see results.

Ambitious people don’t go looking for trouble. But they really know how to handle it when it comes along.

Look at Jet Blue CEO David Neeleman. He certainly didn’t want his airline to make front-page news a few months ago when a customer-service disaster struck. And I don’t think that Martha Stewart enjoyed being accused of insider trading. (Unjustly, in my opinion.)

But David and Martha certainly knew what to do when trouble knocked at the door. That ability is not innate. It is learned. You can only cultivate it by fighting through at least one major difficulty. Or often, quite a few of them.

So my advice is, don’t hide from trouble. Use it to build your resiliency.

To understand why David Neeleman was able to handle the recent Jet Blue disruptions so well, you need to know a little about his history. Before he founded Jet Blue, he was one of the top executives at Southwest Airlines. One day, his boss Herb Kelleher fired him. David was devastated. He went home in tears to tell his wife and children - nine children! He had an onerous five-year non-compete clause to deal with. But he weathered that and then launched Jet Blue.

Even at successful Jet Blue, David had more problems to deal with. A few years ago, the airline had a security problem when several million customers’ confidential information got sent off to Homeland Security and then to a third-party consultant, in violation of Jet Blue’s own policies. David stood up, took ownership of the problem and got stronger in the process. So just a few months ago when a service disruption stranded thousands of Jet Blue passengers, David could take charge so compellingly because he had already built the strength to handle adversity.

Martha Stewart teaches us another good lesson about dealing with disasters. When she got hit with her insider-trading accusation, she didn’t go hide. She didn’t wait for people to come to her and ask, “Martha, is this true?” No, she set up a Website to declare that the charge was false. She put ads in newspapers to fight back. And you know what? The only people who withdrew their support for her and her products were a lot of 25-year-old ad buyers. As you noticed, Sherwin-Williams and the other retailers who distributed her product lines never wavered. That was because she told her side of the story without waiting for someone to ask.

So don’t go looking for trouble. But when the hard times come, come out swinging. You’ll build the skills and resiliency to continue your fight right up to the top.