This Issue: Learning is a New Beginning

The beginning of every government starts with the education of our youth.

--Pythagoras

Pythagoras interpreted the universe through numbers. As a businessman, that always appealed to me. It makes sense. He was a philosopher and a mathematician and he knew the importance of learning. Pythagoras lived a long time ago, but a lot of things have remained the same, like the importance of education for both individuals and society.

Whenever I start something new, I know I have a lot to learn. This does not discourage me. In fact it gives me energy. It feels like a fresh start. When I started building golf courses, I had a tremendous amount to learn, and by emphasizing the importance of education I realized I loved discovering the details of golf course design. If someone had told me 20 years ago that I'd be developing golf courses, I would have thought they were joking. But it's something I've truly enjoyed doing.

It's important to remain open to new ideas and new information. Being a know-it-all is like shutting the door to great discoveries and opportunities. Keep your door open every day to something new and energizing. Sometimes I wonder what will show up, which is a terrific way to start every day. Other times I might have to search a bit on my own, which is why books and educational tools can be wonderful and should be readily available. Maybe I'm just fortunate, but I'm never bored. Focusing on the importance of education is a big reason behind my success.

At least once in awhile you should ask yourself this question: What do I need to know more about? Maybe it's world history. With the events of today being what they are, it's probably a good idea to know a little about how different cultures have evolved and are operating. Maybe it's something else. I make an effort to read newspapers like The Financial Times with ample international coverage on a daily basis, because it's important to my business to know what's going on worldwide. That alone can require serious attention every day. For you, it may be something else.

These days, we have few excuses for maintaining a blind spot. We all have easy access to information. Going back to the ancient Greeks, Socrates famously said, "There is only one thing I know, and that is I know nothing." Pretty tough words coming from an esteemed philosopher, but it opened him up to more knowledge every day. In other words, start every day with a clean slate. Know the importance of education and give yourself a fresh start by opening up your mind.

If I had started in business thinking I knew everything, I'd have been finished before I got started. Don't make that mistake. There are a lot of hidden aspects in every industry, and you will find out how complex seemingly simple things can be. For example, to get a building built in New York City requires knowledge of zoning, contractors, architects, air rights, tax laws, unions, and about a thousand other things. Concentrating on the importance of education was vital, I had a lot to learn and no one else could learn it for me. But every day I would learn something, apply it, and make progress. Believe me, being a developer didn't happen overnight.

When I started as co-producer of The Apprentice, I had some knowledge of the entertainment industry, but not an in-depth knowledge, especially when it came to the particulars of reality TV. I had to learn about it. I read, I paid attention, I listened, and I applied everything I learned. It was like a crash course. But it was new, it was fascinating, and since I had just jumped in, I knew I'd better learn how to swim in new waters, so I did. It was a great experience, and it continues to be a great experience.

Never think of learning as being a burden or studying as being boring. It may require some discipline, but it can be an adventure. It can also prepare you for a new beginning. Notice the first word in my "Think Big" credo: think. That's the first step. Understand the importance of education and develop that capability, and you'll be in for some great surprises.

Conventional wisdom holds that an Ivy League degree virtually assures success. Everyone believes in the importance of education, but when it comes to hard and fast rules about success, this commonly held assumption turns out to be wrong.

Consider "Route to the Top," Chief Executive Magazine's annual analysis of 700 top American CEOs. Of the findings in the latest 2004 survey, this one jumps out:

"One final survey finding worth highlighting is that the percentage of CEOs with Ivy League educations continues to decline. The number fell from 11 to 10 percent in the latest survey, part of a long-term trend. In 1999, it was 13 percent . . . the preference for Ivy League-educated executives--once a genuine corporate bias--is coming to be seen as a vestige of an earlier era."

If Ivy League credentials are fading in importance, what kind of education will assure your success? The trick is to focus on the importance of education you get in the real world.

Chief Executive finds that people who have solved a lot of real-world problems get to the top faster than people who log years in prestigious institutions. Although 37 percent of the nation's top CEOs do have MBAs (up from 26 percent in 1998), most CEOs today turn out to be job hoppers who learn what they can in a variety of jobs, then move on quickly to the next opportunity. They are also likely to be former consultants who have analyzed and solved problems for many companies.

The importance of education from real-world experience is the main determinant of corporate success. The name of the school where you got your degree, if any, just doesn't matter as much as it used to.

And then there is the question of motivation, which surveys rarely explore. All the statistics in the world can't explain how a man like Michael Dell, who had little formal education, outdistanced hordes of MBAs from top schools to become one of the wealthiest Americans. How did Mr. Dell and others like him do it? You won't find any ivy twined on their brows.

The key, again, is real world experience. Mr. Dell didn't learn about marketing by sitting in a classroom. He learned about it when his inventories started to pile up and he needed a way to generate more cash. That's when he had his flash of inspiration to sell computers directly to consumers, not through retailers. Of course, he would have learned about direct marketing at Harvard Business School, but the idea of applying it to computer sales was his and his alone.

Educational theorists have a name for people like Michael Dell. They call him an active processor of information. That means he absorbs information quickly because he needs it to solve problems. He has what we might call a success personality.

Those same educational theorists also have a name for people who like to analyze abstract information without necessarily putting it into practice. Those people are called reflective processors of information. They love learning for learning's sake, believing that concentrating on the importance of educating yourself with abstract knowledge just might come in handy someday.

You don't have to be a genius to realize that real-world success depends on mastering both of those learning styles. You need the hard-knocks experience of building your own success. You also need to have MBA-level information under your belt. After all, the time might come when the importance of education from all those business-school theories will provide just the answer you need about why your numbers aren't adding up or why your customers aren't buying what you have to sell.

That's why it is so important to put a foundation of knowledge beneath you, such as the one you will find in the 360° Business Briefings you can access online at Trump University. As you study those MBA-level ideas, try to envision how you will apply them in the real world. The day may come when they will provide just the answer you are looking for.

But don't just absorb theories. Get out into the real world and struggle for your success. You'll find that your passion, backed up by understanding the importance of education, adds up to an experience that is second to none.

Most of us have been to a school graduation ceremony at which the featured speaker or honored graduate comments on how the ceremony itself "is not the end of one's education, but the beginning" -and that's why they call it "commencement!"

The reason the theme of new beginnings is so popular in commencement speeches is because it is so true. And its focus on the importance of education could never be more appropriate in today's complex, dynamic business environment. In order to stay competitive, we have to keep up with ever-changing business practices, techniques, technologies, and opportunities.

For example, businesses that accurately identified the need to embrace the Web as part of their strategy first learned how the web could improve their business processes and their access to markets. They also used the Web to continuously expand their knowledge base.

To be successful today, it is not enough to be smart. You have to update what you know and stay informed by focusing on the importance of education. Continuous learning has never been easier--or more critical. Online learning provides the ultimate in convenience and the opportunity to learn from the best in the field. You don't have to travel across the country to attend a seminar or take a class. You can do it from your home or office at your convenience.

One way of concentrating on the importance of education is by finding a mentor who has "been there, done that." This relationship offers personalized learning on a one-to-one basis. You'd be surprised by how willing others, who have become successful in your field or profession, are to help you advance your career or explore professional and entrepreneurial interests. If you are already in business, you can also gain valuable insights into how to streamline business processes and improve product lines by soliciting ideas from customers, employees, and associates.

Being a "learning organization" or a "leader-learner" is about using commonsense approaches to tap into the knowledge base of those around you. Embrace the importance of education as a continuous, lifelong process, and you will also find success and fulfillment along the way.