As we move onwards in our Think and Grow Rich study, we now move onto Chapter6: Organized Planning. It is in this chapter that we will discover how to build our own practical plans to create riches.

Napoleon outlined several practical means in which you can build your definite plan of action:

Form a mastermind group – Decide on what type of person you will need in your own group to create and carry out your plan for the accumulation of money. We will go more in depth into forming a mastermind group in a subsequent chapter.

What are your benefits – Determine what benefits you can offer to the mastermind group. What skills do you posses? How can you help another? No one will ever work with you without adequate compensation. Realise your own worth and figure out what you can give in return.

Meet your group twice a week – Arrange to meet your mastermind group at least twice a week. In this meeting you will jointly perfect the necessary plans for the accumulation of money.

Click here to download a Mastermind Guideline Help Sheet
(Publically released by Bob Proctor’s, Life Success Productions)

Maintain perfect harmony – Create harmony with your mastermind group and support each other where ever possible. Treat the members of your mastermind group as if they were one of your family, do everything in your power to help them achieve their desired outcome. Without remaining in perfect harmony, your group should expect to fail.

Every plan that you adopt must be jointly created by your mastermind group. Ensure that everyone agrees that these plans are the perfect way to move forward towards your goals.

In the case that your first set of plans does not work as you had wished, then instead of being discouraged, meet with your mastermind group and formulate a new set of plans. Repeat this process until you find a plan that does work. Persistence is crucial in your attainment of riches. If you have a burning desire for your goal, then persisting onwards will feel like the natural progressive step to take. If you are not totally committed and definite about your desire for riches then how can you ever expect riches to follow?

There are two types of people in this world, one type is known as LEADERS and the other type are FOLLOWERS.

Which would you rather be?
Which type of person are you?

Let’s look at the differences. A leader is simply someone with followers or someone who attracts followers. You may think that your boss is a leader, but that’s not necessarily so. A boss is a member of staff or someone who’s managed to climb a hierarchy and is in a position of power where they can make more important decisions than other staff.

A follower is someone who is happy to go along with the herd mentality and does not like to make decisions for them self.

There is no disgrace in being a follower – however if you decide that this is the type of person you want to be then you should not expect riches in great quantities. Only a leader with followers can expect such greatness.

Napoleon listed the 11 major factors of leadership. Do any of these relate to you? And if not, what would it take for you to acquire them?

The 11 Major Factors of Leadership

1. UNWAVERING COURAGE. Based upon knowledge of self, and of one’s occupation. No follower wishes to be dominated by a leader who lacks self-confidence and courage. No intelligent follower will be dominated by such a leader very long.

2. SELF-CONTROL. The man who cannot control himself, can never control others. Self-control sets a mighty example for one’s followers, which the more intelligent will emulate.

3. A KEEN SENSE OF JUSTICE. Without a sense of fairness and justice, no leader can command and retain the respect of his followers.

4. DEFINITENESS OF DECISION. The man who wavers in his decisions, shows that he is not sure of himself. He cannot lead others successfully.

5. DEFINITENESS OF PLANS. The successful leader must plan his work, and work his plan. A leader who moves by guesswork, without practical, definite plans, is comparable to a ship without a rudder. Sooner or later he will land on the rocks.

6. THE HABIT OF DOING MORE THAN PAID FOR. One of the penalties of leadership is the necessity of willingness, upon the part of the leader, to do more than he requires of his followers.

7. A PLEASING PERSONALITY. No slovenly, careless person can become a successful leader. Leadership calls for respect. Followers will not respect a leader who does not grade high on all of the factors of a Pleasing Personality.

8. SYMPATHY AND UNDERSTANDING. The successful leader must be in sympathy with his followers. Moreover, he must understand them and their problems.

9. MASTERY OF DETAIL. Successful leadership calls for mastery of details of the leader’s position.

10. WILLINGNESS TO ASSUME FULL RESPONSIBILITY. The successful leader must be willing to assume responsibility for the mistakes and the shortcomings of his followers. If he tries to shift this responsibility, he will not remain the leader. If one of his followers makes a mistake, and shows himself incompetent, the leader must consider that it is he who failed.

11. COOPERATION. The successful leader must understand, and apply the principle of cooperative effort and be able to induce his followers to do the same. Leadership calls for POWER, and power calls for COOPERATION.

Napoleon points out that there are two forms of leadership, one of which is far more effective than the other. The first is leadership by consent and the second is leadership by force.

Leadership by consent – This type of leadership will incorporate all of the above 11 qualities of a great leader. This type of leader does not need to force or blackmail another to gain followers, instead they act with dignity and follow a structure of ethics to guide them forward.

Leadership by force – It is this type of leadership that will not last. When another is forced into doing something they do not like or do not want, a part of their freedom has been taken from them. The most wanted feeling of all is to feel free, and by removing a part of someone’s freedom will only create a temporary following.

Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.
- Stephen R. Covey

The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision.
- Theodore Hesburgh

A leader is best when people barely know he exists, not so good when people obey and acclaim him, worse when they despise him….But of a good leader who talks little when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say, “We did it ourselves.”
- Lao Tzu

Knowing what to do correctly is important, but equally as important is to know what not to do. The following is an excerpt explaining the 10 most common traits of leadership which you should not follow.

The 10 Major Causes of Failure in Leadership

1. INABILITY TO ORGANIZE DETAILS. Efficient leadership calls for ability to organize and to master details. No genuine leader is ever “too busy” to do anything which may be required of him in his capacity as leader. When a man, whether he is a leader or follower, admits that he is “too busy” to change his plans, or to give attention to any emergency, he admits his inefficiency. The successful leader must be the master of all details connected with his position. That means, of course, that he must acquire the habit of relegating details to capable lieutenants.

2. UNWILLINGNESS TO RENDER HUMBLE SERVICE. Truly great leaders are willing, when occasion demands, to perform any sort of labor which they would ask another to perform. “The greatest among ye shall be the servant of all” is a truth which all able leaders observe and respect.

3. EXPECTATION OF PAY FOR WHAT THEY “KNOW” INSTEAD OF WHAT THEY DO WITH THAT WHICH THEY KNOW. The world does not pay men for that which they “know.” It pays them for what they DO, or induce others to do.

4. FEAR OF COMPETITION FROM FOLLOWERS. The leader who fears that one of his followers may take his position is practically sure to realize that fear sooner or later. The able leader trains understudies to whom he may delegate, at will, any of the details of his position. Only in this way may a leader multiply himself and prepare himself to be at many places, and give attention to many things at one time. It is an eternal truth that men receive more pay for their ABILITY TO GET OTHERS TO PERFORM, than they could possibly earn by their own efforts. An efficient leader may, through his knowledge of his job and the magnetism of his personality, greatly increase the efficiency of others, and induce them to render more service and better service than they could render without his aid.

5. LACK OF IMAGINATION. Without imagination, the leader is incapable of meeting emergencies, and of creating plans by which to guide his followers efficiently.

6. SELFISHNESS. The leader who claims all the honor for the work of his followers, is sure to be met by resentment. The really great leader CLAIMS NONE OF THE HONORS. He is contented to see the honors, when there are any, go to his followers, because he knows that most men will work harder for commendation and recognition than they will for money alone.

7. INTEMPERANCE. Followers do not respect an intemperate leader. Moreover, intemperance in any of its various forms, destroys the endurance and the vitality of all who indulge in it.

8. DISLOYALTY. Perhaps this should have come at the head of the list. The leader who is not loyal to his trust, and to his associates, those above him, and those below him, cannot long maintain his leadership. Disloyalty marks one as being less than the dust of the earth, and brings down on one’s head the contempt he deserves. Lack of loyalty is one of the major causes of failure in every walk of life.

9. EMPHASIS OF THE “AUTHORITY” OF LEADERSHIP. The efficient leader leads by encouraging, and not by trying to instil fear in the hearts of his followers. The leader who tries to impress his followers with his “authority” comes within the category of leadership through FORCE. If a leader is a REAL LEADER, he will have no need to advertise that fact except by his conduct–his sympathy, understanding, fairness, and a demonstration that he knows his job

10. EMPHASIS OF TITLE. The competent leader requires no “title” to give him the respect of his followers. The man who makes too much over his title generally has little else to emphasize. The doors to the office of the real leader are open to all who wish to enter, and his working quarters are free from formality or ostentation.

Now that you are aware of what you should and shouldn’t do to become a valiant leader, start to think about how you can apply or remove these traits from your day-to-day life experience.

Perhaps you’ve always wanted to be the manager of your firm, but after reading these lists you realize that it is not the duties of the manager that you desire, more over it is the difference in pay and the respect you are given with a new and ‘higher’ title of manager. Is this what a leader should be focussing upon?

Several years ago when I was working for a corporation I had the privilege of meeting someone who I felt was a true leader. This person displayed all characteristics that Napoleon shares with us and this person literally flew through the ranks.

She was my team leader and I saw her go from a low ranked job to managerial status in under 2 years. She had the drive and determination to get there, but she also had unique talents to gain the co-operation of others. She was willing to pitch in and help perform our ‘HUMBLE SERVICE’ when we were overworked and she managed to achieve all of this at age 19 through 21.

What team can you successfully lead and to what end?

The remainder of Chapter6: Organized Planning focuses upon; areas in which leadership will be required; how to market yourself when seeking employment; the different mediums which you can use to market your services and some excellent resume creation tips.

As this is a light study on Think and Grow Rich, I will not be going in depth into these areas as they are already extremely clear to understand and well thought out ideas.

There was one area that caught my attention which is the section on How to Get the Exact Position You Desire. This subheading and its contents are extremely applicable to today’s circumstances and in most cases this knowledge is never utilized.

The main insight I took from this part of the book was that if you wish to stand out from the crowd and to display yourself as a leader in your chosen field then you must act and behave differently than others. In the scenario of attaining the exact position that you desire instead of following the usual procedures to attaining a job (preparing a resume, submitting it through the usual routes and waiting to hear back from the employer) you should make yourself stand out and focus upon how you truly can be of service to your employer and not focus upon the benefits of the job.

Let’s look at this in slightly more detail.

First. Decide – and DEFINE briefly in writing – EXACTLY what kind of a job you desire. If the job doesn’t already exist, perhaps you can create it.

Second. Choose the specific company, or the specific individual, for whom you wish to work.

Third. Study your prospective employer, as to policies, personnel, and chances of advancement.

After having defined the details of your job you’ve already begun to magnetically attract these into your experience. The second step is what the majority of us are most commonly used to doing. However, the third step is commonly overlooked.

Ensure that you do your proper research on a company or individual before making any contact. When someone has spent the time to fully research a company then not only will they be more prepared and have a better idea of what to expect but you are showing signs that you are different from the other potential job seekers.

Forth. By analysis of yourself, your talents and capabilities, figure WHAT YOU CAN OFFER, and plan ways and means of giving advantages, services, developments, ideas that you believe you can successfully deliver.

Everyone has unique talents they can offer. Often we don’t consider our talents to be worthwhile because we’ve taken them for granted to often. Make a list of everything you are good at. No one will ever expect you to be a super human and possess a vast array of skills, so be specific and be honest with what you feel your most unique abilities.

Fifth. Forget about “a job.” Forget whether or not there is an opening. Forget the usual routine of “have you got a job for me?” Concentrate on what you can give.

Ah-ha! Forget about whether the company has a job opening or not. “Are you mad?” – I can hear you thinking!

This is the most controversial step of the lot, but it is where you will see real proof that anything is possible. Remember, if you believe something is possible then it is. If you can vision yourself working for a certain company or individual then it can be so.

Sixth. Once you have your plan in mind, arrange with an experienced writer to put it on paper in neat form, and in full detail.

Seventh. Present it to the proper person with authority and he or she will do the rest. Every company is looking for people who can give something of value, whether it be ideas, services, or “connections”. Every company has room for the individual who has a definite plan of action which is to the advantage of that company.

Here are some additional tips for when you approach your prospective employer:

• Ask to see the manager or someone of authority first – don’t entertain service level employees as they may have been given guidelines which they will follow
• If the manager is unavailable then tell them you will wait for their return. Do not leave the building without having seen someone in authority who can handle you. Even if you have to wait hours on end, remain waiting as by waiting you are making a massive impression on them.
• When you engage the person who has authority to give you your desired position, be honest and caring and give a short 2-5 minute speech about how you can add value to the company and what you promise to commit. (Maybe you’re the most punctual worker they’ll ever employ? Tell them so!)