A Lesson in Developing People

A journalist (I believe it was Napoleon Hill) was asked to interview one of the richest men in their time, Mr. Andrew Carnegie. A classic rag to riches legend who built his business empire around steel.

One question the journalist asked is this:

Journalist: I was told that you had 43 millionaires working for you, how did you hired so many millionaires and why are they willing to work for you?

Andrew Carnegie: Before I hired them, they are not millionaires. It was after working for me did they became millionaires.

J: Then what is your formula for turning so many of them into millionaires?

A.C: You see, developing people is just mining gold. You get one pound of dirt for every ounce of gold. Here is the thing, you don’t look for the dirt, you look for the gold.

One of the easiest ways to develop a person is to constantly catch him do the right thing and constantly praise him for it. Always try to look for the ‘good’ of the person.

T-Hubber