Lessons from Ivanka Trump

Wow…life has been hectic over the last two weeks and I’ve been so busy that the blog has had to miss out. Sorry folks.

The good news …or bad, depending on how you look at it is …”I’m back!”

So where have I been…well last week I attended a conference and one of the guest speakers was Ivanka Trump. She gave a speech to us that helped us understand a little more about The Trump Organization, the dynamics of the relationship between herself and her father and some basic philosophies that all of us should emulate.

In economic times like this we are all looking for something to give us an edge. Something that will make a difference and something that will make us better. Ivanka made a very important point when she spoke of being employed by her father. She joined the company with the right attitude; “there may be more intelligent people, there may be people with more experience…but I’ll work harder”.

Now that’s an employee all businesses would love to have!

In today’s age it’s easy to be cynical, to be depressed and to moan about one’s lot but your attitude has a great deal to do with your success. Of course, having a great attitude is one thing but you’ve also got to do something to achieve greatness and that’s why Ivanka’s “I’ll work harder” is such an important lesson.

Success doesn’t come easy, never has and those who have had to work hard to get it, value it so much more. You may find yourself in uncertain times at the moment but it’s only by being determined and resolute to succeed that you can.

Of course, Ivanka is a smart cookie and she’s had a very sensible upbringing that shines through. She hasn’t been allowed to emulate people such as the Hilton sisters and she has been taught straight forward old fashioned values.

One of the other things that was revealing was the comment “look for talent in unique places but be watchful as they don’t know anything…but give them an opportunity“. This is something I have always tried to do…to give people a chance. Some people turn out to be superstars while others fade away when in the spotlight but you’ll never know until you give them the chance.

Another comment and one that resonated well with me was the famous Trump “attention to detail” call. Ivanka spoke of how her mother, Ivana, “could spot a lightbulb that was out from two miles”. This is something that I have tried to instill at Florida Leisure Vacation Homes. Every employee is tasked with paying “attention to detail” simply because it makes the ultimate difference for our guests having a great vacation or not.

Many businesses are suffering at the moment and this is the time to pay attention to detail. To make the small things count and to find ways to keep customers coming back. Sure, we offer some great vacation homes that people really enjoy but we have also been paying attention to detail and offering our guests even more…experiences like backstage tours at Walt Disney World, Sea World and many other exciting possibilities at various attractions in the Orlando area.

Ivanka gave me a timely reminder that we must stay on the right track at times like this. There is a temptation to do as so many businesses have and that is to cut costs and offer less…and ultimately that leads to less customers and the increasing chance of going out of business. That’s something we’re going to avoid and we can only do that if we are truly focussed on delivering what our customer wants.

Thanks for the reminders Ivanka!

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