I am fortunate enough (I see it now-not so much then) to have grown up with three brothers. Looking back my childhood taught me many valuable lessons. Counting our fries to make sure we all had the same amount, to being beaten up my one brother and then seeing my other brother beat him up for beating me up, and one of my brothers flying 10 hours to watch me play a sports game has all taught me valuable lessons for business.
Here is my top 10:
(Please add in the comment section what having a sibling has taught you)
- You do not always get what you want, sometimes you have to fight for it(“to have the first shower-thus making sure you have hot water”) - Business is competitive you need to ‘fight’ for your wins
- It’s good to have friends (“ I know my siblings will always be there if needed”) – In business a good network of people will generally keep you busy. Treat everyone as you would like to be treated.
- Sometimes you have to take a backseat (“siblings may get recognized for their achievements before you”) - In business work with your specialists, and have faith in them to take the lead. Recognize their achievements.
- You get beaten up (no explanation required) – In business you are not going to win every deal or please your manager every day. Make sure you ‘grow’ and don't make the same mistake over and over.
- You need to share (“tennis racket, car, football etc.”) –The ‘play box’ is big, try not to step on your 'toes'.
- How to negotiate (“can I borrow that”) – You continuously are negotiating in business deals. Learn to give and take.
- Team Work (“how to get one over the folks”) - In business you often need to work as a team to win a new deal or to help an existing client.
- Patience (“waiting to play with the new toy”) – Deals take time to be put together and need patience.Managing staff you are going to need to have a lot patience.
- Leadership (“playing together often a sibling would lead”) – when presenting or working with a current client make sure everyone knows who is going to take the lead.
- Conflict Resolution (“lost count on the number of arguments had with my brothers –generally though we finally came to a resolution, we may have needed some help from our mom”) –In business you are going to have conflicts, how you proceed with these conflicts and find the resolution could dictate how well you do in business. You may need a outside voice of reason.
Lesson from a mom:
Two brothers were having a mammoth fight by the pool while their mom was talking to her friend in the kitchen. Excusing herself from the room she calmly walked out to her son’s (they did not notice her) and pushed them both into the pool. She then walked back into the house and continued her conversation, while the two brothers stood in the pool dumbfounded.
“If you want to do really important things in life and big things in life, you can’t do anything by yourself. And your best teams are your friends and your siblings” –Deepak Chopra
