The Way to the Top Read online

  I have always believed that a company should be greedy for the long term. Doing the “right thing” consistently is the path to that end. Short-term greed is the slippery slope to irrelevance, or worse, disaster.

  Don’t compromise your principles

  John H. WILLIAMS, Jr.

  Vice Chairman of Stein Mart

  When I was in my mid-twenties, a new manager not long out of college, an early mentor named Frank Culhane took me aside. He said that to be successful in management, you should surround yourself with good people and then let them do their jobs. Today that seems so obvious, but as a twenty-something new manager, I must say that it indeed served me well over the years.

  Let good people do their jobs

  Dale WINSTON

  Chairwoman and CEO of Battalia Winston International

  The best way to get good business advice is to create a forum that enables you to seek counsel. In our case, as the executive search firm of Battalia Winston International was beginning to grow, we created a Board of Advisors. We met with them on a regular basis and shared with them information about our business, our successes, and our failures.

  Founded in 1963, our national search firm began with only one office in New York. It was becoming evident to us, through the Board’s advice, that in order to continue to be national, we needed to open offices elsewhere. The key advice we received from our Board was to take what we had done in New York and to “duplicate and replicate” it in other parts of the country, as well as the world.

  Today we have five offices in the United States and, through our association with the Accord Group, thirty-six offices throughout the world. Thanks to this advice, we are now ranked among the top fifteen search firms, both in the United States and worldwide.

  Not only companies, but also individuals, need to create an opportunity to receive advice. I have often advised executives to create their own advisory groups—to find two or three people to consult with about their own careers, and to meet with them on a regular basis.

  Seek counsel

  George ZIMMER

  CEO of Men’s Wearhouse

  Don’t be afraid to charge enough for your products or services.

  Know your value

  About the Author

  DONALD J. TRUMP is known worldwide for his business acumen. He is the very definition of the American success story, continually setting the standards of excellence while expanding his interests in real estate, gaming, sports, and entertainment. In New York City, the Trump signature is synonymous with the most prestigious addresses, including the renowned Trump Tower, the Trump International Hotel & Tower, the Trump World Tower, Trump Park Avenue, and 40 Wall Street. He also has acclaimed golf courses in Florida, California, and New York, and owns the famed Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida.

  Trump is the number one New York Times bestselling author of The Art of the Deal, Surviving at the Top, The Art of the Comeback¸ and, most recently, How to Get Rich. All told, these books have sold millions of copies.

  In 2004, Mr. Trump co-produced and starred in the NBC hit show The Apprentice and he is also partners with NBC in the ownership and broadcast rights for the three largest beauty competitions in the world.

  An ardent philanthropist, Trump is involved with numerous civic and charitable organizations.

  Also by Donald J. Trump

  Trump: The Art of the Deal

  Trump: Surviving at the Top

  Trump: The Art of the Comeback

  The America We Deserve

  Trump: How to Get Rich

  Grateful acknowledgment is made to Portfolio for permission to reprint an excerpt from If You Don’t Have Big Breasts, Put Ribbons On Your Pigtails by Barbara Corcoran, with Bruce Littlefield. Copyright © 2003 by Barbara Ann Corcoran & Bruce Duanne Littlefield. Reprinted by permission of Portfolio, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  Copyright © 2004 by Donald J. Trump and Bill Adler Books, Inc.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Published by Crown Business, New York, New York. Member of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc. www.crownpublishing.com

  CROWN BUSINESS is a trademark and the Rising Sun colophon is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  The way to the top : the best business advice I ever received / [compiled by] Donald J. Trump.

  p. cm.

  1. Success in business. I. Trump, Donald, 1946–

  HF5386 W26 2004

  650.1—dc22 2004005683

  eISBN 1-4000-8196-3

  v1.0