"My Dear Mr. Hill: Allow me to express my appreciation of the compliment you have paid me in sending me the original manuscript of The Law of Success. I can see you have spent a great deal of time and thought in its preparation. Your philosophy is sound and you are to be congratulated for sticking to your work over so long a period of years. Your students...will be amply rewarded for their labor."
– Thomas A. Edison, Famous inventor, Scientist
"Dear Mr. Hill, I have now had an opportunity to finish reading The Law of Success, and I wish to express my appreciation of the splendid work you have done in this philosophy. It would be helpful if every politician in the country would assimilate and apply the 15 principles upon which The Law of Success is based. It contains some very fine material, which every leader in every walk of life should understand."
– William H. Taft, Former President of the United States and Chief Justice
"The cogent advice articulated by Napoleon Hill is as relevant and pertinent today as the day it was written."
– Donald R. Keough Former President and CEO of Coca-Cola, now Chairman of Allen & Company, Inc.
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In lesson nine, Mr. Hill discusses having an attractive personality as a requisite for success. He discusses how the most important element of one’s personality is having a sound, positive character. I believe he is right-on with his teaching on this subject.
Why is character such an important part of success? Can you hide your character, i.e., your persona, who you really are at the core of your being? Can you wear a mask to disguise your true heart? Can you fool the masses? Can you live a lie? Can you lead others and they not know who and what your really are? Napoleon Hill says no and I concur. Here’s why!
Mr. Hill says that your character is very observable by most people who take the time or care to notice. Have you ever met someone and immediately got that instinctive gut feeling that the person is not trustworthy or is lacking in some other area of their character? Have you ever met a person and were immediately ‘turned off’ by that ‘something’ in their personality? Have you ever felt a little wheeze during a first meeting and very soon thereafter discover that this acquaintance was not who and what they said they were? I have and I suspect you have too on many occasions. To quote Napoleon Hill,
You may embellish yourself with clothes of the neatest and latest design and conduct yourself in a most pleasing manner as far as outward appearances go, but if there is greed, envy, hatred, jealousy, avarice, and selfishness in your heart, you will never attract any, except those whose characters harmonize within your own. Like attracts like, and you may be sure, therefore, that those who are attracted to you are those whose inward nature parallel your own.
I believe a person’s eyes are the gateway to the heart. You can tell a lot about the content of one’s heart by reading their eyes. If there is a true genuineness of purpose within the heart of a person and they live by Godly moral values their eyes will shine with the warmth of their virtuous heart. Paradoxically, if there is a self-interested purpose in the heart and they are of poor moral character the eyes will give notice to the keen observer that something is dark and amiss.
Matthew 6:22-23 tells us,
The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
The same thing to some degree can be said about a handshake, a smile, and the tone of the voice. Is the handshake firm, controlled? Is the smile warm and inviting? Are the tone, reflection, and volume of the voice reflecting confidence and honesty and uprightness of character?
Mr. Hill teaches that every shady transaction you are part of, every negative thought in your mind, and very destructive behavior in which you indulge will destroy that ‘subtle something’ in your heart that is known as character. I submit that each time an individual takes part in such devious actions a small part of his false persona deteriorates and over time his real character is written upon his forehead for all to see.
Mr. Hill quotes the great Emerson regarding this thought.
There is confession in the glances of our eyes; in our smiles; in salutations; in the grasp of the hands. His sin bedaubs him, mars all his good impression. Men know not why they do not trust him, but they do not trust him. His vice glasses his eyes, demeans his cheek, pinches the nose, sets the mark of beast on the back of the head, and writes, “O fool! Fool” on the forehead of a king.
What this message teaches us, as leaders, is that if you and I are to be effective and influential as leaders, we must have a genuine and right purpose for those whom we lead. We must have noble intentions and a true sense of caring for others. Others will not follow voluntarily until they know how much we care about them. They want care how much you know until they know how much you care! What is in our heart reflects the content of our character and will be read in our eyes, our smile, our handshake, and our voice by those we lead.
If your team does not trust you they will follow you only as far as is mandatory. They will follow based solely upon your positional authority. Due to a lack of moral authority of the leader, the team will do only what they have to do and no more. They will not go above and beyond that which is mandated by law, policy, or procedures. This will lead to mediocrity in mission results and to failed or limited leadership on the part of the leader.
Teachable Takeaways
• “Why would you follow somebody around a corner? Or up the hill? Or into a dark room? The reason is trust.” Collin Powell
• All great leaders base their leadership upon a genuineness of purpose and high moral character.
• People recognize strong character and will follow a leader of high integrity, honor and one with a selfish sense of duty.
• The content of your character cannot be hidden. Your persona will permit others to read you like a book.
• You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all the people all the time.
Esse Quam Videri!
Carpe Diem!
Napoleon Hill
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