People development takes time

At one time Andrew Carnegie was the wealthiest man in America. He came to America from his native Scotland when he was a small boy, did a variety of odd jobs, and eventually ended up as the largest steel manufacturer in the U.S. At one time he had 43 millionaires working for him. In those days, a millionaire was a rare person; conservatively speaking, a million dollars in his day would be equivalent to at least 20 million dollars today.

A reporter asked Carnegie how he hired 43 millionaires. Carnegie responded that those men were not millionaires when they started working for him but had become millionaires as a result.

The report then asked how he had developed these men to become so valuable to him that they would pay them so much money.

Carnegie replied that men are developed the same way gold is mined. When gold is mined, several tons of dirt must be moved to get an ounce of gold, but one doesn't go into the mine looking for dirt. One goes in looking for gold.

Robert Half said, "There is something that is much more scarce, something rarer than ability. It is the ability to recognize ability." There is still another step that must be taken beyond the ability to discover the gold that is in the leader's mine. It must also be developed. It is better to train ten people to work than to do the work of ten people, but it is harder. "The man who goes alone can start the day. But he who travels with another must wait until the other is ready."

Developing the Leader Within You