Why you should use your success to help others succeed too

Want to know what the biggest difference between successful people and unsuccessful people is? Successful people always look for ways to help others. The ones living in scarcity, fear, doubt and ‘what’s in it for me?’ are the ones who struggle to find the gold at the end of the rainbow, explains meaningful marketing and business Marlie Jolanda.

While we are in business to make money, having a giving spirit doesn’t go astray when it comes climbing the ladder of success. Business people who exist to serve and help others shine bright are the ones who stand out – you notice them, you want to be around them and you definitely want to learn from them. There’s a good old saying ‘people don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.’ We live in an age where we hold people to a higher standard, we want to see our business leaders doing good and being good.

Why sharing your success helps others succeed

If you are wondering how you can incorporate doing good in your business, it can quite easily start with helping others at every opportunity. Helping others succeed doesn’t have to cost you time away from your main mission – growing your venture. It can be something you slip into your day, leaving the person you helped feel supported and encouraged and you knowing you’ve made a difference.

Attention to detail is key to success

If you want to help other people succeed, you need to know what matters to them. Not everyone’s “success” is measured as zeros on the bottom line. For some, it’s the chance to get home early to be with their family, for others the opportunity to be recognised in front of their peers or spend some time with someone they admire. When you pay attention to the details and learn to understand what drives someone, you can help them tap into their motivation to push their life forward. If you don’t have a great memory – make notes. Be sincere. Carefully for the people around you if you want to succeed.

Share your success: Open up your network to others

If you know somebody who can help somebody else you know – don’t wait for them to come across each other, connect with them, explain why you’re connecting with them. Don’t be afraid to be generous with your contacts and your network. Not only does this help people succeed, it also makes it very easy for others to see that you’re committed to helping people out.

Motivation is fine, inspiration is better

Motivation is the carrot on a stick. It gets the donkey moving but eventually the donkey realises it’s not coming and gives up. If you can inspire people rather than motivate them, you can abandon that carrot – they’ll keep going and always under their own steam. There’s no better recipe for success than self-motivation. Inspiring others gives them that ability to carry on when they’d normally have given up. You can do this by sharing your story. It may feel awkward to start with but if you have had success share the good, the bad and the ugly on how you go to where you are. You never know you might inspire someone who was ready to give up.

Give valuable and useful feedback

Feedback, both positive and negative, can be very valuable but it has to be given in the right way. You need to approach it from a position of caring for the other person – this means it is not about you looking like the big, bold business rescuer. It is about the person who needs your help. This is where social media, especially Facebook business groups are valuable. There are 10s of thousands of business owners and entrepreneurs online looking for guidance and help via these groups. By spending a little time every day in a group helping someone with a challenge or pointing them in the right direction, you can make a massive difference in their entrepreneurial journey.

Giving back is something that fills everyone’s cup, after all being in business should be about the win/win/win, where everyone benefits.

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