Author Wess Roberts’ Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun is already a few decades old (it was first published in 1985), but it remains highly relevant.
It has the following general principles about Leadership and Advice:
- A Leader who has a team that always agrees with them will only ever be given mediocre advice
- A wise Leader never ignores the person who gives bad news, but rather ignores the person who fails to give them the bad news
- A sensible Leader never asks questions where they will ignore the answer
- A Leader who asks the wrong questions will always hear the wrong answers
So what makes me believe I will be among the 5% who succeed, and that I can help you adopt the same attitude? In fact, if you fail to adopt this attitude, you will be unsuccessful; I guarantee that. I am that confident about the approach.
The secret to my confidence is simple; anyone can do it. However, it is so simple that 95% of people simply find it too easy. They believe there must be more to it and reinvent the secret to fit their outlook on life and this shows when they write their resume.
To answer my own earlier question – I know I will be a success because I have always succeeded at what I have put my mind to. Equally, I have always stopped when I stopped focusing on something, even when doctors told me exactly what to do, step-by-step.
When I have succeeded, I have had a Mentor, someone to hold me to account when I felt like quitting. First, it was my Mother when, as a disabled child, I wanted to quit trying to walk; later, it was one of my best bosses, who simply said I was one of his brightest; and now it’s a virtual mentor, Jeff Olsen, in his book The Slight Edge.
Interdependence or Symbiosis in Leadership
Interdependence or symbiosis can either be a good leader’s greatest strength or greatest weakness. Symbiosis has been defined as “relationships that benefit both organisms benefit, meaning it would be synonymous with mutualism in this case”.
One thing that has struck me about many Sponsors involved in either MLM or Network Marketing is they forget the very business model this type of business is built on – a network. The very word implies it is meant to be successful because the team members that had to make sure the advertising worked are interconnected.
For the network to function then relationships must be fostered and built on mutual trust. Ignore Small talk; Smart Discussions Matter. Always remember as a Leader whilst a certain amount of trust is given the vast majority must be earned. Just because you are a CEO does not mean you can assume your employees trust you and believe you have their best interests at heart.
You have to demonstrate that you have their best interests at heart, are committed to good relationships, and thereby earn their trust. This is even more so for a network marketing leader. Your success is directly connected to the success of your team – you are interdependent.
Asking Advice Shows Strength
Asking advice of, or support from, tea members is a sign of strength, not weakness. Failure to support team members for ‘personal agendas’ is a sign of insecurity. If you cannot support them because you cannot agree with them then say so, that is intellectual honesty.
If you will not support them because ‘it will put your neck on the line’, do not be surprised if the team member returns the favor at a later date. “What we sow so shall we reap”, is very true in a networked business model.
It is key that in an interdependent business model you do not suppress individuality, even when you’re self-employed, when hiring job applicants. This usually happens when opportunities grow past a certain point. They become the very thing the founders who set up the business wanted to avoid – a corporate bureaucratic entity with lots of rules and red tape.
There is a clear signal you are now sending your team – we don’t trust you it’s my way or the highway. Very soon you will see your truly talented people taking the highway. Think about the Power of Reflection! They did not become a network marketer to have one form or corporate grind replaced by another.
Equally, individuality cannot be allowed to destroy the network, and this needs to be made clear to the person exhibiting such behavior. You should share your knowledge and help them correct their behavior. However if after time it is not corrected then the only course open to you is to let the person go for the good of the team.
Some of you reading this as MLM or network leaders might be thinking, “I didn’t get into this to start babysitting people”. To that I would answer, you recruited them. In recruiting them there is an implied expectancy on the part of the recruit you will help get them to a level of competence where they can flourish.
Show them that also you place self-acceptance above self-improvement so they may also be open to that principle, and this particularly shows in the world of innovative, creative design, as was clearly stated at the 27th Annual PAVE GALA at Guatavino’s in New York in 2025.
It takes a lot less effort to begin by recruiting 7 talented entrepreneurs focusing on and seeing them flourish so they can each recruit 7, than it does recruiting all and sundry. The latter way may bring quick cash, but the real wealth is in the residual income which grows with the depth of your organization.
Once you have established your first 7 then repeat the process again, in this way you are much more likely to have a competent, committed network marketing like mad on their and your behalf.