Building Successful Partnerships: 3 Lessons from Dale Carnegie
Here are three important pieces of advice from a book that’s going to change the way you deal with people - Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People. Carnegie teaches how you can get what you want from people without coming off as bossy as this may sound. He shows various methods of communication and conflict resolution that have proven to be efficient in building successful relationships, whether business or personal. I highly recommend picking up the book and studying Carnegie’s methods. Here are three lessons to give you a sneak peek:
#1 Do Not Criticize, Condemn or Complain
One of the main rules that Carnegie emphasises in the book is that you should never criticize or condemn people, let alone complain about them. As he says, "Any fool can criticize, condemn or complain- and most fools do." Criticizing others only leads to resentment. A person who resents you will not be willing to try and see things from your point of view.
The more you criticize another person, the more you push them away from yourself, thus making it even more difficult to come to an agreement. Hence, next time you start looking for a JV partner, make sure to have enough self-control and discipline to be forgiving and find ways to put your ideas out there without criticizing their own. Let them come to your side because they want to, not because you’re making them do it.
#2 Be Genuinely Interested In Other People
"You make more friends in two months by becoming genuinely interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you." As Carnegie said, the best way to build a strong relationship and have someone join your side is by putting the spotlight on them. The more interest you show in the other person, the more likely they are to open up and start liking you and your ways of thinking.
The easiest way to put this into practice is to focus on being the listener in every conversation and not the speaker. The more you let the other person speak, the more they’re going to be interested in what you have to say later on. Funny how this works, right?
#3 Be Quick To Acknowledge Your Own Mistakes
Lastly, always be quick to acknowledge your own mistakes and call yourself out for your wrongdoings. This is an important lesson for those looking to build partnerships in real estate or any other business. Freely admitting your mistakes instead of being defensive will show your strong professional attitude, which will encourage the other person to respect you.
Admitting your mistakes is the right way to avoid conflict and also inspire the other person to follow your example. This behavior will then lead to a more pleasant partnership where all parties are understanding and forgiving of each other. That way, instead of having to call lawyers to fix everything, you will be able to come to an agreement with ease.
How Can This Help You in Real Estate?
Dale Carnegie’s book will completely shift your perspective on how to deal with people and it will help you get them to agree with you in the easiest way possible with little to no resistance. How can this help you in real estate? Don’t forget that networking and building partnerships plays a crucial role in real estate investing, especially for newbies who are just stepping foot into the game.