106: Chris Hogan: What Makes a Leader?

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Chris Hogan stirs audiences to action wherever he speaks. Whether delivering a keynote on personal money management, teaching an all-day leadership training for business owners and professionals, or hosting the EntreLeadership Podcast, iTunes’ number-one podcast on leadership, Chris keeps his audience entertained and challenged.

Chris Hogan is a sought-after, diverse speaker who loves to challenge, motivate and encourage business leaders, real estate professionals, military personnel and students to be their very best—no matter what!

Favorite Success Quote

“If it is to be, it’s up to me.” – Chris Hogan’s mother

Key Points

1. If Results Are Something You Desire Then Effort is Something You Must Put Forth 

Plain and simple, if you want the results, then you have got to put in the effort.

There is no way around it.

You cannot hack your way to massive achievment.

You cannot become great on a “4 Hour work week.”

The only way to achieve real and lasting success is to put forth the effort, fail, learn, and keep pushing through.

2. You Must Follow Before You Can Lead 

The first step to becoming a great leader is to become a great follower.

Until you understand what it is to follow, what it feels like to be under the command of someone else, you cannot properly exercise command yourself.

So if you want to become a great leader, then learn to follow.

Become an excellent servant to other people.

Be humble and willing to learn.

Analyze the people who are leading you and figure out what it is that makes them great or terrible.

Emulate their good qualities and eliminate the bad.

Once you know what it is to follow, then you are ready to lead.

3. Business is a Team Sport 

There are a lot of people in the modern business world who believe that business is an individual sport.

They think that they can make it as a “solopreneur”.

And if your only goal is to make a few thousand dollars a month, then yes, you can operate this way.

However, if you want to be great, if you want to build a business that will have a lasting impact, and if you want to create a legacy that will be remembered for generations, then you must build and train a highly skilled team.

You cannot do it by yourself.

If you really want to succeed in the game of business, then you need to find players for your team who are strong where you are weak.

Find players who can see your blind spots and cover your back.

The only way to experience high levels of success in business is to surround yourself with a great team.

4. Don’t Try and Please Everyone 

You cannot please everyone.

You just can’t do it.

And if you try, you will be burnt out, angry, and miserable.

And here’s the thing.

Some people aren’t worth pleasing!

So quit trying to make everyone else happy and focus on making yourself and the people who are important to you happy.

Who cares what the haters think? What the competition thinks? What your college buddies think?

Build a life and a business that you can be proud of and that you want to share with the most important people in your life.

Forget everyone else.

5. Enjoy Where You Are

It never gets easier, the challenges only get bigger.

This is one of the hard truths about life.

You are never going to arrive, you are never going to reach “success”, you are never going to be finished until you die.

So you might as well enjoy where you are right now.

Enjoy the journey.

Enjoy the pain, the struggle, the hardships, and the lessons.

Because where you are right now is all that you have.

Yesterday no longer exists and tomorrow is not guaranteed.

So enjoy the moment and keep on hustling.

Connect with Chris Hogan

@chrishogan360