Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons and they will follow you into the deepest valley

"Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons and they will follow you into the deepest valley." -Sun Tzu from The Art of War

Whether you’re building a career in the arts, raising money for a mental health non-profit, or selling insurance—if you want people to jump onboard with what you’re doing, you must treat them with genuine respect and love. Do this early and do it often. 

To achieve your goals you need to inspire those closest to you and then let them spread the word about the veracity and value of your efforts. Feed these people who support you, both literally and figuratively. They believe in you and trust you. That kind of support doesn’t come around every day. Reward that person for their belief in you. Find out what they need. Help them get it. 

Once you’ve gotten what you need, don’t forget about the person(s) who helped you get where you are. Soon enough, you might need them again and they might need you. 

Watering relationships like this can be a lot of work but it doesn’t have to be back-breaking labor intensive work if you’re genuine and give without keeping score. Your good deeds will be a lesson learned if you let them. And the abundance you create for others will spill over onto your own table. 

Keep giving and you will always have enough to eat. 

Keep giving and you will always have allies to fight alongside you in battle. 

Zig Ziglar said it well when he stated that, “You can have everything in life that you want if you just give enough other people what they want.”