Donald Trump Leadership Case Study is a part of Leadership Stories, a series of biographies of great leaders in history that have impacted the world in a huge way.
Donald Trump is an American business magnate and television personality. He is the Chairman of the Trump Organization, a US-based real-estate developer.
To date, Donald Trump has accumulated wealth of up to US$2.7 billion, primarily through his real estate investments.
A Short History
Donald Trump was born to a successful business man Fred Trump. Fred was a self-made millionaire in real estate, based in New York City.
After his graduation from a Military Academy, Donald Trump had thought about going into film school, but he ended up deciding to follow in his father’s footsteps in the real estate business.
He had many successes in his early years as a real estate investor, having made several successful investments like the Grand Hyatt and the Wollman Rink.
However, a recession would hit in 1989 and cause Donald Trump to be bankrupt. Some of the casino investments he made were financed using junk bonds and he was landed himself in millions of dollars in debt.
He ended up making agreements with his creditors and worked out a plan to repay them. By 1994, he would have repaid a significant portion of his debt.
From 1997 onwards was a time when Donald Trump began to make his comeback. He would continue to build more real estate throughout cities in the US and Canada, with varying success.
In March 2011, Forbes estimated Donald Trump’s networth to be at about US$2.7 billion.
Donald Trump Leadership Lessons
1. Think Big
Donald Trump was always a big thinker. He believed in making big deals and huge investments in real estate because he saw potential. Although, Trump would land himself in debt, he would later on make even a stronger comeback. As a result, he became known throughout in the business world and became a TV personality as well.
A good leader should always think big as well. As Goethe once said, Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men. If you’re a leader and you wish to speak to people’s hearts, remember that you have to think big!
2. Energy
Donald Trump is a man of energy. He believes it is energy that drives passion, and passion is what will make the impossible happen.
Passion should be your driving force as a leader. You must be passionate about what you are doing and where you are heading. A passionate leader translates energy down to his followers as well, giving them motivation to run an extra mile, stay an hour longer, fight a little harder for the cause.
3. Bouncing Back
Although he went into bankruptcy, Donald Trump has enough self-belief that he could stand back up again, and where he is today is a testament to his tenacity to bounce back from a failure.
Failure is very normal to people, especially to leaders. If you’re a leader and you’re constantly breaking new ground, the chance of failing is far higher than if you were staying in your comfort zone.
The important question for you is to not about how you can avoid failure, but how you can bounce back after experiencing one. This alone defines you as a leader and sets you apart from the rest who would choose to stay in their defeat.
Related Books and Literature on Donald Trump Leadership
Best Quotes from Donald Trump Leadership
I mean, there's no arguing. There is no anything. There is no beating around the bush. "You're fired" is a very strong term.
It's tangible, it's solid, it's beautiful. It's artistic, from my standpoint, and I just love real estate.
Sometimes by losing a battle you find a new way to win the war.
When somebody challenges you, fight back. Be brutal, be tough.
I try to learn from the past, but I plan for the future by focusing exclusively on the present. That's were the fun is.
In the end, you're measured not by how much you undertake but by what you finally accomplish.
Without passion you dont have energy, without energy you have nothing.
I wasn't satisfied just to earn a good living. I was looking to make a statement.
Sometimes your best investments are the ones you don't make.
The point is that you can't be too greedy.
Money was never a big motivation for me, except as a way to keep score. The real excitement is playing the game.
I could never have imagined that firing 67 people on national television would actually make me more popular, especially with the younger generation.
Anyone who thinks my story is anywhere near over is sadly mistaken.
Experience taught me a few things. One is to listen to your gut, no matter how good something sounds on paper. The second is that you're generally better off sticking with what you know. And the third is that sometimes your best investments are the ones you don't make.
I don't make deals for the money. I've got enough, much more than I'll ever need. I do it to do it.
I have made the tough decisions, always with an eye toward the bottom line. Perhaps it's time America was run like a business.
A little more moderation would be good. Of course, my life hasn't exactly been one of moderation.
Part of being a winner is knowing when enough is enough. Sometimes you have to give up the fight and walk away, and move on to something that's more productive.
Well, yes, I've fired a lot of people. Generally I like other people to fire, because it's always a lousy task. But I have fired many people.
What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate.
I'm a bit of a P. T. Barnum. I make stars out of everyone.
If you're interested in 'balancing' work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable.
You have to think anyway, so why not think big?
Video On Donald Trump Leadership
Donald Trump talks about his latest book, Think like a Champion:
Other Links
Wikipedia: A short account of Donald Trump’s life Trump.com: Official Site of the Trump Organization
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Here’s a list of the Republican presidential candidate’s wealthiest proponents.
On Monday, Warren Buffett attacked Donald Trump’s business acumen, saying a monkey could have done far better running a public company than the Republican nominee did. Buffett also challenged Trump to release his tax returns.
Buffett is one of a number of billionaires who have lined up in support of the Democratic party contender, Hillary Clinton. Her endorsers also include mogul and former NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg and Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Still others are dissatisfied with both options for the executive office. At Fortune’s Brainstorm Tech conference in Aspen, Colo., this summer, the mega-wealthy industrialist Charles Koch, a longtime conservative backer, likened voting for either candidate to choosing between “cancer or a heart attack.” (We left him off the list.)
But when it comes to big bucks donors, Donald Trump is not going it alone, either.
Here’s the lineup of ultra-rich bigwigs championing the reality television star-turned-politician in the 2016 election.
1. Peter Thiel
Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, delivers a speech at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio.Photograph by Alex Wong—Getty Images
“Fake culture wars only distract us from our economic decline, and no one in this race is being honest about it except Donald Trump,” the Silicon Valley venture capitalist said onstage at this year’s Republican National Convention.
2. Carl Icahn
Billionaire activist investor Carl IcahnPhotograph by Victor J. Blue—Bloomberg via Getty Images
“I think you need somebody to shake up the establishment in Washington just like you do in corporate America,” Icahn told Fortune earlier this year.
3. Tom Barrack
Tom Barrack, chairman of Colony Capital Inc., speaking at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio.Photograph by Daniel Acker—Bloomberg via Getty Images
The private equity veteran endorsed Trump, even though he said Trump once “played [him] like a Steinway piano” during a business deal.
4. Woody Johnson
Victoria’s Secret PINK model Jessica Hart, NY Jets Owner Woody Johnson, and his wife Suzanne Ircha JohnsonMichael Loccisano—Getty Images
The Johnson & Johnson jet-setter plans to host a fundraiser for Trump at his estate in East Hampton.
5. Stephen Feinberg
Stephen FeinbergCourtesy of Dow Jones Events
The cofounder and CEO of private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management previously pumped $200,000 into the political action committee that supported Jeb Bush.
6. Steven Mnuchin
Heather Mnuchin and Steven MnuchinPhotograph by Stefanie Keenan—Getty Images for LACMA
The hedge fund manager serves as Trump’s chief fundraiser and as head of his national finance committee.
7. Sheldon Adelson
Sheldon AdelsonPhotograph by Shahar Azran—Getty Images
“He’s our nominee,” the Sands casino magnate told the New York Times in May. “He won fair and square.”
8. Robert Mercer
Bob MercerAndrew Toth—Getty Images
This hedge fund manager and his daughter Rebekah have reportedly donated nearly $500,000 each to the Trump campaign.
9. T. Boone Pickens
T. Boone Pickens, chairman and CEO at BP CapitalPhotograph by David Paul Morris—Bloomberg via Getty Images
The 87-year-old Texas oil baron said that he’s “ready to take a chance on it,” and “just in case it’s a mistake, [I’ll] be gone.”
10. Stanley Hubbard
Stanley S. Hubbard and Lorne MichaelsPhotograph by Rahav Segev—WireImage
“I think anybody would be better than Clinton,” the media mogul told MinnPost, an online news outlet focused on all things Minnesota. “I think he’ll moderate himself.”
11. Darwin Deason
Darwin DeasonPhotograph by Hillsman S. Jackson — Southern Methodist University
The tech entrepreneur and his wife Katerina have reportedly donated nearly $500,000 each to Trump’s cause.
12. Wilbur Ross
Wilbur Ross, U.S. billionaire, chairman and CEO of WL Ross & Co. LLC.Photograph by Chris Ratcliffe—Bloomberg via Getty Images
The cost of a plate at a Trump fundraising luncheon held at the investor’s Southampton estate was $25,000.
13. Andrew Beal
CEO of Beal Bank Andy BealPhotograph by Matthew Mahon—Redux
“All these politicians with all these specific plans,” the banker groused to the New York Times when explaining his support for Trump. “I think it’s total [expletive].”
14. John Paulson
John A. Paulson, president of Paulson & Co.Rick Maiman—Bloomberg via Getty Images
Paulson, who made his fortune betting against the housing market before its collapse a decade ago, co-hosted a supremely pricey Trump fundraising event at Le Cirque, a French restaurant in Manhattan.
He walked onto the convention stage Thursday night with his wife beside him, the Constitution to guide him and the pride of a father who knows he has a story to tell.
“Tonight,” said Khizr M. Khan, “we are honored to stand here as the parents of Capt. Humayun Khan, and as patriotic American Muslims with undivided loyalty to our country.”
That was the beginning of a 7-minute speech that became an instant sensation—eloquent, emotional and notably original, coming as it did at the end of four days of highly processed political cliche. Khan, a 66-year-old immigration lawyer from Charlottesville, told the story of his son’s death in combat in Iraq, but he turned that elegy into a viral rebuke of Donald Trump: “You have sacrificed nothing!”
And Khan delivered his broadside without using the teleprompter, with no written notes.
His speech, delivered in prime-time just before Chelsea Clinton, was practiced “in my head and in my mind” and “spoken from the heart,” Khan told POLITICO.
The story of how Khan, who is not even a registered Democrat, came to be standing on a stage where Hillary Clinton would moments later accept the nomination for president, began on June 8, 2004, the day his son was killed by a car bomber in Baqubah.
In 2005, Khan talked about his late son to the Washington Post. He recounted the family’s journey from Pakistan to the United Arab Emirates, and from there to Boston, where Khan completed his L.L.M at Harvard University. The family moved to Maryland in time for Humayun to go to high school. Even back then, Khan told the Post, Humayun “was the middle one, the comforter, the one the cousins would run to when they were being picked on. He gave swimming lessons to disabled children in high school.”
This sense of responsibility for others showed up again when Humayun joined the Army after graduating from high school. Humayun finished his four years of service and was preparing for law school at the University of Virginia when the Army called on him to serve in Iraq. He died there, four months after his arrival, while protecting his unit from a car that was speeding toward his men. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his courage.
Khan didn’t give another interview about his son for a decade, until Donald Trump, who had risen to the top of the pack of GOP candidates, called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States. Muslim families like the Khans.
A reporter from Vocativ called Khan and asked him to retell his son’s story in light of the Republican frontrunner’s comments. “Muslims are American, Muslims are citizens…we are proud American citizens. It’s the values [of this country] that brought us here, not our religion. Trump’s position on these issues do not represent those values,” Khan said.
A few days after the article was published, Khan received a call from a member of the Hillary Clinton campaign. The staffer asked him if Hillary Clinton could use his remarks, exactly as written in the interview he had given Vocativ, in a tribute to his son.
“I said ‘Yes, of course.’”
In Minneapolis in December 2015, Hillary Clinton gave a moving tribute to Humayun Khan, who was one of 14 American Muslims who died serving the United States in the 10 years after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Clinton narrated the soldier’s story through his father’s words: “’We still wonder what made him take those 10 steps,’ Khan’s father said…. ‘Maybe that’s the point where all the values, all the service to country, all the things he learned in this country kicked in. It was those values that made him take those 10 steps. Those 10 steps told us we did not make [a] mistake in moving to this country,’ his father finished.”
Later, the Clinton campaign contacted Mr. Khan again and asked if he would be willing to let them use the same tribute during the Democratic convention. Once again, he answered "Yes, of course."
Then they called again: Would you and your wife, Ghazala, be willing to appear on stage after the tribute? The campaign thought it would send a strong message of support for the candidate. He didn’t hesitate.
The fourth time they called they asked: “Would you like to say something at the convention?”
Khan knew this was unusual honor. In an interview he gave the San Francisco Chronicle two days before his speech, he said, “Nowhere but in the United States is it possible that an immigrant who came to the country empty-handed only a few years ago gets to stand in front of patriots and in front of a major political party. ... It is my small share to show the world, by standing there, the goodness of America.”
The Clinton campaign offered to put him in contact with a speechwriter. He declined. He knew what he wanted to say. He practiced at home with his family, leaning on 40 years of experience as an attorney that taught him “how to control my thoughts, my emotions and my message.”
On the day of the speech, he grabbed his worn copy of the Constitution and slipped it in his jacket pocket. He carries it regularly, especially when he travels. “It’s my favorite document. I wanted to use it because I wanted to highlight the protections that immigrants have in this country.”
Walking on stage he knew the pocket-sized book was going to come out of his pocket before the evening was done.
“The main purpose of my speech was to bring awareness about the constitutional protections that each citizen of the United States enjoys and to try to prevent the scare that immigrant communities are feeling about the misinformation that one candidate had been pandering. So the effort was to put these worried minds at ease by asking that question: ‘Have you even read the constitution?’”
In the minute after he finished at 9:18 p.m., observers noted a spike in people searching Google for "register to vote." Andrew Sullivan of New York magazine called the speech “the fulcrum of this election.” Friday morning, as the Khans made their way home to Virginia, people stood in line in the Acela Club waiting room in Philadelphia to shake Khan's hand.
He sounded tired as he spoke to POLITICO by phone. “I’m a little overwhelmed by all the well-wishers.”
Asked if he thought he had accomplished what he had hoped with the speech, Khan responded, “I will continue to work on it, one step at a time.”
The AFA had hopes to entice the former captain back into the fold with a say in choosing the next coach, but his family denied he would be back to face Uruguay and Venezuela
EXCLUSIVE
Lionel Messi has no intention of reconsidering his retirement from the Argentina national team in time for the next World Cup qualifiers in September.
The 29-year-old Barcelona star affirmed he would no longer represent the Albiceleste after the pain of missing out on the Copa America against Chile.
And sources from the star's family told Goal that, despite strong efforts from both the Argentine FA and even the government to make him change his mind, he will not come back for the time being.
"Right now he is not part of the national team," the family explained.
The governing body had planned to give Messi a say in the identity of the next Argentina coach, with Jorge Sampaoli and Marcelo Bielsa his favoured candidates.
But his family ended speculation over his influence by stating bluntly: "He does not impose trainers nor does he get them sacked."
Argentina's next competitive matches are against Uruguay, on September 1 in Mendoza, and an away trip to Venezuela five days later.
And while nobody can confirm Messi will never again pull on the international shirt, the team will at least have to plan for that double-header without their former captain.
The news is another blow for the Argentine FA, currently administrated by Armando Perez as head of the Normalisation Committee running affairs.
As well as seeing their overtures to the Barca idol fail, the AFA was also forced to scratch Jorge Sampaoli off the list of potential coaches after he insisted he would remain loyal to Sevilla.
A potential meeting with kit sponsors Adidas may also fall through, as the ramifications of losing the star that brings in 50 per cent of the nation's commercial incomes hit home.
A bikini-clad Swedish police officer has been praised for tackling a suspected thief while she was off-duty sunbathing with friends in Stockholm.
Mikaela Kellner told the Aftonbladet daily that she and a fellow officer pursued the man when they realised he had taken one of their mobile phones.
She told the paper that she would have intervened "even if she were naked".
A photo of the incident on Ms Kellner's Instagram page has attracted more than 9,000 likes in less than two days.
The incident is said to have taken place in Stockholm's Ralambshov Park on Wednesday, where the off-duty policewoman was sunbathing with friends.
The group was approached by a man who claimed to be selling publications on behalf of the homeless.
Ms Kellner reportedly became suspicious when the man began lingering, setting some papers down over their blanket.
As soon as he left, collecting his papers, one of her friends noticed that her phone was missing.
"There was no time, so I ran after him, maybe 15 metres or so," Ms Kellner toldSwedish news site, The Local.
"One of my friends is also a police officer, so we got hold of him. He tried to get away so we held onto him harder."
The stolen phone was swiftly recovered, and the man was arrested by a police patrol.
"I've had a lot of positive comments both from friends and colleagues," she told The Local.
"It happens all the time that valuables are taken like this... I mainly just wanted to raise awareness of how cunning these people are, almost like magicians."
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