Make others feel superior and they will do more for you. They will give you more business, they will work harder for you or will invest more money in you. These people will work hard to prove they are worthy of their stature and reward you for recognizing their superiority. Never knock them off their pedestal. Let others do that deed should it be necessary.

As I watch this seasons Celebrity Apprentice, I see this skill being masterfully applied by Pen Jillete as he never knocks anyone with equal or more authority than he has and when he has more authority, he realizes the limitations to that authority.

Entrepreneurs need to realize that we work for our employees. We aren’t are own boss, our team is the boss. Your receptionist might get you fired if they say the wrong thing when answering the phone. They are every bit as important as the top guy. If they say something negative they have the power to destroy the business. They also have the power to make a huge deal happen, especially in Start-Up companies.

Entrepreneurs have a natural tendency to rub many people the wrong way. If you master the ability to make others feel superior, you are going to do more than those that rub people the wrong way.

There are some exceptions to the rule. There are people like Steve Jobs who are able to brilliantly rub people the wrong way and get what they want. The reason he was able to do that is having something that others didn’t have that was so painfully obvious. Jobs was a master at bowing down at the right moment and then attacking when others weren’t  paying attention. he mastered deceit.  Few of us are capable of what he has done and that is why we are far better to make other feel superior.

Some may act as though they are your best friend, simply wanting to help you but will be willing to stab you in the back to get what they want. They may act as if they are on your side intentionally deceiving you for personal or business gain. It might be difficult to control your emotions when you discover this deceiver. Stay calm and stay calculated, a person like this is weakest when you are fair. The best solution is to kill them with kindness while you diffuse them and remove them at first chance.

Strength comes when you control your emotions. Staying calm keeps you focused on seeing what isn’t right in a perfectly painted picture. Imperfections surface quickly when you look deeper into the foundation and background. Now you can make an informed decision based on factual knowledge.

When you control your emotions, you are no longer lured into deals that might look good at first, but are deathly when the terms of the deal show themselves.  No matter what, always offer a fair deal. You can always disengage when you discover ill intentions from the other side. Offering a fair deal exposes the greedy faster than anything else. They will push the lines if they think they can.

Never use your ability to control your emotions to do a deal with someone who doesn’t have a win-win solution in mind. You may win the round, but you’ve lost the battle when you beat them at their own game. You will have stooped to their level and if your genuine, a win isn’t worth winning to make someone else lose. This is one game that you don’t want to play because someone else will enjoy doing it to you as much as you enjoyed doing it to them.

Focus the power on others including the business, customers and investors become a well-oiled, high-growth machine. Pitch their capabilities instead of bragging yourself up. Focus on the machine that is self-sustaining and the solution to the problems people have.

What do you want to carry out? Hopefully, that is a mission that solves a problem. Solve problems for people and they will reward you. It’s not about the money, it’s about the solution. The money comes when you have the right solution. Show others that your mission is providing a solution that provides a strong return.

No, it’s not about you, it’s much bigger. Stay focused on the bigger cause even though others may try to put the spotlight on you. The more time you spend deflecting this light, the more time others will put it back on you strengthening your power to meet your goals. Convince yourself that it’s not about you.

Entrepreneurs who deflect power are able to become negotiators with people who they do business with. They are often thought of looking out for the best interest of all parties first, not themselves which makes good business strategy. Defenses are down allowing the Entrepreneur to meet what his main goal is.

Let your team do their job and be proud of their accomplishments. When they succeed, you succeed. Everyone wins. Stay focused on the mission and you’ll get what you want.

Remember, It’s not about you, or is it?

Investors often ask how much money of your own you have in your company. Many Entrepreneurs started companies without any investment capital and are upfront when Investors ask. Before you know it, game players immediately retort saying that sweat equity doesn’t count. It’s not a risk unless you put real money in. Be very careful with Investors who discount sweat equity. They are playing hard ball in negotiations and the outcome usually isn’t good with this type of tactic.

Another tactic Investors take is telling you how good of friends you are about to become. As long as you’re doing well, your friends but when you get into trouble, they turn on you. Investors are not friends, they are business partners. It is Okay for them to feel you are friends, but don’t make the mistake of thinking this is true. Friends are there for you when you are in trouble no matter what happens. Not many Investors stick around afterwards when a deal doesn’t work out.

Honesty is the best policy, but Investors who aren’t always honest won’t believe you when you’re honest with them. That has nothing to do with your credibility but it has everything to do with theirs. If Investors ever accuse you of being dishonest, providing you are honest, you shouldn’t focus on what you’re doing to make them think your dishonest. The harder you try to prove yourself, the less-likely they are to believe you. Instead, focus on them and then brush it off.  They have the honesty problem not you (again as long as you are being honest). Investors who make you work to prove you’re honest aren’t good investors. You should look elsewhere.

Entrepreneurs have another boss that is critical to their business. Employees are critical to your success. If you have sales people they have to sell, if you have customer service people, they have to service your customers and so on. If you have disgruntled employees, they are likely to help fire you from your job. You have to keep your employees happy, which also makes them your boss.

Many Entrepreneurs start businesses with friends while others attempt to turn employees and shareholders into friends. Either way, business is business and friends are friends. When you start a business with friends, you risk the friendship.  Don’t confuse your working relationship with friendship. You only need look back at earlier places you worked or businesses that you have owned. How many people are you still friends with? Bonds break when people move on. Nothing stays the same.

Entrepreneurs start businesses to create ideal environments. Entrepreneurs become successful when we create realistic environments. Investors always discount the projections presented by half when Entrepreneurs share a grand plan.  Numbers are rarely achieved and that’s why you should set realistic expectations in your own mind. You will go farther when you understand how big of a challenge you are taking on.

Entrepreneurs start businesses because we are stubborn. We want to do it our way and we often seem to lack flexibility when working with others. Potential investors automatically assume that we are stubborn, but that’s where we need flexibility. Even more flexible as they try to prove themselves right. We need to disarm them from their preconceived notions which means that you have to do what you like least. Entrepreneurs who start businesses have to do whatever it takes to succeed.