12 REAL RICHES in Life (11 of 12)

REAL RICHES #11:Wisdom with which to Understand People
Have you heard of someone who is a ‘people person,’…someone who is great at dealing with and understanding people. Those types of people are natural leaders. People flock to them and rally to support them. If you can condition yourself to listen and understand people, you can become a great leader. You can connect with large groups of people who can multiply your efforts and help you grow personally and in your business life. Try to always put yourself into other peoples’ shoes. Understand the situation from their point of view. While growing up, I always viewed other countries people, culture, and news from my country’s point of view. I made uneducated assumptions about other cultures. It wasn’t until I had the chance to begin traveling during my university years that I began to really understand other people from their perspective. I began to understand that there is much more out there than my small town train of thought. The world is vast and offers a variety of people, customs, and culture. Until you begin to see situations from other people’s point of view, you don’t really understand the situation and you cannot truly help. Every problem or situation affects individuals differently. Your challenge should be to find out how a situation is affecting the person you are communicating with and build your solution from their point of view.

Can Walmart Fail?
Walmart has become known in America as a very successful business system. It seems like it is impossible for this store to fail. Why do people shop there? Why are they successful? Plain and simple, they understand the American people. Their generation of customers want value, convenience, and variety at an affordable price. Walmart delivers that all under one roof. The result is, they are successful. They understand the American people. However, take this same company and business system, and apply it to South Korea. It’s bound to succeed, all people are looking for the same benefits in a store…right? I’ve been to a Walmart store in Anyang, South Korea that offered the same great value, convenience, and variety at an affordable price to Koreans. The Walmart failed miserably and was taken over by a similar Korean “Walmart” named E-mart, that immediately became a big success. Why did Walmart fail if these businesses were very similar? Walmart did not understand its customers. Walmart did not understand the Korean people. To Americans, it may seem strange to have several male meat department workers with chef hats shouting at customers how delicious their steaks and ribs are. It may seem like a waste of money to have an employee at every aisle cooking foods and handing out samples. However, these are the things that the Korean people are familiar with and come to expect. It is proof that if you don’t understand people, you can’t truly provide a good service for them. Every time you speak with a co-worker, friend, or even a stranger, really listen to them and look at the situation from their shoes or sandals. That is the only way you can truly understand and help them.
See REAL RICHES #12