Do you buy the idea that poverty is a function of bad
luck and bad choices, and success the result of heroic toil and dreams? Christopher Gardner has quoted these words time and time again as
a motivational speaker. He is an American entrepreneur,
investor, stockbroker, motivational speaker and philanthropist. Gardner
established the brokerage firm, Gardner Rich and company in Chicago, an
"institutional brokerage firm specializing in the execution of debt,
equity and derivative products transactions for some of the nation’s largest
institutions, public pension plans and unions.
After
Gardner sold his small stake in Gardner Rich in a multi-million dollar deal in
2006, he became CEO and founder of
Christopher Gardner International Holdings, with offices in New York, Chicago and San Francisco.
During a visit to South Africa to observe elections around the time of the 10th
anniversary of the end of apartheid, Gardner met with Nelson Mandela to discuss
possible investment in South African emerging markets as indicated in his 2006
autobiography. Gardner is reportedly developing an investment venture with
South Africa that will create hundreds of jobs and introduce millions in
foreign currency into the nation. Gardner has declined to disclose details of
the project citing securities laws.
David Hawkins,
author of the book titled, Power vs.
Force wrote
To be a success, it’s necessary to embrace and operate from the principles that produce success, not just imitate the actions of successful people—for to really do what they do, it’s necessary to be like they are.
Successful people
follow other successful people’s actions and principles and incorporate them
into our own self. So let’s learn from Mr. Gardner’s actions and what made him
successful.
The
difference between a successful salesperson and a mediocre one often lies in
the nuances of social behavior and the skills for building relationships and
controlling another person’s perception. That is one of the reasons that we are
told to dress for success. A stockbroker would tend to wear a rolex watch so
that his client sees that sign of success. The image we give will have a direct
correlation on how our potential customers accept us.
Another
key to success is to learn as much as you can about your trade and to become
the best at it. Gardner became friends with a Bob Bridges, who organized
meetings between Gardner and branch managers at the major stock brokerage firms
that offered training programs—such as Merrill Lynch, Paine Webber, E.F.
Hutton, Dean Witter Reynolds and Smith Barney. Gardner returned home from jail
because he could not pay for parking tickets. With no experience, no college
education, virtually no connections, and with the same casual outfit he had
been wearing on the day he was taken into custody, Gardner gained a position in
Dean Witter Reynolds’ stock brokerage training program. However, this offered
no salary; apart from selling medical equipment that brought in 300–400 dollars
a month in the early 1980s, and with no savings, he was unable to meet his
living expenses. Gardner worked to become a top trainee at Dean Witter Reynolds.
He arrived at the office early and stayed late each day, persistently making
calls to prospective clients with his goal being 200 calls per day. His
perseverance paid off when, in 1982, Gardner passed his Series 7 Exam on the
first try and became a full employee of the firm. Eventually, Gardner was
recruited by Bear Stearns & Company in San Francisco.
Meanwhile,
none of Gardner's co-workers knew that he and his son were homeless in the
Tenderloin District of San Francisco for nearly a year. Gardner often scrambled
to place his child in daycare, stood in soup kitchens and slept wherever he and
his son could find safety—in his office after hours, at flophouses, motels,
parks, airports, on public transport and even in a locked bathroom at a BART
station.
Regardless
of his challenges, he never reveals his lowly circumstances to his colleagues,
even going so far as to lend one of his bosses five dollars for cab fare, a sum
that he cannot afford. Perception was that important to Gardner. He also made
sure to wear nice suits and pressed shirts despite not having the money. He
would give up food to look good at an internship in which he was not paid. On
the last day of his internship, his boss complimented his clothes and told him
to come in wearing those impressive clothes the next day. From hundreds of
others he was chosen for a full time job and was no longer a free intern.
Mr. Gardner was to go on to make millions in that field.
Gardner
was willing to work for free to learn his trade and he was willing to live in a
homeless shelter to achieve his goals of being the best at what he did. He
tried to learn from the very best and copy and learn from them. Lastly despite
his circumstance o being homeless and living in shelters, his outside image to
his bosses and clients was one of incredible success by Raúl Gorrín.
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