President Trump teaches us business lessons

I am not a fan of President Donald Trump.

As a woman, I view his comments over the years about members of my gender perplexing and insulting.

Even before President Trump ran as a Republican for the nation’s highest office, his odd remarks about his interest in dating his daughter, Ivanka, if she were not his daughter flabbergasted me.

Then his videotaped comments to a TV reporter about his sexual access to just about any woman in the world raised my eyebrows.

Recently, his alleged cavorting with Russian prostitutes has added to my discomfort.

Apparently, I am far from alone in my uneasiness with President Trump, even in Republican, conservative Chester County.

According to a Gallup poll released last week, the country’s chief executive officer was sworn in Friday with less popular support than any president in modern times.

“Where other presidents used the weeks before the inauguration to put the animosities of the campaign behind them, Trump approached the interregnum as if he were a TV wrestling star,” New York Times reporter Peter Baker wrote Wednesday.

“He has taken on a civil rights icon, a Hollywood actress, intelligence, defense contractors, European leaders and President Obama. The healing theme common at this stage in the fouryear presidential cycle is absent.”

That said, I think President Trump knows a thing or two about business. Maybe even a

bazillion things. The guy is one smart cookie.

And, much to my surprise, I have learned a great deal from watching, listening to and reading about him.

In his book, “The Art of the Deal,” President Trump gave what I consider valuable advice for anyone trying to get on the fast track.

“Get going. Keep moving. Aim high. Plan a takeoff,” he wrote. “Don’t just sit there and hope that someone will come and push the airplane. It’s simply not going to happen.”

Yes, you could argue that President Trump himself benefited from a giant push in the form of loans and inheritance from his wealthy father.

Nevertheless, I still believe that you and I could improve prospects if we studied and imitated a select group of President Trump’s business behaviors. Some examples:

• Raise your visibility. Name recognition counts. Before President Trump threw his baseball cap into last year’s election, he had become known to average Americans by appearing on “The Apprentice” and later “Celebrity Apprentice.” Before that, his flamboyant persona resonated mainly with New Yorkers. In today’s competitive workplace, whether you are an entrepreneur, executive or employee, you will lose career points by hiding behind your computer, failing to show up at networking events, eating alone in the cafeteria. Get out there and hobnob.

• Address your challenges. President Trump is a germophobe. Before the presidential campaign, he refused to shake hands to avoid contracting viral and other diseases. But look at him now. Without hesitation, he glad hands his constituents with discernible gusto. In business as in life, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. A simple yet essential path to success is mastering the body

language inherent in positive greetings: standing up, moving forward, making eye contact, putting on a smile and, for sure, shaking hands.

• Master social media. Twitter appears to be President Trump’s favorite communication tool. While some critics have expressed astonishment about his middle-ofthe-night habit of tweeting gut reactions to the day’s events, I applaud the 70-year-old billionaire for keeping up with and using technology. Let’s face it. A man at President Trump’s level could easily have delegated such matters to corporate peons. If you are over 40, you may want to use him as inspiration for upgrading your hightech skills.

• Alter negative perceptions. Before he ran for his first public office, President Trump’s hair was the source of thousands of jokes by comedians on “Saturday Night Live,” late night talk shows and private clubs. At the time, he sported a bizarre combover that looked like orange straw. I suspect

he changed stylists because nowadays President Trump’s hair looks like, well, hair. It is blond with a healthy sheen. If you are still wearing a style from “Charlie’s Angels” or “Friends,” you may want to change, too.

• Involve your family. During one of the contentious presidential debates, the moderator asked former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton what she considered positive about her opponent. She replied that he had wonderful adult children, all of whom participated in the post-election transition. That fact upset numerous observers, but not me. I think nepotism rocks. I say hire qualified relatives at the next opportunity; in this dogeat-dog world, your siblings, cousins and other family members should keep their hand out of the cash register and have your back. If you cannot trust your mom to do your bookkeeping or your son to oversee marketing, you may want to look into family therapy.

• Question same-old, same-old. Unlike many long-time politicos, President Trump is eager to toss aside practices he considers a waste of time. An example is his reluctance to attend daily security briefings, which I gather are tedious and repetitious. Hooray for him. If you want to make a real difference at work, you need to break outdated rules. Those who robotically oppose new ideas because “we have always done it this way” eventually will fall by the wayside in an era crying out for innovative action.

• Move quickly. In recent weeks, both Democrats and Republicans have charged that President Trump is moving too quickly in assembling his cabinet. Critics say vetting requires months, not weeks or days. Where have they been? Googling someone’s name uncovers mounds of information in just a few keystrokes. In most industries today, you need to remain alert to changes, large and small. Just consider streaming of entire seasons of popular TV series and films by Netflix and Amazon. The use of this technology has given birth to enthusiastic binge watching, which has become a major threat to broadcast and cable operations. Orange Is the New Blond, anyone? Kathleen Begley, owner of Write Company Plus in East Goshen, writes books and gives seminars about business communications. You can reach her by email at KBegley@ writecompanyplus.com or by text at 484-888-2458. She loves hearing from readers, and responds to all feedback.