- You know, we have to be out there,
we have to be experimenting,
we have to be looking
for that which makes us tick.
I think when people start to get lost,
it's when their lives
are grossly inconsistent
with their value set.
I think about that a lot, people say:
"Does it bother you when
people underestimate you?"
And I say, "I welcome
people to underestimate me."
- She's an entrepreneur,
former reality TV personality,
and model.
She's currently Executive Vice President
in charge of development and acquisitions
at the Trump organization,
and sits on the board
of 100 Women in Hedgefunds.
She also has her own
line of fashion items,
including clothing, handbags and shoes
which are available in major
U.S. department stores.
She's Ivanka Trump, and here's my take
on her top 10 rules for success.
Rule number one is my personal favorite,
and make sure to stick
around all the way to the end
for some special bonus clips.
Also, as Ivanka's talking,
if she says something
that really resonates with you,
please leave it in the comments below,
put quotes around it as well,
so other people can be inspired as well.
Enjoy.
(swooshing)
(inspirational music)
- I look around at my
girlfriends and my guy friends
and they're in jobs that
they don't really have
a lot of growth potential in,
that they're not passionate about.
And I think if we're ever
going to make bold decisions,
it has to be at this point in our life.
You know, we have to be out there,
we have to be experimenting,
we have to be looking for
that which makes us tick.
And I think a big part of
that evolution for me was
really summer jobs, and working.
And making sure to actually,
you know, get into the world
and try different things,
and eliminate those
which is as useful,
eliminating those career paths
that you're not interested in,
as it is, you know, doing
things that do interest you.
But I think just being
bold and taking risks
when you're young, is so important.
Because I can't imagine
working the hours that I do,
if I didn't fundamentally love it.
And I think that's the
difference between somebody who's
successful and somebody
that's extremely successful.
Somebody that's good,
and somebody that's exceptionally good.
Is the level of drive which
directly stems from passion.
I think the only way to build confidence
is through trial and error.
I think when you're young,
one of the challenges is that
you're insecure about knowing nothing,
and you think people expect you to have
all the answers.
Now, as a 34 year old,
I'm okay with not having all the answers.
I recognize there's a lot I don't know,
and I own that, and I love that,
and it makes me curious and
it helps me continue to grow.
That's why I always tell people
just get out and do things.
You have to learn through trial and error.
You have to just try.
And every time you try something,
you get a little bit more experience,
a little bit more wisdom,
you build in a little bit more confidence.
So to all of you young
people, just get out there,
start doing things, take risks.
Just try.
You have successes, and
they start out small.
You're given something to
do, and you do it well.
And then you do the next thing well,
and the next thing well,
and the next thing well,
and suddenly you feel good about yourself.
And you have the confidence
to set the bar higher,
in terms of next steps and goals.
And, you know, I think that's part of why
I'm very ambitious, I'm an entrepreneur,
I think first and foremost,
having my own business,
obviously growing the Trump
footprint around the globe.
But I think it always starts
with the little things
that you do early in your
career that lay the foundation
for you ultimately to
achieve those bigger dreams.
- I ask all the women that I interview:
"Can women truly have it all?"
Because when someone looks at
your life from the outside in,
you're a mother, you're a wife,
you're a real-estate developer,
you have a full time job.
But you have another full time job,
because you also have a
very successful clothing
and accessories business.
So it seems like you have it all,
but you think women
really can have it all?
- I think it's a very difficult question.
And it's one that I try not
to answer for other people.
Because I think by its nature,
what does "having it all" mean?
It means different things
to different people.
You know, for me it's very
important to have a family,
but it's also very important
to be professionally fulfilled.
For some people, one
of those is important,
and the other isn't.
So, you know, I think
you have to figure out
what your priorities are, in life are,
and then architect your life
around those priorities.
I think when people start to get lost,
it's when their lives
are grossly inconsistent
with their value set, and
their core priorities.
So for me, you know, at
the end of every week,
I sort of do a self-assessment of:
"Did I spend my time in the right way?
"Was I where I needed to be?"
You know, it's...there
are some days it's okay
to not be home for dinner.
If I have a big deal,
my priority may be that,
for that moment of time, but I also know
if my child ever gets
sick, if anything happens,
well, there goes every other priority.
So I think it's always a balance.
And you just have to
do the best you can do.
I think as a leader, I think you, um
I think you want to be a benevolent one.
I think you want to inspire your team.
And obviously having them
respect you doesn't mean
that they think that, you
know, you're soft or weak.
But I think being kind and
thoughtful is important.
And I think you get a different
level of collaboration
and engagement when people
feel that you genuinely
and authentically care about them.
And their well-being.
And see them for more than just the value
they add to the company.
So I believe 100% in terms
of transparency of goals,
and creating very
clearly articulated goals
for each member of my team.
And having very high expectations
for people accomplishing
those goals.
And I don't have a lot of leniency for not
accomplishing those goals.
That doesn't mean I'm not nice about it,
but I think it's much easier to be nice
when you've also, sort
of, created clear roles
and designations for people
to work in a company.
Then it's not, there's no...
There shouldn't be much of a disconnect
when people are failing to
live up to expectations.
Well, I think attention
to detail is critical
when you're developing projects
at the caliber that we are.
And Holburn is exceptional in this regard.
The attention to detail...
I mean, we were walking
through the project today,
and the stuff we were debating,
most people wouldn't believe.
They'd say: "Come on.
"With a, you know, $360 million project
"are you really talking
about these things?"
But it's that level of interest.
It's that passion, it's that energy.
And it's really that last
5% that makes something
exceptional.
You can build something great,
but it could have been
amazing, phenomenal, the best,
if somebody had really
cared about that last 5%.
And I've seen this time and time again,
as a personality trained education,
and you can't fake that.
You either love what you're doing,
and you're deeply passionate
about your vision,
or you let somebody else deal with the 5%
and assume that they may or
they may not figure it out.
Sometimes being a negotiator
is knowing you're not
the best person to negotiate.
If somebody won't
respond favorably to you,
you're not serving your
own interest by, you know,
continuing that line of dialogue.
And that's why, you
know, my brothers and I
work so well together.
There's certain people
I do much better with.
And sometimes being a
woman is an advantage,
you take people off-guard.
- Are you saying you employ
female charms to disarm people?
- No, well, not
female...well, maybe! (laughs)
No, but you know, when somebody is either
unprepared, expecting less of you,
I think that's a great advantage.
So, you know, I think about
that a lot, people say:
"Does it bother you when
people underestimate you?"
I say, "I welcome people
to underestimate me."
So I think the key for negotiation
and successful preparation
is really getting your ducks in a row.
I think confidence is so critical.
And so much of one's success,
while they're negotiating,
is how to present themselves,
how they present the material,
and the conviction with which
they relay their viewpoint.
So preparation is everything.
If nothing else, even if it's a quickie,
it's a fast negotiation,
if you're well researched,
and you know what you're talking about,
it's much harder for somebody to argue
against your viewpoint.
So, I like to go into a major negotiation,
really understand my facts,
really being up to speed.
I've found it's been an
incredible competitive advantage
for me.
I actually find that as
people get more successful,
they end up doing a little
bit less of the work,
because they have people
under them who are doing
some of the preliminary research.
And a lot of that information
isn't communicated to them.
So sometimes it's actually an advantage,
when you're younger, a
little less experienced
to negotiate with somebody
who's more formidable,
because a lot of times,
they're not quite as up to
speed on the topic as you are.
But preparation is incredibly important.
And then I think just
taking a deep breath.
I think when you're prepared,
you can feel a lot more confident.
But, you know, I see people,
and they're waiting to go into
a really important meeting,
whether it's a job interview
or an important transaction negotiation,
and they're sitting in the waiting room,
and they're hunched over,
and they're on their iPhone,
and they're checking Instagram.
And I think one of the more
important things you can do
is sort of sit up
straight, breathe deeply,
sort of center ourselves for a second,
and then start the process.
So, those are just some little tips.
But I think they're pretty important.
I want my daughter,
Arabella, to grow up thinking
that the phrase "working woman"
sounds as odd and superficial and forced
as the phrase "working man."
My husband is my greatest
source of motivation.
- She always has it in her to accomplish
whatever she puts her mind to.
- He's the person I lean on the most.
- I always tell Ivanka,
don't worry about the things
you can't control.
Just worry about how you react to
and deal with the circumstances
and situations at hand.
- In the moments of
highest anxiety for me,
I will think about Jared and the kids,
and realize that no matter
how poorly I performed,
I will come home that night
and my kids will not love me any less.
And my husband will love me just as much.
Maybe even a little bit more,
because he'll know I'll need it.
- [Jared] But I'm still
waiting to see the time
that she doesn't perform very well.
- Are you concerned though
about your reputation?
Because someone like you
would be in the spotlight,
given half the chance, if the
media could be in your house
and in your business all of the time.
So does it concern you, what
you see on social media,
or what people write
about you, or Twitter,
or anything like that?
- Well, I think early on I
developed quite a callous
to the opinions of others.
Ultimately I live in a way
that I would never want
my children to be embarrassed of something
their mother did, so, first and foremost,
I'm, you know, hopefully not
doing things that would be
all that interesting to somebody
from a scandal perspective.
(laughs) But, you know,
I think you just have to,
at some point you just have to live,
and you have to drown out the noise.
You know, I grew up in a climate where,
you know, from when I was 14
years old, people would say,
"Well, you know, I wonder
what she would ever accomplish
"if it wasn't for her last name."
And, you know, "Would she ever be able to
"achieve great things if she
didn't have the name Trump?"
And the reality is there's
no point fighting that.
Because I myself don't have an answer.
I know I was given a tremendous advantage.
I have a name that is globally recognized.
But it's what I do with it.
And it's how hard I work in my own life.
So, you know, fighting
that is a zero sum game.
- Thank you guys so much for watching.
I made this video because
Brenda Whiteman asked me to.
So if there's a famous
entrepreneur that you want me
to profile next, leave it
down in the comments below.
And I'll see what I can do.
I'd also love to know,
what did you learn today
from Ivanka that had the
biggest impact on you,
on your life, on your business?
What are you immediately
going to do to make a change,
to make your life or business better?
Leave it in the comments below.
I'm going to join in the discussion.
I also want to give a quick
shout out to Noah Sachs.
Noah, thank you so much for
picking up a copy of my book,
Your One Word, and doing
that awesome review
on your YouTube channel.
I really, really, really appreciate it.
- This book really focuses
on one core principle
throughout, in terms of
developing your one word,
or your guiding idea that
should be in the forefront
of every business decision and
branding decision you make.
- Thank you guys again for watching.
I believe in you.
I hope you continue to
believe in yourself.
And whatever your one word is,
much love.
I'll see you soon.
(swooshing)
- When I look at my friends who have been
incredibly successful entrepreneurs,
obviously you have to have an idea,
and it has to be a good one.
Timing may be even more
important than the idea.
Because many great ideas
have been too early,
they've been too late,
or they've come about
at the wrong time in a cycle that
really renders everything else irrelevant.
You have to be supported by
an incredibly strong team.
So, you know, a lot of
entrepreneurs talk about
how lonely it is, because
they're making decisions
by themselves and really
spearheading the growth
of an organization.
But you're not alone. You have a team.
And you have to build, sort
of, a family around you
that can support and
align with, ultimately,
the vision that you set.
And I think for me it's
about understanding
where I can uniquely add value.
Understanding what I'm really good at,
versus capable at, versus not so good at.
And making sure that I have
the right bench to fill in,
in those lower end of the spectrum.
And being a young person myself,
that's sometimes a challenge.
Because through trial and error,
you learn where you excel,
and where your core competency is.
- [Interviewer] How do you
keep your energy levels high?
- Coffee. I caffeinate.
A lot of it. (laughs)
But you know, meditation is
actually really helpful for me.
So when I can do it, and when
I'm disciplined about doing it
I do find it helps spike my energy,
and increase my productivity.
And exercise, I find that
when I run, I feel great.
And I'm exhausted for 10 seconds, and then
it spikes my energy throughout
the course of the day.
I don't do enough of that these days,
but it is a helpful boost when I'm able.
You know, each day looks
very very different,
and truthfully that's part of
what I'm so passionate about.
I think more than being a developer,
more than having my own fashion brands,
I think of myself as an entrepreneur
who keeps my eye open for
exciting opportunities.
And you have to have
bandwidth in your schedule,
despite how busy you are,
you have to have a little bit
of space to be able to take that meeting,
that's not as strategically
relevant to everything
on your plate.
So it is important to be
surrounded by people that you trust
and it's important to
spend your time wisely,
to enable you to find
that next opportunity.
