376 THE PRINCIPLES OF PERSONAL POWER
these qualities. The leaders of the future will be compelled to avoid
the mistakes of the leaders of the past, the chief of which has been
exploitation oj their followers. Great fortunes accumulated at the expense
of the masses will not be among the possessions of the leaders of the
future.
Wise beyond room for comparison will be the aspirant to future
Leadership who realizes that no business or profession of the future may
be successfully conducted without recognition of the fact that the fol-
lowers and patrons of that business or profession are partners in it) and
as such are entitled to share in the benefits to be derived from it.COMMENTARY
If you think that sounds like pie-in-the-sky optimism, let us offer you an example:
Sam Walton. At his death in 1992, Sam Walton was the richest person in America,
worth $28 billion. He made that fortune through his Wal-Mart stores, providing
everyday necessities to everyday people.
Walton:S customers benefited from his business because it provided them
the things they needed at lower prices than any other store. They also benefited
from shopping in a place where the clerks were friendly and eager to help. That
spirit was a direct result of Walton's dedication to working hard alongside his
employees. He would show up on loading docks late at night with bags of donuts
for his crews, jump up on tables at store openings and lead the staff in a cheer,
and once paid up----by doing the hula down Wall Street-on a dare to them to bring
in improved profits.
Walton also shared the company's wealth very generously, paying yearly
bonuses in the company:S valuable stock. People who were committed to Wal-Mart
were repaid with retirement accounts that, even for salesclerks, could be worth
hundreds of thousands of dollars. It may have cost Walton a little more up front, but
it earned him an unbelievable return in terms of the enthusiasm of his employees.
Sam Walton:S dynamic leadership style encompassed all twenty of the qualities
Napoleon Hill proposes in this lesson-and more.