Trump: How to Get Rich

Bullshit Will Only Get You So Far

I think it’s funny that the phrase most closely associated with me these days is You’re fired, because, the truth is, although I’ve had to fire people from time to time, it’s not a big part of my job. I much prefer keeping loyal and hardworking people around for as long as they’d like to be here. There’s a wonderful lady in her nineties, Amy Luerssen, who worked for my father and still reports to work every day at our Brooklyn office. Here at The Trump Organization, Helen Rakotz has worked for me from the day I moved to Manhattan, and she still puts in long hours every week. She is eighty-two.

Once I delayed firing someone for two years because this guy always had such a great line of bullshit every time I came close to the topic. No matter what was going on, he had some huge deal lined up that was just about to come through.

He managed to string me along for two solid years, and I believed him every time—or wanted to. Finally, I was forced to realize that his claims were bogus, but I gave him every chance before finally axing him.

Unless your boss is a total sadist, he (or she) doesn’t want to fire you or cause hardship to your family. If you think you’re in danger of being fired, take control of the situation and ask your boss for a meeting.

Make sure you ask for the meeting at the right time. Tell your boss you want to make sure you are communicating and doing your job to everyone’s satisfaction.

Of course, if your boss is a sadist, or just a lousy communicator, you’ve still got a problem. In that case, fire your boss and get a better job. There’s no sense in trying to cope with a bad situation that will never improve.

I never try to dissuade people from quitting. If they don’t want to be here, I don’t want them to be here, either. No one has ever come to me with an ultimatum. People see how it works here, and if it doesn’t suit them, they move on. Sometimes it happens quickly. A qualified and experienced receptionist worked here for a grand total of six hours. She realized right away that the pace just wasn’t suited to her, and she very politely told us so and left. I appreciated her quick thinking and efficient decision-making skills. She’ll have a successful career somewhere else.