Part II

Mobilize Support

Visions are never the sole property of one man or one woman. Before a vision can become reality, it must be owned by every single member of the group.

—Phil Jackson, winner of nine NBA titles

Have you imagined that you found a great opportunity for success that you needed the help of others to seize? All the great achievers needed the help of others to succeed. Edison was always searching for financial investors for his projects. Michelangelo sought and received the patronage of many powerful people, including Lorenzo and Giuliano de’ Medici and Pope Julius II.

Although Bill Gates has outstanding technical aptitude, his ability to influence others to support his ventures has made him the leader of the personal computer software revolution and the richest person in the world. By convincing IBM to buy nonexclusive rights to the operating system he developed for its personal computer, he was able to legally sell the same software to all the companies that cloned IBM’s personal computer.

The most successful people and organizations were guided by keys 5 through 8, shown in the diagram on the previous page. In this way, they multiplied themselves through others. To mobilize support, you need to identify what has great value or meaning to those from whom you wish to gain support.