Hudson Neleman’s Post

I'm excited to share that I've just finished The Real Estate Financial Modeling Bootcamp on Udemy. It’s been a great step in building the Excel skills that are so important for a career as a financial analyst in real estate. Huge thanks to Joshua Dweck for the recommendation—this course really helped me deepen my understanding of real estate financial modeling. I'm committed to continuing to improve and refine the skills needed to excel in this field.

Why was Charles Schwab the first employee to be paid $1 Million a year... Charles Schwab was picked by Andrew Carnegie to be the first president of the United States Steel Company in 1921. Schwab was only 38 at the time! Let's try to determine why Schwab was worth 1 million a year (or $15 million in today's money!) Was it because he was the smartest man Andrew Carnegie could find? Absolutely not. Was it because he knew more about manufacturing steel than anyone else? No. Schwab even said in a conversation with Dale Carnegie that the men working for him knew more about manufacturing steel than he did! So why did Schwab deserve to be paid $1 Million a year? Due to his ability to deal with people. Yep, something so simple, yet remarkably irreplaceable. One of my mentors told me over the summer that when working a job you don't only want to work hard, but work smart enough that your presence at the company is irreplaceable. Bring something to the table that no one else can. For Schwab it's his interpersonal communication, he expanded during his interview with Dale Carnegie "I consider my ability to arouse enthusiasm among my people the greatest asset I possess, and the way to develop the best that is in a person is by appreciation and encouragement." "There is nothing else that so kills the ambitions of a person as criticisms from superiors. I never criticized anyone. I believe in giving a person incentive to work. So I am anxious to praise but loath to find fault. If I like anything, I am hearty in my approbation and lavish in my praise." There is a saying 'Once I did bad and I heard ever. Twice I did good, but that I heard never.' So what does this all mean? The negative opinions and feedback we receive from superiors or even those we look up to can have a massive impact on our motivation and self-esteem. Schwab is so valuable because when he praises good work, it fuels and motivates the entire team! Through my journey at GW, I started as a student seeking mentors. Through my senior year though, I have seen a shift. As the GW S&PM club grew larger and larger, I began to find other students looking up to me for feedback as well as advice. When running the club, and managing a board of 5 people I came to realize the truth of Schwab's words. If those you frequently engage with are scared to bring something up to you because they have been previously criticized, they will most likely stop. This results in lackluster work being produced, and creates an environment where completing the bare minimum is acceptable. Never settling for mediocrity requires meeting enthusiasm with enthusiasm and high-value work with high-value praise! LinkedIn tell me your thoughts about Schwab's quote below!

What made Truman such an amazing president? The answer is not what you think... Here is Part 4 of the 11 attributes Napoleon Hill in Think and Grow Rich outlines all great leaders must have. 9. Mastery of Detail - Great leaders master every little detail that their role requires of them, down to the minute. Jeff Bezos is the prime example of mastery of detail. Amazon would not be the behemoth it is today if it were not for his attention to the small details that make all the difference. People across the world order packages, and continuously they show up sometimes no more than a day later. Bezos understands that there is great power in understanding what it is that requires attention and what it means to put Amazon on every box they ship out. People love Amazon because of its consistency. It runs like a well-oiled machine, this is all because Jeff understands what is expected of not only himself but his company. 10. The Willingness to Assume Full Responsibility - All successful leaders assume full responsibility for everything. Even if something could truly be seen as the fault of one of a follower, great leaders take accountability. If followers make mistakes and become incompetent, it is the leader who has failed. A saying I like to use is "Everything is my fault, always" because of how true it is. During my time as president of the GW Stock & Portfolio Management Club, I constantly took responsibility for everything. If something went wrong during one of our events, it was entirely my fault because if I were a better leader I would have seen it coming. Though this may seem crazy to some, it is truly the only way to grow as a leader. If you are always blaming someone else, how are you expected to learn and improve yourself? Harry S. Truman is one of the best examples of this. He was President of the US during the end of the Second World War. During his presidency, one of the main issues he battled was the decision to drop the two atomic bombs on Japan. Truman is famous for saying, "The buck stops here," meaning that he takes full responsibility and if anyone is wondering whose fault or decision it was to use atomic weapons Truman claims the decision was entirely his. Truman is a great leader, because regardless if whether you think his decision was a good one or not, he stood behind the decisions he made and took full responsibility. 11. Cooperation - "Leadership calls for power and power calls for cooperation." As a leader if you do not learn how to cooperate with others, how do you expect others to cooperate with you? Repost if you found this valuable. Let me know your thoughts below!

Why do compassionate leaders do better? Are you compassionate enough? Here is Part 3 of the 11 attributes Napoleon Hill in Think and Grow Rich outlines all great leaders must have. 7. A Pleasing Personality - No careless person can become a successful leader. Leadership directly calls for respect, and followers will not respect you if you do not score high socially. This means, that you need to have a pleasing personality and be pleasing to be around. If no one wants to be around you, no one wants to follow you. Which ultimately means they will pick someone else they find more pleasing to lead them instead. A great example of a pleasing personality is Franklin D. Roosevelt. As the 32nd president of the United States, Roosevelt understood the importance of communication and being socially appealing to those he was leading. Previously in America, communication between the general public and the president would come from speeches or visits to specific towns and areas across the country. Roosevelt understood that being socially pleasing would result in respect from the American people, and thus he created 'Fireside Chats.' These chats served as a direct line of communication from the President to anyone who had a radio. Now presidents have Twitter and whatnot to communicate with the people, but Roosevelt was a visionary in his approach and gained the respect of the US population because of it. 8. Sympathy and Understanding - To successfully lead a group of people, the leader must correctly understand their problems and do so with a level of sympathy. Sympathetic leaders come across as more genuine and caring, as to be sympathetic you must truly care about solving the problem. In my humble opinion, the most sympathetic leader in history was President Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was in charge of uniting America amid a civil war. What is truly brilliant about Lincoln is his ability to understand the perspective of others. Upon his death, a handful of letters were found filed away at his desk. These were the letters Lincoln never sent. Every time something went wrong during his presidency, he would write out a letter that expressed his frustration towards a certain individual. He then folded the letter, stowed it away, picked up a new piece of paper, and wrote out an entirely different letter. One much more sympathetic and understanding of the reciever. It was this ability of Lincoln to control his own emotions, and realize that it would do no good to shun others, but rather understand their circumstances and try to find a new solution that worked better which made him such an amazing leader. Part 4 coming on Thursday! Repost if you found this valuable. Let me know your thoughts below!

What does it mean to make good decisions? What is a good decision? (200 over) Here is Part 2 of the 11 attributes Napoleon Hill in Think and Grow Rich outlines all great leaders must have. 4. Definiteness of Decision - One of the key functions of a leader is to make decisions. Many times, a decision needs to be made quickly, but more importantly stuck to! A leader who constantly changes their mind after a decision has been made, will overtime be replaced. Winston Churchill was the wartime prime minister of the United Kingdom during World War II. The movie "The Darkest Hour" walks the audience through Churchill's experience during his prime ministry. Throughout the movie, time and time again, Churchill makes a decision and sticks to it. Does he often have doubts about the decisions he makes? Possibly, but he never changes his decision. By sticking to his guns he was able to lead the fight against the Nazis and ultimately lead his people to victory. 5. Definiteness of Plans - "A successful leader must plan the work, and work the plan." Guesswork does not work when it comes to being a leader. Joker says it best in The Dark Knight, "Nobody panics when things go 'according to plan.' Even if the plan is horrifying!" Now of course Joker is the bad guy, so his advice might not be the best, but the idea is still there. Creating a plan gives everyone harmony. Archers would have no idea where to aim their bow if there were no targets at the end of the range. Having a plan and executing that plan is what leadership is all about. People work hard when getting work done is a 'part of the plan'. Lastly, if the plan is successful, those who worked towards it will not only feel accomplishment for being a part of something successful but also are more willing to listen to the next plan that comes from that same leader. 6. The Habit of Doing More Than Paid For - All great leaders have a willingness to do more than they require of their followers. The only way to get others to put in the work is by putting in twice as much yourself. This is the first thing I learned about leadership when I became the president of the GW Stock & Portfolio Management Club. Those on your board will never care as much as you do. They will never be inspired to work the late hours like you do, and how could you expect them to? When you make a company, club, or any organization it is your baby, not theirs. It's like hiring a babysitter: You may hope your babysitter would risk their life to defend your children, but the chances are they will not have the same care and love for your children as you do. The only way to have your followers put in a good effort is to lead by example. Show them how hard you are working, and chances are they will be inspired by your passion to work hard themselves. Part 3 coming on Wednesday! Repost if you found this valuable. Let me know your thoughts below!

If you want to be a leader what attributes should you have? Let's do a deep dive into the 11 attributes Napoleon Hill in Think and Grow Rich outlines all great leaders must have. 1. Unwavering Courage - No intelligent follower is going to allow a leader who lacks self-confidence to lead them. It is those who jump straight into the fire themselves that will lead others to greatness! The movie 'The King' shows the life of King Henry V played by Timothee Chalamet. Throughout the movie you see him develop as a leader. He becomes quicker in his decision-making and more confident in his choices. During the movie, war breaks out between the English and the French. One thing that I always took away from the movie, is that King Henry V is fighting alongside his men in the mud. He is supposedly royalty, but to get his men to charge into battle he must demonstrate unwavering courage himself. The English army fought so hard because they were led by a courageous leader. (The movie is very well made so I recommend you watch it!) 2. Self-control - This is rather simple. If you have no control over yourself, how do you expect others to let you control them? The movie '42' shows the life and career of the first-ever African-American baseball player in the MLB, Jackie Robinson. Jackie Robinson, although he had great athletic ability and sense for the game of Baseball, had even greater self-control. Throughout his career and during the movie, you see moments where Jackie Robinson struggles with racial discrimination but uses the power of self-control to make himself stronger. Robinson is an inspiration and leader for all black MLB players who came after him, as he shows the power and importance of self-control + leading by example! If it were not for Jackie Robinson the world of baseball would not be as great as it is today! 3. A Keen Sense of Justice - Great leaders have a good sense of fairness and justice. Respect from one's followers is earned and retained through showing an excellent sense of justice. Mahatma Gandhi is an excellent example of this. From 1919 - 1940 Gandhi battled the British rule over India and fought for the independence of the Indian people. He did not achieve this by rushing into battle like King Henry V, but rather by showing his followers what he dictated was fair, and how the current rule was unfair. People began to respect and understand his movement, which caused a major shift in power in India without the need for violence! Part 2 is coming tomorrow! Repost if you found this valuable. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Do you fear death? I can remember when I was 12 asking my mother what happens to us when we die and came to the realization that one day I would be dead. She told me that the purpose of life is to live. At first, I thought it was a bunch of bologna and was maybe even a little mad at my mother for creating me, for knowing I would most likely live with a fear of dying. Up until this year if you had asked me what my biggest fear was I would have told you, dying. All other minor fears that I have, heights, dangerous animals, etc, all came from my original fear of dying. Socrates a famous Greek philosopher was put to trial for 'poisoning the minds of the young male youth of Greece.' He simply told the young men to think for themselves before they went into anything. Greece at the time needed soldiers to fight the various wars they were involved with. Having a bunch of young men who no longer wanted to fight in a war, as they thought for themselves, posed a threat to the Greek government. So a trial was held and a decision was made. The jury had given Socrates the death penalty. Socrates had the opportunity to flee Athens just before they were going to administer the poisoned wine to the great philosopher. But he decided to stay. He decided he would rather die defending the principles that he thought were true than flee and live a lie. Socrates had this to say about death "To fear death is nothing other than to think oneself wise when one is not; for it is to think one knows what one does not know. No man knows whether death may not even turn out to be the greatest blessing for a human being; and yet people fear it as if they knew for certain that is is the greatest of evil." Here the philosopher breaks down the importance of admitting and understanding what we don't know. It would be egotistical to fear death, as we are thus assuming we completely know what will happen. Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich, states "The greatest of all remedies of the fear of death is a burning desire for achievement, backed by useful service to others. A busy person seldom has time to think about dying. He finds life too thrilling to worry about death." This is what completely changed my mind about the topic of death. It was not death that I feared. It was the regret or idea that I would die before I achieved the things I had set out for myself to do. Socrates and Hill were both able to live and die with peace of mind, due to the fact that they had spent their entire lives serving others and fulfilling their lives mission. Napoleon Hill wrote a book that inspires millions of individuals to better themselves every year, and Socrates broke the fabric of Greek society, by helping young men think of themselves. For my LinkedIn network, many who are older than me, what are your thoughts on death? How do you handle that 'fear'? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

As I am making my way through 75HARD I am coming to realize it is not the size of the individual actions, but the little actions repeated day after day which become automatic overtime that make the difference!