Page 113 - Midas Touch

for saying, “You’re fired,” I don’t like firing people. I’d rather keep them
around, provided they are doing a good job. Work ethic matters, too,
because our brand-building is constant, never-ending. I’ve been fortunate
in that I seem to attract people with the same work ethic. They understand

that they can never let the brand down.

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about. We got a call one day from a
lady who lived across from one of my buildings. She said our doormen
were driving her crazy because, every time she looked out, they’d be
polishing something, which she thought was excessive and unnecessary.
My buildings are known for being highly maintained, and our theory was
that she was just jealous because she wasn’t living in my building. The

doormen and the maintenance men fully understood the importance of
their jobs. Keeping the building in perfect condition is not only critical to
our brand, but it’s what our residents and guests expect. We were not about
to let them down because of one person who was annoyed.

That’s a small, but important, example of what I mean. Our team goes
above and beyond to deliver the best of everything. There are a lot of

things we don’t have to do on our projects, and we would still make money
on them. We didn’t have to redesign the entire golf course in Los Angeles
and make it truly spectacular. We could have just fixed the hole that slid
into the ocean and been done with it. We didn’t have to take as much care
as we did with the environment surrounding the golf-links course in
Scotland, but we did. We could have done the minimum, ecologically
speaking, but we did the maximum. We do what we do because that’s what
delivering the best means. That’s who we are. That’s our brand. And the

people who work at The Trump Organization take pride in our standard
and the part they play in making it real.

When everyone works with that same energy, loyalty, and focus, it makes
for smooth sailing all around. I’m definitely in charge, but I expect people
to take individual responsibility. I’m not a baby-sitter type. The company
has grown larger, but the core ethic is the same—we have a gold standard

to maintain. There’s an ad that came out years ago with a photo of me and
this headline: “I only work with the best.” In our company, people have to
do their best, and if they understand that, there are no problems. I do my
best, and that’s what I expect. That’s another reason why I expect the gold
standard from everyone associated with my brand.