CARLOS SLIM HELÚ
Carlos Slim Helú is a Mexican business magnate, investor, and philanthropist known as the richest man in the world by Forbes magazine since 2010. To know how he become what now he is and his philosophy we need to see a little bit about his early life.
Carlos Slim Helú was born on January 28, 1940 in Mexico City. He received his first business lessons in early childhood, as Don Julián gave each of his children a savings book with their usual weekly allowance in order for them to learn to manage their income and expenses. They reviewed this book with him, analyzing their expenses, purchases and activities, and by following this rule Don Julián’s children managed their finances and developed their own wealth. From that time investment and savings were part of young Carlos’s life, becoming his first lesson in business, which he soon put into practice by opening his first checking account and buying shares of Banco Nacional de México when he was only 12 years old, a quality that many entrepreneurs show in adult life.
Since 1961 (when he graduate from university) until now has been managing, selling, crating and buying many companies but most remarkable thing is that he has never close anyone of them, opposite to that, he has created many jobs specially in his country Mexico.
He has been involved in many criticism because of his fortune and the purpose of its. Well it’s not secret that when you are rich people wonder what you will do with all the money because you don’t need too much to live, better use it in charity. What he says about this is (he say it in an interview) “is better make and solve than give donations. I think it’s absurd that when you die donate everything to create foundations and museums” that’s why he create his own foundation named “CARSO” and managed by himself in order to solve society problems (poverty, education, jobs, health, etc) using his own resources contrary on what others leaders do giving their resources to others and using media to show that they cares the social problems.
In conclusion, to be a real leader (not just a leader like bill gates in the sector of technology) you have to succeed and help others succeed in order to increase the general welfare of the society like Carlos Slim does it because as he says “Our premise is and has always been that we leave with nothing; that we can only do things while we are alive and that businessmen are creators of the wealth they temporarily manage”