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The 4 Tips for Success from Mining Magnate Gina Rinehart

Love her or hate her, there’s no disputing Gina Rinehart’s success story. Find out what ticks inside this infamously private billionaire’s mind. And how you can achieve success on your own.

As one of the richest people in Australia, Gina Rinehart makes waves. Despite her efforts not to be in the limelight.

It may be the price of fame, but this mining magnate doesn’t shy away from the microphone about the topics she’s passionate about. Although she’s often misunderstood most of the time.

Dive into the mind of Gina Rinehart and get success tips from the woman’s mouth. You may not ever become a mining mogul. But you may find a few of her tips worth listening to.

Who Is Gina Rinehart?

Every Australian has heard of Gina Rinehart. Here’s the back story.

Georgina “Gina” Rinehart was the only child of mining millionaire Lang Hancock. Hancock received his millionaire status by happenstance. A chance storm forced him to fly low over an area in Pilbara, Western Australia. And it was this manoeuvre that allowed him to spot the iron ore.

Hancock was at times a rancher, asbestos miner, and prospector. But he never lost his entrepreneurial spirit. And that’s what led him to recognise the potential worth of the iron ore he saw from his little bush plane.

He didn’t have an easy go of it, however. When he flew back to the area he spotted, he started laying the groundwork for prospecting. Not mining.

It took years of lobbying the government to repeal the ban on pegging claims and iron ore exportation. After nearly a decade of petitioning, all his hard work paid off.

One of the first things he did was to persuade mining executives from the U.S. and Britain to invest. That, along with his claim, set him on the road to his first millions.

Eventually, Gina was born to Hope and Lang. He doted on her as a child and took her to meetings around the world. She learned first-hand about business from a very early age.

She was later sent to a boarding school when the family relocated to Perth. Her mother developed breast cancer so they moved closer to the hospitals. But that didn’t stop young Gina from learning the ropes.

Her father took frequent trips to her school and would talk to her for hours. As his little right-hand man, she got to learn first-hand how to navigate the mining industry.

In later years, Gina and her father feuded bitterly. But when they weren’t feuding, they still remained close. And when her father died in 1992, Gina knew just what to do to take up the family reins.

By the time Gina inherited her father’s company, Hancock Prospecting, it was in dire straits. However, Gina worked tirelessly to forge ahead and give the mining company a new start.

Nowadays, her net worth is in the billions. But she still advocates hard work as the price for her success.

Tips for Success from Gina Rinehart

As mentioned before, Gina Rinehart is an intensely private person. She rarely speaks out and eschews the media whenever possible. However, here are a few of her most noteworthy tips on success:

CUB Club of United BusinessDon’t Work Harder, Work Longer

“Put in a bit more…”– Gina Rinehart

Many would say that the secret to success is hard work. But that’s not necessarily Gina Rinehart’s philosophy.

She once mentioned that women have to work 20 times harder to get ahead. Especially in male-dominated industries like hers. However, she has a different take on it.

Instead of settling for working “harder,” you also have to work longer. This workaholic billionaire advocates longer hours and fewer lunch breaks for making your career a success.

Is that the best advice? Not necessarily.

Overworking yourself could damage your health in the long run. High stress levels could send cortisol levels through the roof. It could ultimately lead to internal damage, sleepless nights, and reduced productivity.

Yet this piece of advice resonates. You see, Rinehart didn’t say to work to the detriment of your personal health. However, you have to be willing to do it.

Attitude and mindset are everything. Make a commitment to your work. Put everything you can into it, and then invest a little more.

Obviously, you can’t go too many sleepless nights or it’ll be counterproductive. However, you can devote your energy to your job to the point where you make sacrifices.

And that’s what it’s really all about.

Sometimes you need to make sacrifices on the path to success. You may have to forgo a couple of lunch hours to see the work through. And you may have to cancel that happy hour cocktail date because work calls.

The fact of the matter is: if your attitude is in the right place your commitment will follow. So work a little longer. It’s worth it in the long run.

Gina Rinehart inherited a company on the verge of extinction. But in a few short years, she turned it around. You can, too, if your mindset is in the right place.

She maintains that it’s important to work just as hard as your colleagues. And you have to work harder if you want to get ahead.

If you truly want an executive role in your career, show a willingness to sacrifice. That means the occasional lunch, weekend, and even holidays.

She argues that if you want to be successful you shouldn’t be the type of person who sits back and makes suggestions. Get out there and show that you deserve a higher position.

Lead by Example

Her philosophy about leadership is relatively simple. She leads by example.

Working long hours is very important to her. Not only does she demand it of herself, but she also expects it from her employees.

After all, she shows real dedication to the company. She expects the same of everyone else.

Because of this demand for excellence, she stresses the importance of building a team of similarly minded people. A relaxed and casual work atmosphere may work for some companies. But hers is not one of them.

Does that mean that you have to forgo breaks and holidays the way that she does? Not if it doesn’t fit into your company’s culture.

Once you have a vision of who you want your company to be, stand by it. Don’t just believe it. You have to live it.

That way, everyone sees you as an embodiment of the principles you want to adhere to. This is one of the ways you can communicate your message to others.

No one wants a taskmaster at work. However, doing what you expect others to do sets a good example.

So, the last thing you want to do is take 3-hour lunches and go on extensive holidays. If you expect your employees to make sacrifices, they need to see you doing it, too.

Employees learn by example. So make sure your example is the one you want to put out there.

Figure Out What Motivates You

What keeps you motivated to work hard? Perhaps you have bills to pay or a family to support.

For Gina Rinehart, her altruistic side takes centre stage and helps drive her to work harder. She likes that she can contribute to her company, state, and nation.

She hopes that the mines that her company invested in help bring in revenue and job opportunities to the north. Rinehart attributes this altruistic nature to two men in her life – her maternal grandfather and his business partner.

She said that both were innovative in their respective industries. The two men rose above early losses in life and started from virtually nothing. But they weren’t afraid of hard work and contributions.

What drives you to work hard?

That motivation holds the key to your success. When you’re motivated, you’ll work as hard as it takes to achieve your goals.

CUB Club of United BusinessAnyone Can Be a Millionaire

“There is no monopoly on becoming a millionaire.” – Gina Rinehart

Want to be a millionaire? Rinehart has some hard-nosed advice about that. She says that rather than spending your time in envy, you should go out and earn more.

She goes on to say that you should spend less time drinking, smoking and socialising. Take that time and spend it working instead.

Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t ever relax if you want to be successful. But if you do want to move forward in your career, you do need to work for it.

Eventually, you’re going to come upon a crossroad. And you’re going to ask yourself how much do you want it? Is being a millionaire that important to you?

If it is, you can’t spend your time begrudging those who have it. Many millionaires are self-made. They weren’t born rich.

That means that they had to work for it – often against impossible odds.

Everyone wants more money. It would make life easier to have that type of financial freedom. But the type of freedom you envision may not align with reality.

You see, you have to sacrifice to get there. Your mindset and commitment are what’s going to hold you through the long days and nights. But the reality is that no one is going to do the hard work for you.

So, prepare for a long exhausting road ahead of you. If becoming a millionaire was easy, the world would be full of them.

You’re going to have to give up some of your precious downtime. You may not see your family sometimes. But your motivation is what’s going to help see you through.

The Takeaway

Gina Rinehart may not be the easiest person to get along with. But she does speak from experience. Much like her leadership motto, she isn’t shy to let the world know that success is hard work.

Many refer to her as an “heiress.” But very few remember that she inherited a bankrupt estate. She worked hard and made sacrifices to get to where she is now.

And despite her personal trials, she remains one of the richest people in Australia.

She maintains this position because she doesn’t rest on her laurels. Rinehart may have pulled her family legacy out of the pit. But that’s not where her story ends.

If you have one takeaway to remember, it’s that Gina Rinehart may have grown up with a silver spoon in her mouth. But her father never let her forget her humble roots.

And she took those teachings to heart knowing there’s no amount of money that replaces good, honest work.

At CUB our ambition is to unite those who are changing the world through their businesses. We support these people by building a private community of Australia’s next titans of industry. And we bring these titans together to accelerate the achievement of each other’s ambitions.

If you wish to be considered for membership, please feel free to request a club introduction on our membership page: www.cub.club/membership