Six Business And Leadership Principles From Payam Zamani

At age 16, Payman Zamani fled Iran and made his way to America as a refugee. At 28, he secured a billion-dollar IPO. Today, he is redefining what it means to be an entrepreneur and business leader.

In his new book, Crossing the Desert: The Power Of Embracing Life's Difficult Journeys, Zamani tells his harrowing journey and gives readers an intimate look at how the paths we choose, the values we embrace, and the systems we decide to participate in (or not) can make or break us, not only financially, but spiritually.

Zamani’s fascinating and motivating story is a timely reminder that enduring and embracing life’s most difficult journeys can lead us to a brighter future—not only for ourselves, but also for the people around us.

In his book you will find the six business and leadership principles Zamani aligns with not only for himself and his employees in the business world, but also as conscientious adults and human beings.

Those six principles are:

Unity
Intention
Independence
Love
Truthfulness
Justice

In Zamani’s words, here is what he says about each of these six principles:

Unity - Every entrepreneur, business pioneer, or tech innovator must be comfortable with getting things done in groups. Accomplishments almost always come from teams, not lone individuals.

Intention - We need to check our intention every step of the way. Are we being self-serving? Are we driven by greed? Are we motivated by power? If so, how can we change that, so our intention is better aligned with the other values and principles we’re aiming to live up to?

Independence – Independence means fostering creativity, the courage to depart from the crowd, and the ability to truly think for us. Independence also calls upon our willingness to question the status quo.

Love - When we recognize and love the noble essence of every human, we acknowledge their highest aspirations and their most profound goals. If we really love our employees and our customers, we’ll treat them as the noble beings they are. We will elevate them and elevate us.

Truthfulness - A lack of integrity will only cause grief in the end—lawsuits, broken partnerships, and financial ruin. Why trade a short-term advantage for long-term grief? Truthfulness is the foundation of all human virtues. Meaning: Only if we have acquired this foundational virtue can we also be generous, loving, kind, just, and compassionate.

Justice - Fairness and equality, at every level of a business, will always pay off, and they should not be something left for another day. Every day of your journey must be one we are proud to live and lead—as this day may be the last day.

Payman Zamani

Payam Zamani is an entrepreneur, investor, and the founder of One Planet Group, a closely held private equity firm that owns a suite of online technology and media businesses.

Owned and operated businesses of One Planet Group include Buyerlink, AutoWeb, One Planet VC, One Planet Studios, and others. As part of its nonprofit arm, One Planet Group also operates One Planet One People and Bahai Teach.

Thank you to the book's publisher for sending me an advance copy of the book.

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