Nido Qubein was a penniless immigrant to the United States from the Middle East in 1966 with barely any knowledge of English and no marketable skills. Today Mr. Qubein is an internationally successful business leader. He is CEO of Creative Services, Inc., a North Carolina-based international consulting firm. Mr. Qubein is also director of Southern National Bank Corporation, a six-billion-dollar bank holding company with over 200 offices. He serves on the board of Harvard University's Institute for Economic Development and the international board of American Humanics Foundation.
 
Qubein's story is truly inspirational:
 
Through friendships made as a counselor at a youth camp, Qubein came to High Point College in North Carolina. He received his bachelor's degree in human relations in 1970; he earned his master's degree in business from nearby University of North Carolina in 1971.
 
In 1971, he began a small publishing company and wrote, edited, and collated leadership materials, which he then sold by direct mail. People began to buy and ask him to come and speak to their groups.
 
In 1973, he started speaking and soon was giving more than 200 speeches a year to clients such as AT&T and Nabisco. But Qubein's keen insight told him that motivational speeches were not enough to keep a business prosperous.
 
"The value of inspirational talks is limited," says Qubein. "They give a temporary boost, but when the adrenaline is gone, you tend to go flat again; you go back to the old way of doing things. In fact, motivation can actually cause frustration, because people are really looking for education."
 
So Qubein expanded from motivational speeches to management consulting, providing employees and staff with the education they needed to succeed. Qubein believes people are educated, not trained. Animals are trained.
 
To make the point, he illustrates the difference with a story about a trip to a fast food restaurant where he ordered a milk shake and an apple pie. The well-trained young woman waiting on him took his order and asked, "Would you like a dessert to go with that?" This young woman was obviously told to try to sell a dessert with every order and she was operating exactly as trained.
 
According to Qubein, American corporations are spending millions to train, not educate, their employees. His point is to teach employees how to learn, how to proact, and how to react. Training, in his opinion, only shows employees how to handle specific situations.
 
"The word educate," contends Qubein, "stems from the Latin word educo, meaning to change from within. We, as professionals, are change agents. Our job is to help our clients improve the performance and productivity of their people resources. Education must be repetitive to work. It must allow for practical application. "And," according to Qubein, "executives do not know how to create their own employee education programs or how to find someone to do it for them. In too many businesses," Qubein observes, "the dailiness of life takes over and executives find themselves dealing with issues as they arise, rather than planning a management strategy and employee development program.
 
“Today's customer doesn't want to buy a speech or presentation. What customers want to buy are solutions to their problems. In other words, they are saying, `Show us how to innovate and how to make sure that we are all doing the right things to be competitive in the global marketplace.' And, `Please,' they are begging, `Manage the journey; don't just announce the destination."'
 
Qubein adapts his approach to companies. "In the 70s," declares Qubein, "companies were looking for someone to motivate their employees. During the 80s they saw the need for education. During the 90s, the need is for implementation. The client wants to know `What's in it for me?' The ideal is for us to go in and do a needs analysis and find out where the company wants to go."
 
To do this, asserts Qubein, you need to learn to think and act like a problem solver. Develop a problem-discovering-solving mindset. Any time you approach a client-whether in person or through promotion-be looking for the most pressing problems the client has that you can solve.
 
"We have to quit thinking `What can I sell this client?' and start thinking, `What problem can I solve for this client?"' reiterates Qubein. "Let us serve, not sell. Also, it's important to hone our problem-solving skills. The future of this business is owned by problem solvers."
 
So Qubein provides his corporate clients with a three‑dimensional approach to management. He provides them with motivation and inspiration. He provides them with education. And he guides them through the practical implementation of the things they've learned. He likes to create a program for clients, show them how to implement the program, then, after one to three years, place the implementation in the company's hands.
 
To keep clients from getting tired of seeing and hearing you year after year, Qubein insists you need to develop precision speaking skills, contribute to your client's continuum of learning, develop proprietary materials and systems, and focus on product/process/person progress. You need to design comprehensive learning systems and remember the law of supply and demand: The greater the demand, the shorter the supply, and the higher the price.
 
The more of what you do that people want, and the fewer people who can do it, the higher the fees you can demand for it. "Our task," according to Qubein, "is to do as much as we can for each client-to translate raw data into useable information in hopes that we can help people and nurture a better global village."
 
Despite Qubein's emphasis on designing comprehensive learning systems to help educate businesses, his fame began, and continues to grow, as a motivational speaker. He is a recipient of The Cavett, considered the Oscar of the speaking profession. He was inducted into the International Speakers Hall of Fame in 1986-the youngest person ever inducted. He is a past president of the National Speakers Association and continues to be active as chairperson of the National Speakers Association Foundation.
 
From his plush office and private recording studio, Nido Qubein turns out a steady stream of motivation tapes and inspirational books distributed worldwide by Prentice Hall and Nightingale-Conant. He is the author of more than 30 books, including best-sellers such as Communicate Like a Pro and Get the Best from Yourself The Complete System of Personal and Professional Development.
 
Although he consults for multibillion-dollar corporations like General Electric, most of his clients are small - to medium-sized companies with five to 1000 people. All his business comes, according to Qubein, by word of mouth and about three-quarters of his clients are repeat customers.
 
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale calls Qubein "an amazing person." Qubein shares his expertise and his wealth with organizations great and small that call upon him for help. In 1971, fresh out of college, he established the Nido Qubein Associates Scholarship Fund. This fund has provided scholarships to more than 300 students at North Carolina private colleges. About 100 area business executives also contribute to the fund.
 
Qubein believes that giving of one's time and resources to causes that uplift humanity is good for the soul as well as for business. "You don't help others so that others will help you in return," he said. "You do it because it's your obligation as a member of humanity. If you give from your heart, others will give from their hearts in return, and you become a sharer in human generosity."
 
Nido Qubein is a master of communications. He radiates an aura of success. He knows business from the inside and can communicate his insights to audiences large and small. Qubein is a master practitioner.

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