“Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought into a focus.” – Alexander Graham Bell Today’s topic isn’t new, but it never gets old either. Leaders everywhere feel like they don’t have enough time. They show up for work, work hard all day long, and at … Read more
“If you want to achieve excellence, you can get there today. As of this second, quit doing less-than-excellent work.” – Thomas Watson One thing I hear almost every organization talk about is their commitment to providing their customers with a quality product or service. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve … Read more
“What must be done eventually should be done immediately.” – Jeremy Foley I’ve had a few meetings lately with leaders where someone in the room said something like “Well, at some point we should probably ________”. Then the conversation moves on and the really important thing “we” should do gets pushed aside and forgotten. I’m … Read more
“The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.” – Flannery O’Connor Wishful thinking. Everyone criticizes it, everyone bad mouths it, and everyone does it. We want things to be a certain way so badly that we convince ourselves that it’s so. Then we act accordingly. Leaders aren’t immune. There is no … Read more
“Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.” – Anonymous One of the traits I admire in successful leaders is that of persistence. The best leaders have a kind of dogged determination to achieve whatever it is they’ve set out to achieve. And they do it, regardless of things that … Read more
“Everything must be taken into account. If the fact will not fit the theory – let the theory go.” – Agatha Christie Here we are again. It’s a new year, so that must mean it’s time to make some kind of big declaration about how this year will be different. We’re going to do some … Read more
“Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.” – Rumi As we make our way through what’s usually a hectic time of year, take some time for quiet. In particular, find the space to quiet your mind. Breathe, meditate, whatever you need to do. Enjoy the holiday season, and … Read more
“If you don’t have confidence, you’ll always find a way not to win.” – Carl Lewis There are a lot of things that leaders are expected to do. Leaders are supposed to think strategically, create a great culture, communicate a compelling vision, etc. If you search the internet for “important things that leaders do” you’ll … Read more
“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” – Maya Angelou Humans spend a lot of time wishing we had different lives. We see other people who have achieved some measure of success, however we define it, and we wish we had … Read more
“People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for.” – Harper Lee One of the most amazing things about people is our minds. There are times when we demonstrate an incredible ability to dream up big dreams. There are also times when we convince ourselves that any dream we might come … Read more
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