“Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome.” – Samuel Johnson It’s part of human nature that we tend to not want to make mistakes. We’re taught from an early age that mistakes are bad and successful people don’t make them. People who make mistakes are failures and usually suffer … Read more
“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” – John Wooden Understatement of 2022: Sometimes our world is pretty complicated. It can feel like every decision or every action is impacted by literally dozens of factors, each of which is impacted by dozens more. We try to get our heads … Read more
“Rest and laughter are the most spiritual and subversive acts of all. Laugh, rest, slow down.” – Anne Lamott In our part of the world, we have a holiday weekend coming up. Whatever your weekend plans look like, take some time to recharge. We’re not designed to go nonstop without a break. Relax, refresh, and … Read more
“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas.” – Steve Jobs Early in my career, I thought I understand the primary idea of leading an organization, at least when it came … Read more
“It’s not because things are difficult that we dare not venture. It’s because we dare not venture that they are difficult.” – Seneca Leaders come in all shapes and sizes, and with those shapes and sizes come every different kind of personality. Every one of them has a different way of approaching and solving problems, … Read more
“If you find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.” – Frank A. Clark Last week in this space the topic was self-sabotage. I could probably write something about that topic every week for a year (don’t worry, I won’t). There are just so many ways that we are consistently our own … Read more
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” – Carl Jung One of the conversations I’ve heard leaders having repeatedly over the years has to do with bad luck. Not long ago, I heard a leader describe a situation where there was an opportunity for the … Read more
“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” – Rumi Last week in this space, the topic was change-related (no surprise). The idea was that you can’t just wish or hope for things to change. You actually have to change them yourself. Be … Read more
“They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” – Andy Warhol Over the past few months, I’ve heard a lot of people start sentences with the words “I wish…”. They’re wishing something about COVID, or they’re wishing something about the supply chain, or they’re wishing something about the labor … Read more
“I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure. It is: Try to please everybody.” – Herbert Bayard Swope One of the challenges that all leaders face is the reality that neither we nor the organizations we lead can do everything we’d like to do. There aren’t … Read more
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