Matt Heemstra – Page 16

Think Change

“Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.” – Bertrand Russell It’s a huge understatement to say that one of the biggest challenges we face as leaders is attempting to make change in our organizations. We all know change is hard. I would guess that half or … Read more

The Uncomfortable Path

“You’ve got to continue to grow, or you’re just like last night’s cornbread – stale and dry.” – Loretta Lynn With all the preaching about comfort zones lately (here, here, and here, for example), I’ve heard from a number of people offering similar feedback. “That’s great,” they say, “but once I find stuff I’m good … Read more

Outside the Zone

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” – T.S. Eliot Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about comfort zones (here and here, for example). There are plenty of reasons for that, but one of them is the realization that there are way more people cruising … Read more

Planning for Perfection

“In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” – Dwight Eisenhower One of the things I’ve heard leaders say a lot over the past two strange years is that there is so much confusion and uncertainty that it’s impossible to plan for the future. I get it. … Read more

You, Actually

“No man can, for any considerable time, wear one face to himself and another to the multitude without finally getting bewildered as to which is the true one.” – Nathaniel Hawthorne There are dozens of leadership buzz words that show up in books, in webinars, wherever any kind of discussion of leaders and what they … Read more

What Are You Learning?

“Once you stop learning, you start dying.” – Albert Einstein One of the things that has been mentioned in this space a number of times in the past is the idea that as leaders, we have a tendency to learn and grow and develop until we reach a certain point, and then our learning curve … Read more

Get Uncomfortable

“We find comfort among those who agree with us – growth among those who don’t.” – Frank A. Clark One very noticeable trait of human beings is that we want to be comfortable. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that idea. It probably has its roots all the way back in our days as hunters & … Read more

Who’s A Fit?

“You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.” – Winston Churchill Last week in this space the topic was focus & the idea that we need to figure out what we do well and stick to it without getting distracted by every new possibility. One of … Read more

Know What You Are

“Indiscriminate action is a form of laziness.” – Tim Ferris We’re taught early on in our careers to try & make people happy. When customers approach us and ask if we can help, we almost instinctively say “yes”. We’re paranoid about customers going somewhere else, so we agree to do whatever they want or need. … Read more

Difficult = Good

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” – Frederick Douglass A consistent theme I hear from leaders these days is how difficult it is to make decisions. We’re living in a world that’s quite different from anything most of us have experienced before. People are different, customer expectations are different, there have been … Read more

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It's time to go "Beyond the Numbers".