“When dealing with complex transportation issues, the best thing to do is pull up with a cold beer and let somebody else figure it out.” – Anthony Bourdain Most leaders are swamped. I can’t remember the last time I met a leader who felt like they had plenty of time to do all the things … Read more
“You never really learn much from hearing yourself speak.” – George Clooney Most leaders talk too much. There are a few exceptions, but not many. Sometimes when I’m in leadership team meetings or board meetings I wonder if maybe some of them are getting paid by the word. You could argue that the verbal avalanche … Read more
“People learn something every day, and a lot of times it’s that what they learned the day before was wrong.” – Bill Vaughan In general, most people like stability. We want to wake up in the morning and know we can count on certain things to be the same way they were yesterday. People will … Read more
“Predicting rain doesn’t count. Building arks does.” – Warren Buffett One of the things you’re supposed to do as a leader is think about the future. It’s why there are so many books/articles/podcasts/whatever on planning, strategic planning, long-term planning, etc. Everybody knows it’s important and understands that it’s something they probably should be doing. Some … Read more
“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” – Zig Ziglar I had a conversation with a leader a few weeks ago that went something like this. Leader: “I’m frustrated with our people.” Me: “Why?” Leader: ”They don’t understand our vision.” Me: “Why might that … Read more
“Things may come to those who wait, but only things left by those who hustle.” – Abraham Lincoln When people think about leaders, one of the first things that most of them think about is decision making. People envision leaders sitting on a throne (or in their office) while everyone comes to them with questions … Read more
“A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player.” – John Wooden One of the things we say we value in our organizations is great team players. We talk a lot about how much we appreciate them, how things get done because they always pitch in, about how we’re grateful … Read more
“Our own dilemma is that we hate change and love it at the same time; what we really want is for things to remain the same but get better.” – Sydney J. Harris One of the most common frustrations I hear from leaders has to do with the performance of their people. Not that all … Read more
“I thought treating everyone the same was being fair and impartial. Gradually, I began to suspect that it was neither fair nor impartial. In fact, it was just the opposite. That’s when I began announcing that team members wouldn’t be treated the same or alike; rather, each one would receive the treatment they earned or … Read more
“By trying to not get anyone mad, and by treating everyone equally ‘nicely’ regardless of their contributions, you’ll simply ensure that the only people you’ll wind up angering are the most creative and productive people in the organization.” – Colin Powell Today’s quote is a long one, but the whole thing is worth reading repeatedly. … Read more
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