Matt Heemstra – Page 9 – CainEllsworth

Choose And Go

“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

Who’s Really On Your Team?

“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

Hope Is Not A Strategy

“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

Special Earns Special

“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

A Tough Job

“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

Happy Holidays

“To get the full value of joy, you must have someone to divide it with.” – Mark Twain This space will be quiet for the next couple of weeks as we spend some quality time with quality people. Please do the same. No one ever reaches the end of their journey and wishes they’d spent … Read more

Take The Wheel

“Destiny is a name often given in retrospect to choices that had dramatic consequences.” – J.K. Rowling I can’t remember the last time I was in a meeting or having a conversation with leaders and one of them used words like “fate”, or “destiny”. Those aren’t the kinds of words that typically get used in … Read more

Thinking Positive

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” – Helen Keller In our current world, it seems like most people’s default setting is “angry”. Whether you’re talking about politics or sports or even the weather, it can feel like people are looking for reasons to be upset. … Read more

Start With Yes

“I’m no longer quite sure what the question is, but I do know that the answer is yes.” – Leonard Bernstein It’s easy to live in a world of “no”. The world seems chaotic and often scary, and when we’re surrounded by chaos and fear, as humans we have a natural tendency to seek safety. … Read more

Energy vs No Energy

“Most people see what they want to, or at least what they expect to.” – Martha Grimes Being a leader is hard work. There’s no “easy” button or magic bullet. Every time you think you everything figured out as a leader, something new comes along and you feel like a beginner all over again. All … Read more

GPS Blog

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