“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” – Judy Garland Usually, at some point when we’re kids, we hear an adult say some version of “You can be anything you want when you grow up.” And we believe that. So when you ask kids what they’re going … Read more
“Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do. Don’t wish it were easier; wish you were better.” – Jim Rohn I have a lot of conversations with business leaders that start off pretty well and then fall apart. They start off well when leaders are telling me what they have in mind … Read more
“I worry that our lives are like soap operas. We can go for months and not tune in to them, then six months later we look in and the same stuff is still going on.” – Jane Wagner I have a good friend who regularly talks about companies having ‘groundhog years’. What he means is … Read more
“Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.” – Henry Ford One of the things leaders talk about on a regular basis is quality. They may not use that exact word, but when they talk about how great their products or services are, or how well their business performs some kind of function, … Read more
“The greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.” – Martha Washington I recently published a book (I know, it’s hard for me to believe too). The topic was change and how to be better at it – lots of stuff that’s similar to what we talk … Read more
“Innovation without execution is hallucination.” – Thomas Edison One of the most commonly used words in any conversation around business these days is innovation. Everybody wants to be innovative, whether it’s in terms of products or services, delivery methods, leadership, whatever. The more creative ideas the better. The problem isn’t that a lot of businesses … Read more
“I’d rather be hated for what I am than loved for what I am not.” – Kurt Cobain We spend a lot of time as leaders trying to make other people happy. Our customers want something, so we try and give it to them. Our employees want something, so we try and give it to … Read more
“We are all here on earth to help others; what on earth the others are here for I don’t know.” – W. H. Auden Pride can be a valuable thing. It can motivate us to achieve great things. It can keep us going when every other part of us wants to quit. But, of course, … Read more
“The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” – Theodore Roosevelt There are a lot of leaders out there who spend time thinking about the future, about what they want their … Read more
“The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.” – Harriet Beecher Stowe I’m going to at least moderately break on of my own personal rules today. I typically avoid like the plague anything that sounds like a New Year’s Resolution. They’re the same every year, and every year … Read more
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