“You have no responsibility to live up to what other people think you ought to accomplish. I have no responsibility to be like they expect me to be. It’s their mistake, not my failing.” – Richard Feynman Part of being a successful leader – or having a successful life, for that matter – is being … Read more
“I believe that being successful means having a balance of success stories across the many areas of your life. You can’t truly be considered successful in your business life if your home life is in shambles.” – Zig Ziglar One of the most common responses I hear when I ask leaders how things are going … Read more
“The secret to getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” – Mark Twain There are plenty of things on a leader’s plate on a daily basis. We’re constantly bombarded with new ideas, new challenges, new … Read more
“Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash.” – George Patton Managing risk is a critical part of any leader’s job. It’s important to understand the risks that are potential threats to your business, how severe they are, how likely they are to occur, and whether you have any systems in place to … Read more
“Great stories happen to those who can tell them.” – Ira Glass There are literally dozens of things that impact the success or failure of an organization. Some of them get a lot of press: do you have a great product or service, are you great at sales & marketing, etc. Those are the kind … Read more
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle I don’t think I’ve ever been in a meeting where I heard somebody say, “You know, what I’d really like for this organization is to be consistently mediocre. Run of the mill, average, maybe even a little bit … Read more
“Diversity is a competitive advantage. Different people approach similar problems in different ways.” – Rich McGinn One of the realities of being a leader is that at times it can feel pretty lonely. The world is full of leaders who have the sense that they’re pretty much on their own, working without a net. And … Read more
“Destiny is a name often given in retrospect to choices that had dramatic consequences.” – J.K. Rowling I’ve had the opportunity recently to visit with a number of leaders who are nearing the end of their careers. They seem to be spending quite a bit of time reflecting on the past, as people in that … Read more
“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” – George Bernard Shaw What do you really believe about change? Do you actually think you’re capable of making change in your life or your business? When … Read more
“Make every detail perfect, and limit the number of details to perfect.” – Jack Dorsey It’s been mentioned in this space previously (here and here, for example) that focus is one of the most critical parts of success for any organization. When I talk to leaders, they all agree that’s true. And yet nearly all … Read more
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