leaders – Page 18 – CainEllsworth

No Risk = No Reward

“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

What’s Your Story?

“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

What Are You?

“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

Take The Blinders Off

“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

You’re Driving the Car

“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

Change & Confidence

“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

What Are You Actually Doing?

“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

Real Leaders

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” – Steve Jobs Innovation is a popular topic. If I Google innovation I get somewhere north of 3 billion hits. I get links to webinars about innovation, I see articles about innovation, there are books written about innovation – it’s one of the primary topics of conversation … Read more

Plan for the Unplanned

“Expecting life to treat you well because you are a good person is like expecting an angry bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian.” – Shari R. Barr Humans are interesting creatures. Despite all evidence to the contrary, we always seem to start new endeavors with the idea that everything will go smoothly. … Read more

Change Means You Too

“When we are no longer able to change a situation…we are challenged to change ourselves.” – Viktor Frankl We talk with our clients a lot about the importance of being agile as an organization. As markets change, as customers change, as people change, as technology changes, our businesses have to be able to adapt. The … Read more

GPS Blog

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