“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
“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
“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” – Dale Carnegie There are times in our leadership journeys when the seas seem pretty calm. There’s stuff going on, but it feels manageable. We deal … Read more
“If I’ve got one thing that I really believe about fiction and life, it’s that there are no minor characters.” – Jane Gardam One of the most frustrating things for me to watch is any organization that underachieves. When you see a group of people with talent and nothing to show for it, it feels … Read more
“A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” – Winston Churchill We’ve spent a lot of time in this space talking about characteristics of great leaders – almost thirteen years, to be exact. And while all leaders are unique, those same characteristics seem to show up over and … Read more
“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” – Theodore Roosevelt Some of you may remember (or have at least heard of) the movie Groundhog Day from the early 90’s, starring … Read more
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” – C.S. Lewis Last week in this space I made the point that as human beings we have a tendency to get stuck in the past. We can learn from our past mistakes, which is great, … Read more
“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” – Mark Twain We’ve spent some time in the past talking about purpose, and even more than that, being purposeful (here, here, here and a bunch of other places). It seems like a very … Read more
“Fall seven times and stand up eight.” – Japanese Proverb People throw around a lot of different words and phrases to describe great leaders. You hear about things like work ethic, integrity, communication skills, vision, strategic thinker, etc. The list could go on and on, but most lists would be missing one of the most … Read more
“It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.” – Thomas Sowell I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to meet with a group of outstanding leaders on a regular basis. We get together and talk about a lot of different topics, mostly big picture stuff. It’s an opportunity for those leaders … Read more
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