“When you say ‘Yes’ to others, make sure you are not saying ‘No’ to yourself.” – Paulo Coehlo It’s the first blog post of the year, and we could spend our time doing exactly what thousands of other blog posts and podcasts and books and articles are doing right now – talking about what things … Read more
“Opportunity is sometimes hard to recognize if you’re only looking for a lucky break.” – Monta Crane Last week in this space the topic was patience. More specifically, the idea that a lot of leaders have a tendency to use the term to hide the real issue – passivity. At some point, we have to … Read more
“Not to decide is to decide.” – Harvey Cox I talk to a lot of leaders who say that “being decisive” is a key trait of a leader. I’m not sure exactly what they mean by that. The dictionary says that the word decisive means “settling an issue” or “producing a definite result”, or “having … Read more
“My favorite things in life don’t cost any money. It’s really clear that the most precious resource we all have is time.” – Steve Jobs People talk constantly about how busy they are. For some people it’s a badge of honor, as though being busy is the ultimate goal in life. For others it’s a … Read more
“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” – George Bernard Shaw So many leaders I talk to express frustration about the situations they find themselves in. The organizations they lead aren’t performing the way they’d like, something’s wrong with their people or products or services, or maybe they … 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
“Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.” – Rumi As we make our way through what’s usually a hectic time of year, take some time for quiet. In particular, find the space to quiet your mind. Breathe, meditate, whatever you need to do. Enjoy the holiday season, and … Read more
“One should pay attention to even the smallest crawling creature for these too may have a valuable lesson to teach us.” – Black Elk Last week in this space I wrote about the importance of making sure we learn whatever lessons 2021 can teach us before we turn our focus to the new year. We … Read more
“I remind myself every morning. Nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So if I’m going to learn, I must do it by listening.” – Larry King One of the traps we fall into as leaders is the idea that we’re supposed to know everything, or at least have a well-formed opinion on … Read more
“Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.” – Stephen R. Covey It’s really easy, in all aspects of our lives, to get caught up in details. We want things to be as close to perfect as possible, so we obsess about all … Read more
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