“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” – T.S. Eliot Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about comfort zones (here and here, for example). There are plenty of reasons for that, but one of them is the realization that there are way more people cruising … Read more
“In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” – Dwight Eisenhower One of the things I’ve heard leaders say a lot over the past two strange years is that there is so much confusion and uncertainty that it’s impossible to plan for the future. I get it. … Read more
“No man can, for any considerable time, wear one face to himself and another to the multitude without finally getting bewildered as to which is the true one.” – Nathaniel Hawthorne There are dozens of leadership buzz words that show up in books, in webinars, wherever any kind of discussion of leaders and what they … Read more
“Once you stop learning, you start dying.” – Albert Einstein One of the things that has been mentioned in this space a number of times in the past is the idea that as leaders, we have a tendency to learn and grow and develop until we reach a certain point, and then our learning curve … Read more
“We find comfort among those who agree with us – growth among those who don’t.” – Frank A. Clark One very noticeable trait of human beings is that we want to be comfortable. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that idea. It probably has its roots all the way back in our days as hunters & … Read more
“You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.” – Winston Churchill Last week in this space the topic was focus & the idea that we need to figure out what we do well and stick to it without getting distracted by every new possibility. One of … Read more
“Indiscriminate action is a form of laziness.” – Tim Ferris We’re taught early on in our careers to try & make people happy. When customers approach us and ask if we can help, we almost instinctively say “yes”. We’re paranoid about customers going somewhere else, so we agree to do whatever they want or need. … Read more
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” – Frederick Douglass A consistent theme I hear from leaders these days is how difficult it is to make decisions. We’re living in a world that’s quite different from anything most of us have experienced before. People are different, customer expectations are different, there have been … Read more
“What would happen if we spoke the truth?” – Alison Bechdel Last week in this space the topic was truth telling, and the fact that as leaders we give up the right to remain silent when we see things in our organizations that aren’t the way they should be. A few loyal readers pointed out … Read more
“Truth-tellers are not always palatable. There is a preference for candy bars.” – Gwendolyn Brooks Almost everyone on Earth wants to be liked. It’s a standard part of the human condition. When people like us, it makes us feel good about ourselves, it makes us feel safe, it makes us feel comfortable. And there’s nothing … Read more
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