“The person born with a talent they are meant to use will find their greatest happiness in using it.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Too many businesses (and people) are doing things because someone else essentially made them do it. Somebody’s competitor did something and they feel they have to respond. Somebody’s customers complained about … Read more
“If you don’t drive your business, you will be driven out of business.” – B.C. Forbes Last week in this space we talked about reaching the point – hopefully soon – where we can stop hunkering down and start being aggressive, start taking smart chances, start pushing. Some of the best leaders I know have … Read more
“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” – Martin Buber One of the difficult lessons of the past year is that we always have to be prepared for the unexpected. I don’t mean that you can physically prepare for every eventuality. I just mean that you have to be prepared for … Read more
“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” – Jane Goodall I got into my vehicle the other day, and when I turned the key the radio came on blasting at an ear-splittingly high volume. It took me a few seconds (it seemed like … Read more
“To see we must forget the name of the thing we are looking at.” – Claude Monet As we slowly begin to approach something that maybe seems like “normal”, it’s easy to want things to go back to the way they were months ago and just pick up where we left off. That’s perfectly understandable. … Read more
“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
“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
“Everything you can imagine is real.” – Pablo Picasso The dictionary definition of realism is “the attitude or practice of accepting a situation as it is and being prepared to deal with it accordingly.” Certainly we need to understand and be honest with ourselves about whatever situation we’re in. That’s not a bad thing. The … Read more
“Nine-tenths of wisdom is being wise in time.” – Theodore Roosevelt “If only I had known,” is one of the saddest phrases in the English language. It’s not just sad because it’s usually said after something bad happens. It’s sad because quite often we could have known if we would have just stopped to think … Read more
“Corporate culture doesn’t happen by accident – and if it does, you’re taking a risk.” – Monique Winston It’s always interesting to ask leaders about the businesses they lead. I always ask what the leaders think is the real strength of their business, the thing that really drives their success. People answer that question in … Read more
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