“If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.” – Jim Rohn There are a lot of leaders out there who aren’t really leading their business; they’re managing (or simply working for) someone else’s business. They may technically … Read more
“The man who moves mountains begins by carrying away small stones.” – Confucius We’re taught from a young age to dream big. Imagine a big future and it can all become a reality, etc. It’s ingrained in our culture to be excited about and dreaming about the future, and the more exciting and dreamy it … Read more
“It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory.” – W. Edwards Deming Sometimes when I visit with business leaders & individuals and the conversation turns to change, I get the impression that people are content with survival. They talk about change like it’s some unattainable Valhalla, something for people who are inherently more … Read more
“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” – Sun Tzu I recently attended a workshop that included some team decision-making exercises. The scenario was this: you’re stranded in the desert, 80 miles from civilization, and you have a list of 15 things you could have … Read more
“The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want.” – Ben Stein I’ve been reminded on several occasions this week of a common struggle among business owners & leaders (at least it’s common to the ones I’ve been around). Most individuals leading organizations want their … Read more
“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” – Michael Altshuler When I was growing up, I’d hear adults talking about how fast time goes by and think they were crazy. As a kid it seems like it’s going to be forever before you get to do all these things … Read more
“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” – Ernest Hemingway I meet a lot of leaders who want to ‘do strategic planning’. They want to look out into the future, envision what they want to be as a business, then start working … Read more
“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.” – Lao Tzu It’s not groundbreaking to suggest that leaders need to always be thinking about the future. Everybody knows that already. That’s why organizations have planning sessions, retreats, etc. We’re all trying to discern what our business needs to be … Read more
“The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet.” – Theodore M. Hesburgh I’ve had four nearly identical conversations in the past two weeks with people at four different businesses. All four conversations went something like this. An organization had recently undergone some significant change. The … Read more
“Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you’d have preferred to talk.” – Doug Larson I Googled “leadership” this morning and got 451 million hits. If you read any business publications or blogs or watch any TED talks you know people everywhere are talking about leadership. We spend endless hours … Read more
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