“Courage is the resistance to fear, the mastery of fear – not absence of fear.” – Mark Twain Way back in January – that seems like years ago – we declared 2025 the year of No. Now that the year is nearly a third over, it seems like a good time to revisit that declaration. … Read more
“You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can be grateful that thorn bushes have roses.” – Tom Wilson It seems to be fashionable these days to be as negative as possible. Finding something wrong in every situation and then complaining about it has become something of an art form. It’s almost like we’ve … Read more
“You will either step forward into growth or you will step back into safety.” – Abraham Maslow It’s hard to escape our past, and I’m not talking about last week or last year. I’m talking about centuries ago, and the fact that our brains have developed to keep us safe. It started when we were … Read more
“People often claim to hunger for truth, but seldom like the taste when it’s served up.” – George R. R. Martin Occasionally, a topic hits home for the visitors to this space. Both last week and the week before, the topic has been the idea that a vast number of leaders appear to be either … Read more
“Denial is a common tactic that substitutes deliberate ignorance for thoughtful planning.” – Charles Tremper Last week in this space, the topic was leaders operating in fantasyland. Based on the feedback we received, it’s even more common than we thought. In particular, leaders are apparently demonstrating the highest levels of delusion when it comes to … Read more
“I have been driven by curiosity rather than certainty, by the wish to understand rather than the desire to pass judgment.” – Ramachandra Guha Being a leader is difficult, and it’s especially difficult when things happen that don’t fit your expectations of how people, or the world, should work. Sometimes, the very core things we … Read more
“Never be so focused on what you’re looking for that you overlook the thing you actually find.” – Ann Patchett Last week in this space, the topic was vision. Creating a clear, compelling vision isn’t easy, and most organizations never really get it done. Even organizations that succeed in terms of vision are faced with … Read more
“Imperfect action stops incessant overthinking.” – Jake Thompson It seems like an oversimplification to say that many leaders suffer from paralysis of analysis, but just because it’s simple doesn’t mean it’s not true. Leaders everywhere routinely fail to make decisions or take action because they can’t stop thinking. Obviously, you shouldn’t make decisions or take … Read more
“Make sure you don’t start seeing yourself through the eyes of those who don’t value you. Know your worth even if they don’t.” – Dr. Thema Bryant It’s easy for leaders to become reactionary on a lot of different levels. Sometimes we’re living in periods of massive change (hello 2025!) and we find ourselves jumping … Read more
“He who sees a need and waits to be asked for help is as unkind as if he had refused it.” – Dante Alighieri Leaders are bombarded every day with things they’re “supposed” to do. Conversations they’re supposed to have, visions they’re supposed to communicated, plans they’re supposed to develop – the list goes on … Read more
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