“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
“Have patience. All things are difficult before they become easy.” – Saadi We would all love it if the world went exactly the way we want. We make a plan, and everything falls into place. We take some chances, and every potential roadblock disappears. We make some assumptions, charge ahead, and find out that every … 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
“God gives every bird a worm, but he does not throw it in the nest.” – Swedish proverb Patience is a complicated virtue. The dictionary says that patience is “the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset”. We prize patience, we tell people they should be patient, we … 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
“The success combination in business is: Do what you do better…and: do more of what you do.” – David Joseph Schwartz Leaders get pulled in a lot of different directions. That’s true whether you’re leading a small business, an international corporation, a local nonprofit, or any other group of people anywhere. Everyone in the group … Read more
“There exists in the world a single path along which no one can go except you: wither does it lead? Do not ask, go along it.” – Friedrich Nietzsche One of the marks of a great leader is the willingness to ask for and accept help from others. Regardless of the topic – people, products, … Read more
“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Almost everyone likes to brag about their work ethic, or at least likes to feel pretty good about it. I can’t remember the last time I heard a leader say “Boy, I sure don’t work very … Read more
“Once we choose hope, anything is possible.” – Christopher Reeve I try not to write blog posts about the same topic over and over, but as I write this today I’m still thinking about last week’s topic. Our attitudes and beliefs don’t just influence our happiness, or how we feel on a given day. They … Read more
“The easier it is to do something, the harder it is to change the way you do it.” – Steve Wozniak Complacency is one of those things we always attribute to other people. On some level, we equate it with laziness, and no one ever admits to being lazy. We point to people who we … Read more
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