“People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for.” – Harper Lee One of the most amazing things about people is our minds. There are times when we demonstrate an incredible ability to dream up big dreams. There are also times when we convince ourselves that any dream we might come … Read more
“Our greatest fear should not be of failure…but of succeeding at things…that don’t really matter.” – Francis Chan Last week in this space the topic was productivity from the standpoint of being productive doing the right stuff. I try not to write about the same topic week after week, but this keeps coming up. Leader … Read more
“Nothing is less productive than to make more efficient what should not be done at all.” – Peter Drucker One of the things I hear leaders talk about repeatedly is productivity. Usually, the conversation is about how they – as well as the rest of the organization – need to be more productive. Most organizations … Read more
“It doesn’t matter when we start. It doesn’t matter where we start. All that matters is that we start.” – Simon Sinek It’s always important for leaders to have a clear picture in their heads of where their business is going. It’s even more important when those leaders are trying to navigate chaotic environments like … Read more
“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.” – Mark Twain There are any number of traits that people ascribe to great leaders, but one that I’ve been thinking about a lot lately is courage. I’m not talking about the kind of courage that usually makes the news. I mean … Read more
“If you are afraid of being lonely, don’t try to be right.” – Jules Renard I was recently having a conversation with someone who’s been in a leadership role for a number of years. At one point in the conversation, he said: “I know what to do, but I think if I do it, some … Read more
“A mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work if it’s not open.” – Frank Zappa It goes without saying that the world we’re currently living in does not resemble anything most of us have seen before. Whether it’s customers, employees, the supply chain, financial markets, or any number of other things, everything around us … Read more
“Failure is the tuition you pay for success.” – Walter Brunell Sometimes, as leaders, we get frustrated with outcomes. We usually have pretty lofty goals, and when we don’t meet them it’s disappointing. We had these pictures in our heads of how things were going to work out perfectly, and when those pictures disappear it … Read more
“If you are tuned out of your own emotions, you will be poor at reading them in other people.” – Daniel Goleman One of the more popular topics in leadership today is emotional intelligence, or EQ. You can find a lot of definitions of EQ, but a simple one is this: EQ is the ability … Read more
“If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.” – Fred DeVito I’ve found myself thinking about ancient history lately. In particular, I’ve been thinking about my ancestors living in caves. It’s kind of hard to imagine. The only thing that makes sense is that if you had managed to find enough to eat, and … Read more
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