“An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.” – Bill Vaughan Much to the relief of a lot of people, 2020 is gone. However, as one leader put it to me a few days ago, so far 2021 hasn’t been … Read more
“He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.” – Lao Tzu One of the things that we’ve been reminded of over the past nine months is that, when subjected to stress and uncertainty for long periods of time, people wear down. Last week in this space we talked about energy, and … Read more
“Failure is more frequently from want of energy than want of capital.” – Daniel Webster Energy, or lack thereof, has been an issue for leaders for as long as leaders have existed. I’m sure that, thousands of years ago, the head cave man was tired and run down and felt overwhelmed with all the responsibilities … Read more
“Not being able to do everything is no excuse for not doing everything you can.” – Ashleigh Brilliant No one in a leadership role ever says, “I really hope we can work hard to make this organization mediocre.” No one. We’re taught from an early age that we should want to be great, that we … Read more
“There are years that ask questions and years that answer.” – Zora Neale Hurston In normal times, those leaders who are able to maintain focus in spite of all the noise nearly always outperform those who don’t. Being able to put aside things that don’t matter, or things they can’t control is one of the … Read more
“The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity.” – Amelia Earhart One thing most leaders pride themselves on is their work ethic. Leaders – most people, really – want to believe that our success is the result of our work ethic, our intelligence, our decision making skills, etc. Work … Read more
“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” – Stephen R. Covey When people talk about the qualities of great leaders, they might often talk about intelligence, passion, charisma, or any number of things. One quality that isn’t mentioned very often is that of being a … Read more
“When you succeed, don’t forget the responsibility of making someone else succeed with you.” – Antonia Novello Almost without exception, the opportunities we have in our careers come because of or through other people. Most doors that open are opened by someone other than ourselves. Yes, we still have to work hard, etc., but I … Read more
“The nicest thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression.” – John Harvey-Jones With all the craziness that is 2020, I find myself losing track of the fact that it’s already mid-October. So many of the events that mark the … Read more
“In a dark time, the eye begins to see.” – Cavett Robert Very few people would classify the year 2020 as “good”. Constant chaos is a challenge, and lot of our chaos this year has been the result of things that are unpleasant and cause human beings to suffer. Between a global pandemic, a lack … Read more
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