“Most people see what they want to, or at least what they expect to.” – Martha Grimes Being a leader is hard work. There’s no “easy” button or magic bullet. Every time you think you everything figured out as a leader, something new comes along and you feel like a beginner all over again. All … Read more
“Take action. Success is not guaranteed, but inaction will guarantee failure.” – Ken Poirot I’m fortunate enough in my career to spend a lot of time with people who lead successful organizations. Those organizations provide a wide array of products and services, come in all shapes and sizes, and are structured in a variety of … Read more
“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” – Dale Carnegie There are times in our leadership journeys when the seas seem pretty calm. There’s stuff going on, but it feels manageable. We deal … Read more
“Beginning in itself has no value. It is an end which makes beginning meaningful – we must end what we began.” – Amit Kalantri The successful leaders I’ve been around all make an effort to stay informed about things going on in their particular industry, or in the world in general, that will have an … Read more
“If I’ve got one thing that I really believe about fiction and life, it’s that there are no minor characters.” – Jane Gardam One of the most frustrating things for me to watch is any organization that underachieves. When you see a group of people with talent and nothing to show for it, it feels … Read more
“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” – Neale Donald Walsch It’s in our nature as humans to seek comfort. It probably dates back to our time as cave dwellers. If you’re sitting in the cave, and you have a fire, and you have food, why go outside where the lions are? Just … Read more
“Wherever you are, make sure you’re there.” – Dan Sullivan Human beings are easily distracted. We might be in the middle of doing something we think is really important, and then suddenly a bright shiny object appears and we’re completely distracted. It seems like we’re always looking for the next exciting thing that’s going to … Read more
“There are two kinds of companies – those that change, and those that disappear.” – Anonymous Some of the most fascinating sentences you will ever hear begin with the words “I wish”. They’re fascinating, not because of whatever words follow “I wish”, but because of whatever action follows the conversation. Those sentences can be wildly … Read more
“A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” – Winston Churchill We’ve spent a lot of time in this space talking about characteristics of great leaders – almost thirteen years, to be exact. And while all leaders are unique, those same characteristics seem to show up over and … Read more
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