You’re the leader – now lead
“I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure. It is: Try to please everybody.” – Herbert Bayard Swope The world is always changing, and as it changes, leaders are continually faced with new opportunities and challenges. Sometimes the opportunities and challenges are two sides of the … Read more
Adjust On The Fly
“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
The First Thing
“The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” – Theodore Roosevelt I was fortunate enough recently to have the opportunity to assist the leaders of a 120+ year-old business that was … Read more
Once Isn’t Enough
“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” – Zig Ziglar I had a conversation with a leader a few weeks ago that went something like this. Leader: “I’m frustrated with our people.” Me: “Why?” Leader: ”They don’t understand our vision.” Me: “Why might that … Read more
A Tough Job
“By trying to not get anyone mad, and by treating everyone equally ‘nicely’ regardless of their contributions, you’ll simply ensure that the only people you’ll wind up angering are the most creative and productive people in the organization.” – Colin Powell Today’s quote is a long one, but the whole thing is worth reading repeatedly. … Read more
Energy vs No Energy
“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
Don’t Just Talk About The Future
“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
Light The Way
“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” – George Bernard Shaw One of the highlights of my career is the opportunity I have to be part of a group of leaders that gets together … Read more
Get Unstuck, Part II
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” – C.S. Lewis Last week in this space I made the point that as human beings we have a tendency to get stuck in the past. We can learn from our past mistakes, which is great, … Read more