A vision is not just a picture of what could be; it is an appeal to our better selves, a call to become something more.
Confidence isn't optimism or pessimism, and it's not a character attribute. It's the expectation of a positive outcome.
I've found that small wins, small projects, small differences often make huge differences.
To stay ahead, you must have your next idea waiting in the wings.
Throughout human history, people have developed strong loyalties to traditions, rituals, and symbols. In the most effective organizations, they are not only respected but celebrated. It is no coincidence that the most highly admired corporations are also among the most profitable.
Mindless habitual behavior is the enemy of innovation.
Organizational structures that allow divisions and departments to own their turf and people with long tenure to take root creates the same hardened group distinctions as Congressional redistricting to produce homogeneous voting blocs - all of which makes it easier to resist compromise, let alone collaboration.
Friendly people are caring people, eager to provide encouragement and support when needed most.
Leaders must pick causes they won't abandon easily, remain committed despite setbacks, and communicate their big ideas over and over again in every encounter.
Companies used to be able to function with autocratic bosses. We don't live in that world anymore.
When you fail at something, the best thing to do is think back to your successes, and try to replicate whatever you did to make them happen.
Power is the ability to get things done.
'No' is always an easier stand than 'Yes.'
Leaders must wake people out of inertia. They must get people excited about something they've never seen before, something that does not yet exist.
Business requires understanding financial matters, but management is different from running the financial aspects of the business - it requires understanding complex systems, how they operate, the nature of organisations, what happens when people interact in groups and how to motivate and guide people.
My creative process involves that old saying: It's 90% perspiration and only 10% inspiration.
One of the symptoms of a losing streak is a turnover of top executives. It's a revolving door.
Too many people let others stand in their way and don't go back for one more try.
Tribalism reflects strong ethnic or cultural identities that separate members of one group from another, making them loyal to people like them and suspicious of outsiders, which undermines efforts to forge common cause across groups.
It's almost impossible to break a losing streak on your own.
