Leaders, whatever the size of their organizations, are those willing to put the interests of other people before their own.
Leadership is not communicating what we need. Leadership is communicating what we can contribute.
The value of emotions comes from sharing them, not just having them.
Instead of showing up to let everyone know how great we are, show up to find out how great everyone else is.
Unhealthy cultures create addiction. Healthy cultures create social bonds.
Stories are attempts to share our values and beliefs. Storytelling is worthwhile when it tells what we stand for.
Leadership is like exercise. Do it everyday, the results take time but you will see them. It’s the little things.
Selfish is easy. It’s sharing that takes courage.
Courage isn’t inside; it’s external. It comes from someone else telling you they believe in you.
Rule books tell people what to do. Frameworks guide people how to act. Rule books insist on discipline. Frameworks allow for creativity.
Good leadership is hard to measure on a daily basis which is why so many default to doing what’s easy to measure instead.
Would anybody be offended if we gave a $150 million bonus to Gandhi? How about a $250 million bonus to Mother Teresa? Do we have an issue with that? None at all. Great leaders would never sacrifice the people to save the numbers. They would sooner sacrifice the numbers to save the people.
The most important thing to do before you die is live.
The goal is not simply to ‘work hard, play hard.’ The goal is to make our work and our play indistinguishab le.
Our courage comes from the courage of others.
And when a leader embraces their responsibility to care for people instead of caring for numbers, then people will follow, solve problems and see to it that that leader’s vision comes to life the right way, a stable way and not the expedient way.
When I was a kid, I was a bit of a space geek. I loved the space program and all things NASA. I would read books about our solar system; I had pictures of the Space Shuttle on my bedroom wall. And yes, I even went to Space Camp.
We can’t all be good at everything. This is partly the logic behind having a team in the first place, so each role can be filled with the person best suited for that role and together, every job and every strength is covered.
To operate based on conviction and belief requires an acceptance that your actions could get you fired. This is different from pig-headed bravado, and it is different from putting the company at risk.
To become an academic expert takes years of studying. Academic experts are experts in how and what others have done. They use case studies and observation to understand a subject.