Never Waste a Good Crisis
When we think of crisis, it conjures up thoughts of instability, danger and abruptness. We are trained to avoid those kinds of situations. Furthermore, when they occur, we seek the scapegoat in order to blame them for our discomfort. Yet, in retrospect, a crisis can bring out the best in us when there is a […]
In Search of Predictability
If you listen to the emerging trends in Corporate America, you will hear conversations about the importance of reading enormous amounts of data. The current belief is that there is so much data that more people in the organization will need to develop skills to analyze it. Currently, those skills have belonged to people in […]
Voltaire Quotes On Why You Can’t Get Lucky
“Chance is a word that does not make sense. Nothing happens without a cause.” Voltaire Whether you call it chance, luck or being in the right place at the right time, you are simply talking about myths. Not one of those words is ever a factor in high performance. Too often, people attribute luck to […]
What’s More Important Than Shareholder Value?
For decades, CEOs and boards have had an incessant focus on maximizing shareholder value. However, in a number of recent articles, many pundits have articulated the undermining effect of increasing shareholder value. They now say that it sacrifices long-term value creation for customers. While there are an exhausting number of eloquent discussions about the disasters […]
What Do You Learn From Your Mistakes?
“A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.” – John C. Maxwell The mistakes we make can be a great way to learn. However, if we blame others for our mistakes, we are more likely to repeat them over and over. […]
Jack Nichols quote on listening long enough
“Every person I work with knows something better than me. My job is to listen long enough to find it and use it.” – Jack Nichols Listening is the gift to speaking. One of the greatest sensations is being heard and understood by another human being. It provides us with a sense of value and […]
When Does Happiness Happen?
Happiness is that unrelenting joy, the undeniable Duchenne smile or an incredible peace of mind. Except, what is it that really makes us happy? Chocolate can raise endocrine levels and the idea of vacation time offers relaxation. However, they cannot define the intangible idea that we call happiness. In fact, if you’re asked to show […]
Michael Pritchard’s quote on fear
“Fear is that little darkroom where negatives are developed.” Michael Pritchard In the dark corners of our minds, we create lasting pieces of fear, impeding success. Oftentimes, we fear what we know about ourselves. We make presuppositions about what could happen and when we want to accomplish something new, we predetermine our limits. Our past […]
Has Facebook Lost Face?
What happened? Since the advent of Facebook’s $38-per-share price, the stock has done nothing but drop. Was it the investment bankers overwhelming the company, NASDAQ computers malfunctioning and not postponing, overvaluation of Facebook’s claim to an IPO, or simply arrogance and inexperience? While all of the factors listed contributed to Facebook’s underperforming stock price, Mark […]
Mandela’s quote on hidden greatness
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. […]