Quoted: George Bernard Shaw on Blaming the Circumstances
“People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them.” – George Bernard Shaw It’s amazing how each of us creates […]
What’s Your Combination?
The Wall Street Journal recently published an article called Employees, Measure Yourselves (April 2nd, 2012 section R1). The article talked about devices that companies could make available to employees. These devices allow workers to monitor their performance, from their heart rate after a stressful meeting to how long they spend chatting on Facebook. The article mentioned […]
What’s Holding Back Your Creative Genius?
At first people refuse to believe that a strange new thing can be done, then they begin to hope it can be done, then they see it can be done – then it is done and all the world wonders why it was not done centuries ago. – Frances Hodgson Burnett Even though the world […]
Should We Embrace Chaos or Fight For Certainty?
Peter Drucker had a profound way of looking at life and its encompassing complexities. He knew that business, government, societal structures, etc. were all intertwined to form a complex system. None of the elements exists independent of the others. Therefore, you cannot effectively provide solutions for one element without addressing them all. He uses weather […]
J.C. Penney: Don’t Discount the Importance of Setting Goals
“Give me a stock clerk with a goal and I’ll give you a man who will make history. Give me a man with no goals and I’ll give you a stock clerk.” – J.C. Penney In 1979, the Harvard MBA program conducted a study. In interviews with the graduating class, they found that 84% had […]
How To Avoid The One Hit Wonder Trap
I often talk about creating breakthroughs. While it is fulfilling to accomplish a breakthrough, what do you do once the breakthrough is realized? Too often the thought is to do more, better or different of the same thing. This could be a strategy that has a high probability of getting you stuck in a rut. […]
Can You Let Go of What’s Most Important to You?
“The important thing is this: to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.” – Charles Du Bos Unfortunately, for most of us, letting go of who we are is like dying. Far too many of us believe we will be nothing if we let go of who […]
The 90% Rule
If you are committed to working your way up the corporate ladder, you need to clearly demonstrate you have your job handled. However, you also don’t want to be the showboat who has all the answers. To meet that balance, the 90% rule should be part of your strategy. It is an effective way of […]
Carl Rogers On What It Means To Be Educated
“The only person who is educated is the one who has learned how to learn and change.” – Carl Rogers While information gives you access to what is already known, it in no way guarantees you will know what to do with it. One action may be appropriate given certain information. Yet, the same information […]
Are You This Manager? Don’t Shoot the Messenger
Friday evening an elementary school buddy of mine called me. He runs a branch of a company in the service industry. He has been named manager of the year several times and he runs one of the most profitable branches. While he never brags about his accomplishments, he lets you know he has worked hard […]