I know there's a difference between being successful and feeling successful. And if you ask me if I feel successful, the honest answer is 'not yet.'
— Simon Sinek
Anyone who achieves any kind of success, however you want to define it, sometimes can't let go of it.
Bad leaders believe that they have to project control at all times.
In the military, they give medals for people who are willing to sacrifice themselves so that others may survive. In business, we give bonuses to people who sacrifice others.
If you hire people just because they can do a job, they'll work for your money. But if you hire people who believe what you believe, they'll work for you with blood, sweat, and tears.
If you can clearly articulate the dream or the goal, start.
I couldn't understand why my productivity went down when I had deliberately made more time available to write. Then I realized it was because I wasn't flying as much.
The trick to balance is to not make sacrificing important things become the norm.
In the 1980s America reacted to the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. We supported a war that left a nation torn to pieces. And as the last Soviet tank left the country, so did we.
Directions are instructions given to explain how. Direction is a vision offered to explain why.
The challenge of the unknown future is so much more exciting than the stories of the accomplished past.
Leadership is absolutely about inspiring action, but it is also about guarding against mis-action.
Leaders who fail are the ones who do it by themselves. Leaders who succeed are the ones who allow others to help them.
Whether individuals or organisations, we follow those who lead not because we have to, but because we want to. We follow those who lead not for them, but for ourselves.
All the great organizations in the world, all have a sense of why that organization does what it does.
There is no decision that we can make that doesn't come with some sort of balance or sacrifice.
The big picture doesn't just come from distance; it also comes from time.
When you explain to people what you're trying to do, as opposed to just making demands or delegating tasks, you can build instant trust, even if it's just for that short time you're on the phone.
I try to find, celebrate and teach leaders how to build platforms that will inspire others.
Over 90% of people go home at the end of the day feeling unfulfilled by their work, and I won't stop working until that statistic is reversed - until over 90% of people go home and can honestly say, 'I love what I do.'
No matter how many or how few people you have reporting to you, you must remember that as you climb higher in the ranks, your words will be taken as commands even if you're just thinking out loud.
Great leaders are willing to sacrifice the numbers to save the people. Poor leaders sacrifice the people to save the numbers.
People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it.
There are two types of claims: those based on hard numbers and those based on slippery numbers.
Though we may have desires or bold goals, for whatever reason, most of us don't think we can achieve something beyond what we're qualified to achieve. Why, I ask, do we let reality interfere with our dreams?
I have been inspired by Martin Luther King and how he inspired a movement. I have learned that a cause must be organic; if it is to have an impact it must belong to those who join the movement and not those who lead it.
We live in times of high stress. Messages that are simple, messages that are inspiring, messages that are life-affirming, are a welcome break from our real lives.
Good listeners have a huge advantage. For one, when they engage in conversation, they make people 'feel' heard. They 'feel' that someone really understands their wants, needs and desires. And for good reason; a good listener does care to understand.
