Leadership is not about the next election, it's about the next generation.
Simon Sinek
The strong bond of friendship is not always a balanced equation; friendship is not always about giving and taking in equal shares. Instead, friendship is grounded in a feeling that you know exactly who will be there for you when you need something, no matter what or when.
Great leaders are willing to sacrifice the numbers to save the people. Poor leaders sacrifice the people to save the numbers.
Champions are not the ones who always win races - champions are the ones who get out there and try. And try harder the next time. And even harder the next time. 'Champion' is a state of mind. They are devoted. They compete to best themselves as much if not more than they compete to best others. Champions are not just athletes.
Don't quit. Never give up trying to build the world you can see, even if others can't see it. Listen to your drum and your drum only. It's the one that makes the sweetest sound.
There is a difference between listening and waiting for your turn to speak.
The goal is not to do business with everybody who needs what you have. The goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe.
Corporate culture matters. How management chooses to treat its people impacts everything - for better or for worse.
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.
More information is always better than less. When people know the reason things are happening, even if it's bad news, they can adjust their expectations and react accordingly. Keeping people in the dark only serves to stir negative emotions.
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.
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.
A leader's job is not to do the work for others, it's to help others figure out how to do it themselves, to get things done, and to succeed beyond what they thought possible.
If you have the opportunity to do amazing things in your life, I strongly encourage you to invite someone to join you.
There is no decision that we can make that doesn't come with some sort of balance or sacrifice.
Panic causes tunnel vision. Calm acceptance of danger allows us to more easily assess the situation and see the options.
Mergers are like marriages. They are the bringing together of two individuals. If you wouldn't marry someone for the 'operational efficiencies' they offer in the running of a household, then why would you combine two companies with unique cultures and identities for that reason?
Leadership is a way of thinking, a way of acting and, most importantly, a way of communicating.
Directions are instructions given to explain how. Direction is a vision offered to explain why.
The cost of leadership is self-interest.
Humility, I have learned, must never be confused with meekness. Humility is being open to the ideas of others.
The big picture doesn't just come from distance; it also comes from time.
If you want to be a great leader, remember to treat all people with respect at all times. For one, because you never know when you'll need their help. And two, because it's a sign you respect people, which all great leaders do.
People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it.
When we can communicate from the inside out, we're talking directly to the part of the brain that controls behavior, and then we allow people to rationalize it with the tangible things we say and do. This is where gut decisions come from.
No matter when or where, always bring your 'A' game, because you never know when it will open doors for you.
The most basic human desire is to feel like you belong. Fitting in is important.
The single best machine to measure trust is a human being. We haven't figured out a metric that works better than our own sort of, like, 'There's something fishy about you.'
Great leaders don't need to act tough. Their confidence and humility serve to underscore their toughness.
The challenge of the unknown future is so much more exciting than the stories of the accomplished past.
At the end of the day, humans are social animals and we are at our best when we get to do things with others who appreciate and enjoy what we enjoy. It's what keeps us human.
There's nothing efficient about innovation.
The quality of a leader cannot be judged by the answers he gives, but by the questions he asks.
I find, when you're an optimist, life has a funny way of looking after you.
The only time I waste is time I spend doing something that, in my gut, I know I shouldn't. If I choose to spend time playing video games or sleeping in, then it's time well spent, because I chose to do it. I did it for a reason - to relax, to decompress or to feel good, and that was what I wanted to do.
There is a difference between vulnerability and telling people everything about yourself. Vulnerability is a feeling. Telling everyone about yourself is just facts and details.
Listening is active. At its most basic level, it's about focus, paying attention.
One of the best paradoxes of leadership is a leader's need to be both stubborn and open-minded. A leader must insist on sticking to the vision and stay on course to the destination. But he must be open-minded during the process.
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.
Starbucks was founded around the experience and the environment of their stores. Starbucks was about a space with comfortable chairs, lots of power outlets, tables and desks at which we could work and the option to spend as much time in their stores as we wanted without any pressure to buy. The coffee was incidental.
Some people are born good-looking. Some have the gift of gab. And some are lucky enough to be born smarter than the rest of us. Whether we like it or not, Mother Nature does not dole these characteristics out evenly.
Pilots have their names painted just beneath the canopy of their aircraft. This gives the pilot a sense of ownership for his or her jet. What's more, like cars, each aircraft has its own personality, so it's important for a pilot to get to know and love his aircraft.
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.
My sister made certain choices about the life she wanted. Those choices include a steady job, a husband and children. But balance and stability come at a cost. It is harder for her to be spontaneous. It is harder to just up and leave.
A friend is an emotional bond, just like friendship is a human experience.
Bad leaders believe that they have to project control at all times.
There is a difference between giving directions and giving direction.
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.
Babe Ruth was not afraid to strike out. And it was this fearlessness that contributed to his remarkable career.
Anyone can sell product by dropping their prices, but it does not breed loyalty.
