Exploring how you could make a bad situation worse can sometimes tell you what not to do.
Talent is God-given; be humble. Fame is man-given; be thankful. Conceit is self-given; be careful.
It's nice to be important, but more important to be nice. You don't know who your top customers will be five years from now or where you will be in 10 years. You may have a fancy title, but you will always need help from the people around you.
I have ten marathons under my belt, including four New York races and one Boston.
Ethical decisions ensure that everyone's best interests are protected. When in doubt, don't.
In a climate of tight budgets, reduced workforces and stiff competition, internal training can be a great substitute for costly offsite workshops and conferences.
When an employee asks why the company does things a certain way, and you can explain the logical reason, then the employee knows what she's doing is valid.
I've known entrepreneurs who were not great salespeople, or didn't know how to code, or were not particularly charismatic leaders. But I don't know of any entrepreneurs who have achieved any level of success without persistence and determination.
The service leaders hire one out of 50 applicants, sometimes one out of 100, but they're very, very careful. You can't afford not to be extremely choosy when you hire.
A student of life considers the world a classroom.
The life of a startup is full of ups and downs, an emotional roller coaster ride that you can't quite imagine if you've spent your whole career in a corporation.
Ego stops you from getting things done and getting people to work with you. That's why I firmly believe that ego and success are not compatible.
Employee loyalty begins with employer loyalty. Your employees should know that if they do the job they were hired to do with a reasonable amount of competence and efficiency, you will support them.
Like it or not, life is a series of competitions. You may be competing for a grade, a spot on a team, a job, or the largest account in town. The higher your self-esteem is, the better you get along with yourself, with others, and the more you'll accomplish.
If you find yourself plagued by a recurrent worry, train yourself to think of something else. Your conscious mind can concentrate on only one thought at a time, and driving the negativity away will free you up to move forward again.
It's only lonely at the top if you forget all the people you met along the way and fail to acknowledge their contributions to your success.
As you schedule individual tasks, give yourself a cushion. Mark the due date a few days ahead of the actual deadline so you have time to deal with changes or last-minute emergencies.
Good intentions aren't enough. People have good intentions when they set a goal to do something, but then they miss a deadline or other milestone.
Deadlines aren't bad. They help you organize your time. They help you set priorities. They make you get going when you might not feel like it.
Pay attention to those employees who respectfully ask why. They are demonstrating an interest in their jobs and exhibiting a curiosity that could eventually translate into leadership ability.
