I am kicking off my next newsletter run with some of my favourite quotes, read or heard, during an extended summer break, 100's of KM's on foot or on a bike, and a ton of great content.
I hope you enjoy them. I apologize in advance for any missed attributions.
"You bring to any book who you already are" - Margaret Atwood
I heard Tim Ferris interview Atwood, and it was great. I knew of her but did not know much about her. Though this quote was about books, it is true about life. The challenge of being a leader or coach is that your lived experiences inform who you are. You need to acknowledge the biases inherent in leaning into your experience and be confident to ignore your instincts when necessary.
Just because your brain thinks it does not mean it is true. (This could have been another quote! ) Question everything and then make a decision and execute.
"Strategy without Tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat. "Sun Tzu, 'The Art of War',
I love this quote. In business terms, the relationship between strategy and execution is critical. To be successful, you need both.
Through my strategy work, I am learning that my love for execution is a strength and differentiator. It is rare for a single person to think strategically, roll up their sleeves, and get their hands dirty implementing.
"There is only a crest of a wave because there is a trough" - Alan Watson
A great friend and mentor once said that life is best enjoyed through contrast. Vacations are valuable because we work, and sunny, warm days are valued because of a cold winter bite.
Business has a rhythm. There will be ups and downs. The leader's responsibility is to be the counterbalance to keep the company moving forward, and you are the first person who has to believe.
"Say the thing you think you can't say" - Claire Hughes Johnson
Claire has been an insightful resource in my quest to understand human and team dynamics. The quote was about differentiating between leading and managing.
It resonates with me because there have been many times in my career when I had a question that I was afraid to ask out of fear of judgment. The question would have helped clarify an approach, crystallized a strategy, or increased my buy-in to the program, but I didn't ask it, and I usually regretted it later.
Now, after coaching senior executives, it is clear I was not the only one. It takes courage to ask the question, but courage is the foundation of leadership. If you have questions, ask them.
"Clear is Kind" - Brene Brown
A gem from a giant in the field of leadership.
We must ensure our charges know precisely where they stand—no mixed messages. We can do this with respect and grace, but it must be done and must come from their leader, not back channels or rumour mills.
"You either win, or you learn" - I know I said this…probably many others
I was reminded of this one standing at a soccer field, and this moment filled me with pride.
Though I no longer coach soccer, many assistant coaches I worked with still coach their younger kids. One shared that he used "my line" with his team earlier that morning after their first defeat of the season.
Losing sucks in business and sports. But it is like losing twice if you don't learn from the experience. A simple formula to remember pain+relfection=progress - a Ray Dalio equation that could have been its own quote.
"The problem is not the person; it is the issue; coach the person, not the issue." - Marcia Reynolds
It is such an essential concept in coaching.
The objective of leadership is to build capacity by enabling your charges to exceed their potential. One measure of a leader's ability to build capacity is the level of independence their teams exhibit.
If you coach each problem, your team will approach you with every issue. If you coach people to recognize patterns, understand themselves, and give them the tools to think, they can solve future problems themselves.
Remember, your job as a leader is not to solve problems but to create an environment where your teams can solve their problems.
"Listen to Understand" - Colin Cox
I am sure many others have said this, but it hit home in a leadership development program Colin and I created and co-facilitated.
It is incredible how often I find myself listening for a break in the conversation so I can talk instead of genuinely listening to the other person. One strategy is reflective listening.
When it is your turn to talk, start by reflecting on what the other person said, for example, "What I think I heard you say is" or "Can I play back what I think I heard?" This forces you to listen for understanding. Give it a try.
"You win by degrees" - Andrew Bentley
Andrew is one of my best friends and one of the most insightful and strategic people I know.
The point is that any sale is a series of small wins stacked on each other. Every overnight success has been years in the making. Massive goals are achieved through the persistent achievement of small milestones.
There are no quick fixes. Identify the big goal but focus on executing the next milestone with precision.
"Have something to learn, not something to prove"
This is such a great quote; I wish I could remember where I heard it. I have been digging into the Conscious leadership model "Above the Line and Below the Line," and this is a central theme.
Being curious, open, and committed to learning puts you above the line. Being defensive, closed-minded, and committed to being right puts you below the line. It is almost impossible to lead effectively from below the line. Anytime you need to prove something, focus on figuring out what you can learn.
Usually, statements are clear signs of proving; questions are clear signs of learning.
"Slowly, then all at once" - many people
In response to the question, how did you go bankrupt?
I remember the first boat sank. It's the only one.
I was rescuing a windsurfer in a tinnie, and I had to back into the wind. The waves were coming over the transom, the water in the boat was rising, and I was still far from shore. With each wave over the transom, the boat got lower in the water, which meant more waves came over the transom. It didn't end well.
What is the business parallel? Strict attention to key metrics is essential. Swift action to remedy the issues associated with negative results will prevent the ship from sinking.
Some of the decisions you will have to make will not be popular. Your job as the leader is to be respected rather than being liked. Make the tough decisions necessary to keep the ship afloat.
The windsurfer had a life jacket…..I should have left him :)
"We think about time like money: never enough, need more."
The problem with time is that it is fixed. Unlike money, we can't make more time. All we can do is slice it into smaller chunks or steal from biological necessities like sleep.
When I think about productivity, I think about energy, not time.
The central premise in the book The Power of Full Engagement is that energy, not time, is the key to high performance. Energy can be boundless, and your productivity will soar when you match your energy level to tasks.
I offer many of my corporate clients a mini course if you want to learn more. It will change your life.
"Make before you manage" - Tim Ferris
Linked to the above idea, start their day by opening their email, as Covey would say, "straight into the thick of thin things."
Tim's point is to attack something meaningful before you get into the thin things.
I am a morning person; I do my best creative work first thing in the morning. I want to use my most valuable, productive and creative time for the greatest return, and that is not in email.
"Being busy is a form of laziness" - Tim Ferris
Two in a row from my friend Tim (I don't know Tim, but it feels like I do because I listen to so many of his long-form pod's)
The difference between being busy and being productive is that when you are productive, you are busy doing things that are getting you closer to your goals.
Many executives that I coach need to be more precise about their goals. Once the goals are clear, they must orient their time and energy toward them.
The most successful executives I work with are ruthless about where they spend their time and have an uncanny ability to say "no."
Look at your calendar; where are you spending your time?
"Destruction comes from within" - Jocko Willnik
It took a while for the Jocko pod to grow on me, but now it is a staple.
The quote is about building teams, specifically in the military, but it also applies to business.
In our leadership program, we explore the attributes of a high-performing team, including culture, composition, and capability. Lack of fit in any dimension weakens the team and affects the organization's performance.
If the wrong people are on the team, you must deal with it immediately as the leader.
"More companies die from indigestion than starvation" - Bill Hewlett This is one of my all-time favourites.
The message is simple: companies don't die because of a lack of opportunity. They die because they cannot connect and transact opportunities efficiently.
If things are not working, don't blame external factors or things you can't control; look in the mirror first. It starts with you.
"It is easier to destroy than to build"
Have you ever seen a house torn down? Three swings of front-end loader. By the end of the day, it had been loaded into bins and taken away.
Have you ever watched a house being built? It takes a while and is complicated, staged, and intricate.
Where is value created? In the building.
Leading people is no different.
It is easy to tear someone down, but leading people and teams in a way that helps them reach their potential is hard.
Value is built in the latter; value is destroyed in the former.
"Leadership is a skill that needs to be taught."
This is a fundamental concept that most organizations aren't getting right. Functional learning opportunities masquerade as leadership development. Leadership is a full-contact sport that cannot be learned in a classroom. It must be experienced and reflected upon.
We have built a leadership program that leverages learn, do, and review as its central theme. The learning happens in both peer- and instructor-led formats. It has proven to be highly effective, and our cohorts love it.
"When you make a mistake, own it."
Jim Collins calls this Level 5 Leadership. I remember one instance when our CEO led a huge sales opportunity. It was ours to lose, and we lost it.
He gathered the whole company in a room and stood at the front and apologized, and said that it was his fault; we were too cocky. Wow! I would have followed that guy anywhere, and I did for a long time.
"It's a crowded bar tip with $ 20's" - Tim Ferris Oh, Tim, you have a way with words.
When it is crowded and noisy, you need to stand out, understand the motivations of your intended audience, and hit them hard with what matters. There is no fence-sitting or playing it safe.
I hope you enjoyed my top 20 quotes. I will be back to regular programming soon.
If you are interested, here are my favourite podcasts: Tim Ferris Freakonomics Jocko Podcast Aquired Business Wars Revisionist History Re:Thinking The Drive Radio Lab Deep Cover All-In (only when I have to) Mel Robbins Hidden Brain |
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