This note is from a student at the conclusion of a course I teach at the University of Colorado. The quotes are from the reading, lectures and guest speakers…
Following is a list of “nuggets” – a compilation of phrases and quotes that touched me or spoke to me in some way throughout the course. Each one has been placed on an individual card, and I will keep a card posted next to my computer in my office, rotating them when I feel moved to do so. They will serve as concise reminders of what I learned in this course and of the leadership principles I wish to embrace. I plan to add to this list over time, as I continue to learn and grow in the realm of leadership.
- Face your own hypocrisy.
- My job is not to clean out my in-box.
- You can’t manage what you don’t measure.
- What would you like to accomplish to make a lasting impression for the future benefit of others long after you’re gone?
- You ultimately control two things: Where you spend your time and how you respond to your environment.
- There is only one success – living your life your way
- There is only one negative stress – not feeling in control of your life
- There is only one failure – when you quit trying to realize your dreams
- Your present life is the result of the choices you have made in the past. The same will be true of your future. – Michael LeBoeuf
- Look at yourself first.
- You don’t always know ahead of time what is actually a big decision.
- Have you earned the right in your organization to create change?
- Where are my gaps?
- I’m not any less a work in progress than I was 10 years ago.
- Are you leading by example?
- The way to demonstrate your values is where you spend your time.
- A good test to determine if a contemplated action is ethical is to ask, “Would I want to see it in the headlines tomorrow morning?”
- Admit your own mistakes openly and in good humor.
- Rules are for everyone.
- The organizational culture is the sum total of conversations in an organization. Change the conversations to change the culture.
- A breakthrough is a series of well-managed breakdowns.
- Failure is not an option.
- Three universal questions: 1) C an I trust you? 2) Do you care about me as a person? 3) Are you committed to my success?
- Listening is key.
- Leaders have to be about serving others, or they will fail.
- Performance management is not the same as leading.
- YOU work for THEM. Never forget that.
- Successful people are willing to do what unsuccessful people are not.
- Everybody knows when a leader is not listening to them.
- Secure discretionary effort.
- Empowering people means giving up some power.
- Put yourself in places where you are in over your head.
- Try to learn something big every day.
- Create a learning culture.
- What are the top three things you need to get done to be successful?
- Be a connector.
- The biggest de-motivator is having someone in your chain of command who doesn’t walk the talk.
- Provide opportunities for others to solve their own problems.
- Leaderships is an act of engagement. – Alexander Horniman
- Lift up those you serve, those you serve with, and ultimately yourself.
- How would you go about building a whole life, with a remarkable legacy at the end?
- Develop a distinguishing personal art-form of service.
- Find the compass that vectors your whole life.
- Leadership is a process, not a position.
- Your relationship is your most important natural resource.
- Behaving as and becoming a leader is a secondary by-product of an intense commitment to a purpose.
- Given your behavior toward the other person, would you be willing to trade places with them immediately?
- How do you want to feel today?
- Ready, Fire, Aim, Fire, Aim, Fire, Aim…
- You’re the one empowered to make people better than they would be if you were not there.
- If you are going to do one thing, figure out how to listen to your customers.
- Effective leaders know how to overcome people’s natural aversion to change.
- What is the worst-case scenario here?
- What do you worry about when you go to sleep at night? What do you want to worry about?
- It doesn’t matter how right you are if people aren’t doing what you want.
- Leadership is about change, not status quo.
- Change is hard because it creates more work.
- Leadership is about managing energy, first in yourself and then in those around you.
- If you worry more about what others think than what you think, you’ll likely never get anything done.
- Leadership involves sensing, seeing, and appreciating what is taking place around us.
- Power in organizations is the capacity generated by relationships.
- Leadership is the ability and the willingness to influence others so that they respond voluntarily.
- The foundation of leadership includes truth-telling, promise-keeping, fairness, and respect for the individual.
- When you move into the realm of obligation, you actually create a drain on your own energy.
- Excellence is a neurotic lifestyle.
- Set unreasonable expectations.
- As a result of that encounter, am I viewed as an adversary or an ally? If the answer is “adversary”, your influence declined; if the answer is “ally”, your influence increased.
- The ability to learn is perhaps the only source of sustainable competitive advantage.
- Every organization is perfectly designed to produce the results it’s producing.
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Posted in Motivation