I can live for two months on a good compliment – Mark Twain A story is told how one day the great Italian artist Michelangelo happened to overhear a group of people admiring his Pieta, a statue of Christ on His mother’s kneeafter His death on the cross. One man attributed the work to another…
The real test of a man is not when he plays the role that he wants for himself but when he plays the role destiny has for him. – V´aclav Havel For movie buffs, it is one of the most memorable scenes in movie lore. James Callahan, the lead character in Dirty Harry portrayed by Clint Eastwood,…
It’s not easy being green. – Kermit the Frog In the book, The 101 Most Influential People who Never Lived, authors Allan Lazar, Dan Karlan, and Jeremy Salter expose readers to a litany of fascinating characters who never existed. From fiction, myth, television, and movies, they reveal how these characters shaped our society, changed our…
Any person who selects a goal in life which can be fully achieved, has already defined his own limitations. – Cavett Robert In his book, Winning Every Day, legendary football coach Lou Holtz shares a story about a man whose car tumbled into a ditch. He called a farmer for some help, but the farmer…
The people’s capacity to achieve is determined by their leader’s ability to empower.– John Maxwell Bart Starr, the former quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, was describing to a group of businessmen how his coach, Vince Lombardi, held absolute power. He stated that, as you entered Vince’s office, you noticed a huge mahogany desk with…
A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. – Winston Churchill A story is told some years ago about a young energetic man who began work as a clerk in a hardware store. Like many old-time hardware stores, the inventory included thousands of dollars’ worth of items…
People finally matter at work. Lip service be damned. – Marcia Conner A story is told in The Book of Business Anecdotes about marketing whiz Stanley Arnold working at Young & Rubicam in the 1950’s. He was asked to help with a marketing campaign for Remington Rand. Its chairman at the time was retired General…
“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.” – Albert Einstein In his book, Living Above the Level of Mediocrity, Charles Swindoll tells of meeting a man who once served on one of Walt Disney’s original advisory boards. The early days were tough; but that remarkable, creative visionary refused to give up. What…
“Learn from the past, set vivid, detailed goals for the future, and live in the only moment of time over which you have any control: now.” – Denis Waitley I read with interest not long ago how a person on railroad tracks hears a train approaching, looks behind him, sees the train and then freezes…
Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success before they gave up. – Thomas A. Edison I was fascinated by a story I read not long ago about Florence Chadwick. In 1952 she attempted to swim the chilly ocean waters between Catalina Island and the California shore.…
“Courage is fear holding on one minute longer.” – Gen. George S. Patton As the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks draw near, like so many of you, I can vividly recall where I was and what I felt as I watched the horrific events of that day unfold. It’s been said that…
“Never interrupt someone doing what you said couldn’t be done.” –Amelia Earhart The book, The World’s Worst Predictions, records some of the worst predictions ever made in history. Among some of the more notable bad predictions include how in 1773, King George II said that the American colonies had little stomach for revolution. Another reveals…
The circumstances of life, the events of life, and the people around me in life do not make me the way I am, but revel the way I am. – Sam Peeples, Jr. In a Sports Illustrated story years back, Gary Smith relates the suffering of the late North Carolina State basketball coach Jim Valvano…
“Rest and motion, unrelieved and unchecked, are equally destructive.” – Benjamin Cardozo A story is told of a man who challenged another to an all day wood chopping contest. The challenger worked very hard, stopping only for a brief lunch break. The other man had a leisurely lunch and took several breaks during the day.…
I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened. – Mark Twain In Bits & Pieces a few years back a story is told of Somerset Maugham, the English writer, who once wrote about a janitor at St. Peter’s Church in London. One day a young…
So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work. – Peter Drucker A story is told of a man flying in a hot air balloon who realizes he is lost. He reduces height and spots a man down below. He lowers the balloon and shouts, “Excuse me, can…
When I hear somebody sigh that life is hard, I am always tempted to ask, compared to what? – Sydney Harris What are the top challenges you face as a leader in your business or organization? In a list generated by Sheryl Nance-Nash at dailyfinance.com she provides the Top 10 Challenges for CEO’s in 2011.…
On Monday mornings I am dedicated to the proposition that all men are created jerks. – H. Allen Smith In The 360° Leader, John Maxwell shares a humorous story about a turkey chatting with a bull. “I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree,” sighed the turkey, “but I…
I want to give him a big hug. It’s an absolute wonderful accomplishment. – Yankees great Yogi Berra In case you missed it, Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees reached a milestone this past weekend by becoming only the 28th player in Major League Baseball to have 3,000 hits. He is the first player…
An empowered organization is one in which individuals have the knowledge, skill, desire, and opportunity to personally succeed in a way that leads to collective organizational success. – Stephen Covey In his book, Harvest of Humanity, John Seamands tells a story of a German soldier who was wounded and ordered to go to a military…