What makes a leader, a leader? Ask ten different people and you’ll get ten different answers. Here’s one list of potent leadership traits from the Harvard Business Review, it lists five emotional intelligence traits effective leaders must possess. 1. Self-awareness — which can look like self-confidence, to a degree, but includes a realistic … [Read more...]
Stop Chasing Happiness
There once was an old grumpy man no one liked. Gloomy, complaining, always in a bad mood. The people in the village mostly just stayed away from him. Then one day, a rumor started going around the village. “Did you hear? The old man is smiling today.” Overcome by curiosity, they all surrounded the old man. “What changed?” they asked. “It’s … [Read more...]
Steve Jobs theory about what makes a great leader
"My dog ate that report.” When a child makes excuses, it can be cute. When an adult does, it’s not. Likewise, as a company leader in any capacity, you’re probably used to not making excuses. The legend of Steve Jobs endures in a recent book by John Rossman, Think Like Amazon. According to the book, Jobs had a habit of telling employees a … [Read more...]
The Lesson in the Shoes
Two shoe salesmen travel to a rural Indian village to investigate market potential. The first comes back dejected: “There’s no potential there. Nobody wears shoes.” The second comes back elated: “There’s so much potential there! No one has shoes!” Point is, a single business challenge can be looked at in more than one way. When you’re … [Read more...]
The philosophy student and the chair
Do you overthink everything? In the early 2000s a parable circulated about a philosophy professor who gave his students a challenge. He lifted his chair onto his desk and assigned them to “prove that this chair does not exist.” Silence ensued as the students furiously wrote long explanations on paper — all except one student, who took just a … [Read more...]
5 Ways to Kill Your Dreams
How to kill your dreams: Count on overnight success. Think someone else has the answers you need.Decide to settle when growth is guaranteed.Assume failure is someone else’s fault.Believe that the only things that matter are the dreams themselves. This is a playbook by Brazilian entrepreneur and author Bel Pesce. Her advice for reaching your … [Read more...]