Pilots have their names painted just beneath the canopy of their aircraft. This gives the pilot a sense of ownership for his or her jet. What's more, like cars, each aircraft has its own personality, so it's important for a pilot to get to know and love his aircraft.
My concern is that we live in an economy in which stabbing someone and waiting for them to complain before we remove the knife has become the normal way of doing business. When did we lose sight of the fact that it's not nice to stab people in the first place?
We can't all be good at everything. This is partly the logic behind having a team in the first place, so each role can be filled with the person best suited for that role and together, every job and every strength is covered.
Some would argue that you're as successful as the company you keep. Certainly there is a connection between our friends and who we are.
Great leaders don't need to act tough. Their confidence and humility serve to underscore their toughness.
Though we may have desires or bold goals, for whatever reason, most of us don't think we can achieve something beyond what we're qualified to achieve. Why, I ask, do we let reality interfere with our dreams?
Entrepreneurs see the thing they want or need, then try to figure out a process of how to get it. People who shouldn't be entrepreneurs see the standard process they need to go through to get the thing they want or need then decide if they want to go through that process.
The goal is not to do business with everybody who needs what you have. The goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe.
The cost of leadership is self-interest.
Anyone can sell product by dropping their prices, but it does not breed loyalty.
Republicans are completely befuddled by Obama's 'star power' and don't seem to have a clear or effective strategy to compete.
We live in times of high stress. Messages that are simple, messages that are inspiring, messages that are life-affirming, are a welcome break from our real lives.
To become an academic expert takes years of studying. Academic experts are experts in how and what others have done. They use case studies and observation to understand a subject.
Entrepreneurs must be practical experts. They needn't set out to be subject matter experts in what they do; they must set out to solve a problem or pursue some cause or purpose greater than themselves.
A sour corporate culture can actually make an entire society unhappy. This means that a strong corporate culture can have a positive impact on a society.
I think most people are inherently interested in how their brain works, in what makes them tick.
Listening is active. At its most basic level, it's about focus, paying attention.
The most basic human desire is to feel like you belong. Fitting in is important.
During World War II, the pilot losses were staggering. In some bombing raids, as many as 80% of the planes that left did not return.
Great leaders are willing to sacrifice the numbers to save the people. Poor leaders sacrifice the people to save the numbers.
Good listeners have a huge advantage. For one, when they engage in conversation, they make people 'feel' heard. They 'feel' that someone really understands their wants, needs and desires. And for good reason; a good listener does care to understand.
The challenge of the unknown future is so much more exciting than the stories of the accomplished past.
Mergers are like marriages. They are the bringing together of two individuals. If you wouldn't marry someone for the 'operational efficiencies' they offer in the running of a household, then why would you combine two companies with unique cultures and identities for that reason?
Every one of us has the capacity to lead.
The quality of a leader cannot be judged by the answers he gives, but by the questions he asks.
It's always the organizations that are resource constrained that come up with the good ideas to win.
No matter how many or how few people you have reporting to you, you must remember that as you climb higher in the ranks, your words will be taken as commands even if you're just thinking out loud.
Multi-millionaires who pay half or less than half of the percentage of tax the rest of us pay justify their actions by saying they pay what the law requires. Though true, the fact is they found ways within the law to beat the purpose of the law - which, in the case of taxes, is that we all pay our fair share.
I use Apple because they're easy to understand and everybody gets it.
There is not a single one of us with a job that is not completely reliant in some way shape or form on others.
You'll never see the president carry his own luggage, and why? Because even though we know he has luggage, it would reduce his stature if he was too much like us. We need to think of our leaders as being above us, even though they must still relate to us.
The lives we live are a bit of a straight-hair vs. curly-hair thing. We often want what we don't have. In reality, it's not about better or worse; it's just perception.
Sometimes spending time with someone who is perceived as 'successful' can make us feel less successful.
The single best machine to measure trust is a human being. We haven't figured out a metric that works better than our own sort of, like, 'There's something fishy about you.'
Leadership is absolutely about inspiring action, but it is also about guarding against mis-action.
I try to find, celebrate and teach leaders how to build platforms that will inspire others.
Though there are lessons that can be learned about becoming a great leader, most exist inherently in the bellies of those who lead.
There is a difference between vulnerability and telling people everything about yourself. Vulnerability is a feeling. Telling everyone about yourself is just facts and details.
Halloween is one of my favorite days of the year. I have a strict rule: I don't work on Halloween and I won't travel on Halloween. Not for any reason.
Humility, I have learned, must never be confused with meekness. Humility is being open to the ideas of others.
The U.S. Constitution protects our privacy from the prying eyes of government. It does not, however, protect us from the prying eyes of companies and corporations.
If we care about the average working American, then Wal-Mart matters. A lot.
It's important to slow down, every now and then, for no other reason than to call someone to say 'Hi.' It doesn't have to be a long conversation. Just calling out of the blue does more to let someone know you still care about them than nearly anything else.
Like a good parent can't also be his child's best friend, a leader with authority requires some separation from subordinates.
Leave America and you'll find that the consumers in many other countries enjoy watching advertising. Not because the products are better, but because the ads are produced to be entertaining. Sometimes they are funny. Sometimes they are dramatic. Sometimes they are just beautiful.
When you explain to people what you're trying to do, as opposed to just making demands or delegating tasks, you can build instant trust, even if it's just for that short time you're on the phone.
There are two types of claims: those based on hard numbers and those based on slippery numbers.
There is a difference between listening and waiting for your turn to speak.
More information is always better than less. When people know the reason things are happening, even if it's bad news, they can adjust their expectations and react accordingly. Keeping people in the dark only serves to stir negative emotions.
