Recent Articles

“Victory belongs to the most persevering.”  Napoleon Bonaparte

Of all the wonderful quotes from Napoleon Bonaparte, this ranks as one of my favorites.  The world of business is replete with metaphorical references to things military: The War on Talent; The… read more

“A boss has the title, a leader has the people.”  Simon Sinek

It is so gratifying to find short, simple phrases that remind us of such important things.  The 20th century was all about Boss Development and extolling the virtues of intelligence and expertise. Fortunately, many are… read more

“There are basically three types of people, those who watch things happen, those who make things happen, and those who wonder what happened.”  Anonymous

As a young salesman attending a motivational conference, I first heard this quote about 50 years ago, and, to… read more

A recent study conducted at George Washington University showed that listening can influence up to 40% of a leader's job performance.

What makes this study especially interesting for me is the fact that in my work with leaders, this is by far one of the most common complaints about them… read more

"People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it."
--George Bernard Shaw, playwright and the only person to win both an Academy Award and a Nobel Prize.

A controversial and sometimes contentious playwright, George Bernard Shaw was a giant intellect and… read more

"Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare."
Japanese Proverb

I am often asked what I think the differences are between different cultures when it comes to leadership. While I admit there are some, to me, there are many more things… read more

"Creativity is intelligence having fun."  Albert Einstein:

I am often touched by the down-to-earth nature of this man who was such a towering intellect. This is one of those quotes that has aged well and is as relevant today as it was in the early 20th century. Its relevance today is… read more

“There are two kinds of virtues: resume virtues and eulogy virtues.”  David Brooks from his New York Times Op/Ed piece, Moral Bucket List.

I love quotes that help us put things into perspective, as this one does for me.  In my work with leaders, I often ask them to discuss… read more

“Mrs. Clinton has lost control of events as a result of an obsessive need to manipulate them.”  Peter Wehner, Op-ed piece in The International New York Times titled “The Politics of Self Destruction”

Normally I shy away from political references in this column, but this one… read more

“I would argue that more leaders have been made by accident, circumstance, sheer grit, or will than have been made by all the leadership courses put together.”  Warren Bennis

Warren Bennis devoted his life to studying leadership and was clearly a driving force in… read more