The Best Intentions Are Often Only That

"Tomorrow every fault is to be amended; but tomorrow never comes."

Benjamin Franklin

18th century American statesman/inventor/philosopher

Intentions that remain only that are of little value.

What matters is accomplishments.

Who's In Charge Of Who?

"Men have become the tools of their tools."

Henry David Thoreau

19th century American naturalist/writer

I take advantage of much of the technology designed to enable me.

However I am often forced to spend more time making it work than using it to my benefit.

How about you?

Do You Know You?

"He knows the universe and does not know himself."

Jean de la Fontaine

17th century French poet

Business education teaches all you need to know to succeed in business . . .

. . . except who you are.

You need to know that or none of whatever else you know matters.

What Was Doesn't Have To Be

"All of us who are worth anything spend our manhood unlearning the follies or expiating the mistakes of our youth."

Percy Bysshe Shelley

19th century English poet

That you learned "follies" is a given as is that you've made "mistakes".

What isn't a given is what you will do about it.

It's never too late to change.

Would You Pity Or Envy Me?

"If the secret sorrows of everyone could be read on their forehead, how many who now cause envy would suddenly become the objects of pity?"

Italian proverb

We envy what we know often without knowing what we don't know.

Your Own Worst Critic?

"I am a deeply superficial person."

Andy Warhol

20th century American artist

There's something to be said for knowing yourself, both the bad as well as the good.

What do you not like about yourself?

What are you doing to change it?

You Have to Work For it

"Few things are impracticable in themselves; and it is for want of application, than of means, that men fail to succeed."

Francois de La Rochefoucauld

17th century French writer

There's more to wanting change than wanting change.

You have to work for it.

The Enemy Within

"The greater foes, and whom we must chiefly combat, are within."

Miguel de Cervantes

16th century Spanish novelist

But it doesn't always have to be that way, you can change.

Don't believe so?

Well, not always I suppose because when it comes to change, if you can't first change your mind you can't change anything.

You Haven't Heard A Word I've Said

"A person hears only what they understand."

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

18th century German poet

The single most under developed business skill is listening.

I said the single most under developed business skill is listening.

Did you hear me?

What's On Your Mind?

"A people which is able to say anything is able to do anything."

Napoleon Bonaparte

Late 18th/early 19th century French general

Do we have less, the same, or more freedom to say what we wish in business?

Is our "freedom", whatever that is, the same as an "obligation"?

The Most Important Honor Of All

"Dignity exists not in possessing honors, but in the consciousness that we deserve them."

Aristotle

4th century BC Greek philosopher

All your titles, degrees, promotions, and other assorted accolades, don't mean a thing without the freely given recognition that you deserve them coming from those who don't have to give it.

The Wonder Of It All

"No wonder lasts over three days."

Proverb

This is one I'm glad isn't true.

I'm still in wonder of the fact that we went from man's first flight to man on the moon in less than 70 years.

That as imperfect as it is the human body works as well as it does.

That seemingly insurmountable grief will ultimately be bearable in most although unfortunately not all cases.

Because of this and much more my problems, business ones in particular, suddenly diminish in importance.

It's Time To Act!

"You don't have to see the whole staircase to take the first step."

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

20th century American preacher/civil rights leader

In fact, continuing metaphorically, you will rarely "see" (understand) the "whole staircase" (all you need to know) before being forced to either "start up it" (take action) or give up and walk away.

What's it going to be?

Success From Different Perspectives

"Every moment of light and dark is a miracle."

Walt Whitman

19th century American poet

So you see, more than the sum of the parts can come from opposites.

But you have to look for it.

Do you?

Management Ethics

"I ran the wrong kind of business, but I did it with integrity."

Sydney Biddle Barrows

20th century American business woman who became famous as a brothel owner

Which begs the question, what are the implications of running an illegal business with integrity?

Or is that even possible?

There are plenty of examples where legal business have been run without integrity.

Is the reverse possible?

Where You Headed?

"If you don't know where you are going any road will get you there."

Lewis Carroll

19th century English mathematician/novelist

The off said planning version of this is "If you don't have clearly defined goals any plan will help you accomplish them."

As true in your personal life as it is in your professional life.

Sitting In Judgement

"Do not judge and you will never be mistaken."

Jean Jacques Rousseau

18th century Swiss political philosopher

Fine for life in general, at least in theory, but not in business.

A manager's job is to judge, to make decisions, most often without sufficient information.

You have to decide what to do as well as what not to do.

Just do so as thoughtfully and fairly as possible.

On Your Own

"Traveler, there is no path, paths are made by walking."

Antonio Machado

Early 20th century Spanish poet

Suggested by Paula Johnson

There are paths made by others we can choose to follow.

Take the ones best suited to you while always being receptive to the idea of making your own.

Until The Day You Die

"It is always your next move."

Napoleon Hill

20th century American speaker/writer

And notice he didn't say anything about limits.

You have options no matter your status, gender, age, or any other descriptor you can think of.

They may not be the ones you believe you want but you do have them.

What will you do next?

What Do You Really Think Of Me?

"The eyes of others our prisons; their thoughts our cages"

Virginia Woolf

Early 20th century British novelist

Are you concerned about what those below you, your peers, and those above you at work think about you?

You should be and not out of ego or to be liked.

You need them and they you if you are all to succeed.