MY WAY OR . . .

"Extreme positions are not succeeded by moderate ones, but by contrary extreme positions."

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) German-Swiss philosopher/writer

You've taken an extreme position at work, one you'll either totally win or lose.

Doing so you leave little choice to those not willing to accept your views.

Are you ready to completely lose or might some compromise serve you, and the other side, better?

NONE? EVER?

"I can't get no satisfaction."

Mick Jagger, lead singer, The Rolling Stones

This is not unique to Mick; we all have spells where nothing seems to go our way.

But what then?

Well, you can either accept that as your fate or attempt to change things to the point that you do get some satisfaction.

The choice is yours.

I'M SO INTO ME

"When a man is wrapped up in himself he makes a pretty small package."

John Ruskin (1819-1900) English art critic

Very true.

Self-confidence is a desirable trait, quite different from conceit.

The former, mandatory for success, the latter, often confirmation of the opposite.

LEAST OF ALL BECAUSE I SAID SO

"Power is not revealed by striking hard or often, but by striking true."

Honore de Balzac (1799-1850) French novelist

"Striking true"; a euphemism for doing and saying what is right.

Making sure you are before you speak or act is the optimum expression of management power.

HOW AS MUCH AS WHAT

"He gains everyone's approval who mixes the pleasant with the useful."

Horace (BC 65-8) Latin lyric poet

Note to engineers: How something works is every bit as important as what it does. 

A parachute will get a person from an airplane to the ground but that doesn't make it the preferred method of descent for most.

JUST IN CASE . . .

"Doesn't anybody stay in one place any more?"

Carole King, 20th century American recording artist

from the song "Far Away"

You might ask this if primary your career goal is to stay with just one company.

Maybe you can but be prepared if you can't.

BIG SMALL THINGS

"For the person for whom small things do not exist, the great is not great."

José Ortega y Gasset (1883-1955) Spanish essayist/philosopher

I'm not sure it as much a matter of not having as it is not paying attention to small things, details if you will.

You don't at your own risk.

ACCEPT, REDUCE, AVOID, TRANSFER?

"Hesitation increases in relation to risk in equal proportion to age."

Ernest Hemingway (1898-1961) American Writer

And not just for people; this is just as true for companies.

The longer they've been around the more risk averse they become, often without realizing it.

That isn't necessarily a bad thing, just reality.

WHAT WAS, NOT IS OR WILL BE

"Study the past if you would divine the future."

Confucius (BC 551-BC 479) Chinese philosopher

He said "study", not "live in".

Learn from the past, it has much to teach you, but what has been will not necessarily be.

REQUEST DENIED

"Although they posses enough, and more than enough, still they yearn for more."

Ovid (BC 43-AD 18) Roman poet

Sounds like Ovid might have been a CFO, reacting to his company's budget requests.

There's only so much, it's never enough; the trick is to allocate what are always limited resources.

How do you do that?

DIGGING DOWN DEEP

"Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant."

Horace (BC 65-8) Latin lyric poet

Your "silver lining" the next time you face difficult circumstances.

ARE WE WHERE YET?

"Our plans miscarry because they have no aim. When a man does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind."

Seneca (4 BC-65) Roman philosopher/playwright

True as well if he purposely heads for the wrong harbor.

If you have absolutely no idea where you should go, or are going, you will certainly get there.

CERTAINLY OTHER PEOPLE, NOT ME

"Some people would rather be wrong than quiet for a minute."

Unknown

Not intentionally but many of us too often, to the point that you could substitute "most" for "some".

Just think how much much more right you could be if you just waited that one extra minute it takes not to be wrong.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU THINK

"Our life always expresses the result of our dominant thoughts."

Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) Danish philosopher/writer

What we think can and often does become our reality.

If we perpetually think "down" we will be "down".

Don't underestimate the ability of your thoughts to make you something you may not want to be.

v2.0 YOU

"One of the greatest pains to human nature is the pain of a new idea."

Walter Bagehot (1826-1877) British economist

And not just when it comes to innovation leading to new things.

This applies equally well to personal innovation, and lack thereof.

When was the last time you did something to improve you?

PROMISE NOT TO TELL?

"Three can keep a secret if two are dead."

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman/scientist/philosopher

Not all of your secrets need be kept, however the ones that do, do.

Those are the ones you share with no one.

No one!

IT WASN'T ME

"No one should be ashamed to admit they are wrong, which is but saying, in other words, that they are wiser today than they were yesterday."

Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet and satirist

Good to remember if you are one who has trouble accepting responsibility when you are wrong.

As Mr. Pope says it simply means today was not your day but tomorrow could be.

I WORRY ABOUT THAT

"When we have nothing to worry about we are not doing much, and not doing much may supply us with plenty of future worries."

Chinese proverb

For most of us, most of the time, the problem is not having nothing to worry about but rather too much.

Or at least so we think.

Take away that not worth worrying about and the list grows considerably shorter.

HARMONIOUS LIFE

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."

Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) Preeminent leader of Indian nationalism

My aversion to "happiness is . . ." quotes notwithstanding, this one I like.

Most people, myself included, don't come close to regularly achieving this admirable goal.

DO YOU SEE?

"A wise man sees as much as he ought, not as much as he can."

Montaigne (1533-1592) French philosopher/essayist

If this isn't entirely clear think of it this way.

A wise person will only eat what they need, not as much as they can.

Too much always is.

UNDERSTAND, YOU OFTEN DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU UNDERSTAND

"Humor is the first gift to perish in a foreign language."

Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) British novelist/essayist

Not just with foreign languages and not just with humor; understanding is often a casualty as well.

Just because you understand what the other person is saying doesn't mean you understand what the other person is saying.

I MUST HAVE . . .

"Nothing has more strength than dire necessity."

Euripides (BC 480-BC 406) Greek tragic poet

Okay, but what is "necessity"?

The next time you find yourself lobbying for "necessary" resources, put yourself in the place of the person who must decide whether or not you will get them.

There's only so much to go around, which is often much less than what is requested.

Maybe you can make do with what you have.