1: Arthur Brooks, the author and Harvard Happiness Professor, arrived in his hometown of Seattle just before midnight.

The taxi ride from the airport to downtown Seattle passed by the huge Boeing Field plant, where the aircraft manufacturer parks many of its planes.

“Sometimes, when I was a kid, my dad would take me there to look at them from outside the fence. I marveled at how incredible these … continue reading

1: As leaders, when we are short-staffed, it is difficult to resist the temptation to hire the first person who walks through the door.

“I know what it’s like to think, We need someone so desperately—how bad could this person be?” Will Guidara writes in his wonderful book Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect.

“I’ve also (unfortunately),” he recalls, “been in a position … continue reading

1: “Greg Sloan was on the fast track,” Sahil Bloom writes in his book The 5 Types of Wealth: A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life.
“Just into his early thirties,” he notes, “he had risen to become a vice president at Goldman Sachs, one of the most prestigious financial institutions in the world, and he served as a trusted financial adviser to a long list of well-known corporate … continue reading

1: “When initiating change,” Will Guidara writes in his inspiring book, Unreasonable Hospitality, “I look for the best lever, whatever will allow me to transmit the most force with the least amount of energy.”

In 2006, Will became General Manager of the New York City restaurant Eleven Madison Park, or EMP. He inherited a culture with two warring factions, “the fine-dining squad” and the “old guard.”

“The servers … continue reading

1: “When a professional tosses a bowling ball down a lane, it knocks over nine or ten pins,”  Dan Martell writes in his book Buy Back Your Time: Get Unstuck, Reclaim Your Freedom, and Build Your Empire.

What happens when Dan’s eight-year-old son goes bowling?

More often than not, the ball goes right into the gutter.

Unless… Dan puts up bumpers.

“With the bumpers, he’s almost as good as … continue reading

1: Would you prefer a job where individual initiative is encouraged or one where no individual is singled out for honor, but everybody works together as a team? That was the question asked of 15,000 people worldwide,  David Brooks writes in his book How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen.

“More than 90 percent of American, British, Dutch, and Swedish respondents … continue reading

1: When Mary Barra became CEO of General Motors in 2014, she immediately faced a crisis that would shape her leadership philosophy.

At least 124 people were dead because of a faulty ignition issue with General Motors’s cars. The company had been aware of the problem for more than a decade.  

Mary responded quickly. More than 29 million cars were ultimately recalled.

There was, however, a more significant learning for … continue reading

1: The best CEOs establish a mindset for their leadership teams.

“The top team is every member’s ‘first team,'” McKinsey consultants Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra write in their book CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest.

“The best CEOs are unequivocal on this issue,” Carolyn, Scott, and Vikram note. “This means that everyone is expected to put the … continue reading

1: “Managers are thermometers, and leaders are thermostats,” Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra write in their book CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest.

Managers react to what happens.  They solve problems and deal with the here and now.  They measure things and report out results. 

“Leaders influence their environment,” Carolyn, Scott, and Vikram write.  ”  They alter people’s … continue reading

1: “In God we trust, all others bring data,” management scientist W. Edwards Deming once said.

“The best CEOs adhere to this mantra,” Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra write in their book CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest. 

“Our decision-making principles insist on evidence,” says former Intuit CEO Brad Smith.  “One of the mottos is, ‘Because of (blank), … continue reading