Poking fun at death relieves the tension.
“After Wendell Phillips’s death, someone met Judge Hoar and asked him if he intended to attend the funeral. ‘No,’ answered the Judge, ‘I don’t; but I approve of it.’” NY Times 1885
A friend asked, “What two words would you love to hear at your funeral?”
I dodged the question…
Smart is time-specific.
Yesterday’s smarts are today’s stupidity.
No one intentionally chooses stupid.
What looks smart behind your desk often looks stupid in the real world.
“Those who think they know, don’t.” Edward de Bono
Peter Drucker taught, “What everyone knows is usually wrong.”
Learn 4 Smart Practices
Leading feels like bullfighting. You don’t control the bull. You control the cape.
Don’t ignore the bull. Respond to it.
Focus energy on responses. For example, you can’t control people. Control how you respond to them.
You can’t control interruptions. Determine how long they last.
How to control the cape…
Don’t focus on what you want. Concentrate on what you do.
Learn from the past.
Glance at the future.
Concentrate on present action.
Long-term goals are good for direction, not daily practices.
Reject the seduction of results. Commit to daily rituals.
Here’s how…
Impulse moves fast. Regret lingers.
Choose useful or painful in a two-second pause.
Leadership emerges in a two-second pause.
Here’s how…
Bad is easier than good.
Success is narrow; failure is an abyss. “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Tolstoy
Dysfunction is creative.
There are many ways to get leadership wrong. Lack of character is the worst.
