Audio Tidbits

"Stubbornness does have its helpful features. You always know what you are going to be thinking tomorrow." -- Glen Beaman

Stubbornness certainly has its up side. It's like the famous Anon. said, "Most people are more comfortable with old problems than with new solutions." While you are considering how relaxed you will be though, ponder Doug Floyd's point, "You don't get harmony when everybody sings the same note." The truth of the matter is that it can quickly get down right boring.

There is another snag that can seriously temp you to stick to the same ol', same ol'. J. K. Galbraith described it this way, "The conventional view serves to protect us from the painful job of thinking." Sure, thinking can be painful; but more to the point, it's frequently hard work. As Henry Ford said, "Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it. " If you were born tired and haven't rested up yet, thinking probably just isn't for you; but…. – and there's always a "but." This particular "but" was slipped in by Bertrand Russell who said, "In all affairs it's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted."

If you are like many other folks, you may believe that you are doing fine and don't need to bother hanging a question mark on anything. You may strongly feel that you are in good company and on the right road; but the famous Anon. had a bit of homespun wisdom worth a moment's thought, "Don't think you're on the right road just because it's a well-beaten path;" and while you are on a roll with the famous Anon., don't forget that, "Before you can break out of prison, you must first realize you're locked up."

Are you ready to make a break for it? If so, Dr. Seuss suggested the perfect strategy for you, "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

If the notion of having your own thoughts and ideas causes you discomfort and anxiety, Tolkien had a helpful insight, "Not all those who wander are lost." At the same time, John Locke had a further insight to help you make it through the transition to thinking for yourself, "New opinions are always suspected, and usually opposed, without any other reason but because they are not already common." People's disagreeing does not mean you are wrong. It's like the famous Anon. said, "One who walks in another's tracks leaves no footprints;" and footprints of your own you will and should leave. As you leave your footprints along the road to thinking for yourself, Satchel Paige had what may be the only advice you need, "Ain't no man can avoid being average, but there ain't no man got to be common."

Now you know so there you go.

"Stubbornness does have its helpful features. You always know what you are going to be thinking tomorrow." -- Glen Beaman

Stubbornness certainly has its up side. It's like the famous Anon. said, "Most people are more comfortable with old problems than with new solutions." While you are considering how relaxed you will be though, ponder Doug Floyd's point, "You don't get harmony when everybody sings the same note." The truth of the matter is that it can quickly get down right boring.

There is another snag that can seriously temp you to stick to the same ol', same ol'. J. K. Galbraith described it this way, "The conventional view serves to protect us from the painful job of thinking." Sure, thinking can be painful; but more to the point, it's frequently hard work. As Henry Ford said, "Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it. " If you were born tired and haven't rested up yet, thinking probably just isn't for you; but…. – and there's always a "but." This particular "but" was slipped in by Bertrand Russell who said, "In all affairs it's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted."

If you are like many other folks, you may believe that you are doing fine and don't need to bother hanging a question mark on anything. You may strongly feel that you are in good company and on the right road; but the famous Anon. had a bit of homespun wisdom worth a moment's thought, "Don't think you're on the right road just because it's a well-beaten path;" and while you are on a roll with the famous Anon., don't forget that, "Before you can break out of prison, you must first realize you're locked up."

Are you ready to make a break for it? If so, Dr. Seuss suggested the perfect strategy for you, "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

If the notion of having your own thoughts and ideas causes you discomfort and anxiety, Tolkien had a helpful insight, "Not all those who wander are lost." At the same time, John Locke had a further insight to help you make it through the transition to thinking for yourself, "New opinions are always suspected, and usually opposed, without any other reason but because they are not already common." People's disagreeing does not mean you are wrong. It's like the famous Anon. said, "One who walks in another's tracks leaves no footprints;" and footprints of your own you will and should leave. As you leave your footprints along the road to thinking for yourself, Satchel Paige had what may be the only advice you need, "Ain't no man can avoid being average, but there ain't no man got to be common."

Now you know so there you go.

Do you want to know everything there is to know about success in about five minutes? If so, please press play and learn. If not, well, you're on your own.

Do you want to know everything there is to know about success in about five minutes? If so, please press play and learn. If not, well, you're on your own.

Do you want to know everything there is to know about success in about five minutes? If so, please press play and learn. If not, well, you're on your own.

There is a space between you and me where the balance is just about right, but if the balance gets out of balance, all is not well. That's true whether you are my child, my partner, my employer, or just someone who wants and needs my attention. In this episode of Audio Tidbits, I give some thought and attention to this balance.

There is a space between you and me where the balance is just about right, but if the balance gets out of balance, all is not well. That's true whether you are my child, my partner, my employer, or just someone who wants and needs my attention. In this episode of Audio Tidbits, I give some thought and attention to this balance.

There is a space between you and me where the balance is just about right, but if the balance gets out of balance, all is not well. That's true whether you are my child, my partner, my employer, or just someone who wants and needs my attention. In this episode of Audio Tidbits, I give some thought and attention to this balance.

orris, Tom. If Harry Potter Ran General Electric: Leadership Wisdom from the World of the Wizards. New York: Doubleday, 2006.

The greatest teachers are always masters of their subjects who lead, train, guide, and inspire their student apprentices to their own forms of excellence. They never just pass on information. The master is a model, coach, helper, and motivator as well as a teacher and trainer.

The best leaders teach by example and guide with encouragement.

What we haven't ourselves received, we can't pass on to others. ... A great mentor is a person who has filtered his or her own prior personal experience, along with the experience of many others, analyzed it fully, and extracted from it the wisdom it contains.

Ultimately, he is a great leader because he's a wise man who knows human nature, and who acts in everything he does with great character.

Without truth, people can't work effectively. Without trust, people can't work efficiently.

The best leaders in most circumstances tend to be just completely committed people with keen intelligence, great skill, focused energy, a clear vision, the courage of their convictions, a passion for what they're doing, strong character, and a robust sense of concern for others.

We can mess up, and then clean up, and end up better than we started.

The deepest emotions are compatible with the highest rationality in any life that is in full control of all its faculties. But without proper self-control, no amount of passion or intellect can guarantee either great leadership or even long-lasting personal success.

...Ethics is really about creating strength. It is a matter of making choices that preserve those values and qualities most deserving of preservation. It's about doing what's right in any given circumstances, regardless of the consequences we might happen to predict, and it's about becoming a properly formed, strongly virtuous person as a result. All of ethics comes down to the choices we make every day. And who we become is a result of those choices.

There are many aspects to strength of character. An ability to make the right choices hinges on all of them. Honesty is important, as is a proper sense of loyalty, an empathetic appreciation for the needs of others, moderated desires, and a grounded, appropriate personal sense of self-worth and dignity. Any leader should seek to surround himself with people who have such qualities.

If you want to be a great leader, be a great person. Work on embodying and living the classic virtues. Broaden and deepen yourself as a human being. Seek to govern everything you feel and whatever you do in accordance with your most fundamental beliefs and values. Believe in other people. Show that you care about them. Never forget the power of apprenticeship. Make it a habit to exercise appropriate control over all your emotions and actions. And remember to have fun whenever it's at all possible.

orris, Tom. If Harry Potter Ran General Electric: Leadership Wisdom from the World of the Wizards. New York: Doubleday, 2006.

The greatest teachers are always masters of their subjects who lead, train, guide, and inspire their student apprentices to their own forms of excellence. They never just pass on information. The master is a model, coach, helper, and motivator as well as a teacher and trainer.

The best leaders teach by example and guide with encouragement.

What we haven't ourselves received, we can't pass on to others. ... A great mentor is a person who has filtered his or her own prior personal experience, along with the experience of many others, analyzed it fully, and extracted from it the wisdom it contains.

Ultimately, he is a great leader because he's a wise man who knows human nature, and who acts in everything he does with great character.

Without truth, people can't work effectively. Without trust, people can't work efficiently.

The best leaders in most circumstances tend to be just completely committed people with keen intelligence, great skill, focused energy, a clear vision, the courage of their convictions, a passion for what they're doing, strong character, and a robust sense of concern for others.

We can mess up, and then clean up, and end up better than we started.

The deepest emotions are compatible with the highest rationality in any life that is in full control of all its faculties. But without proper self-control, no amount of passion or intellect can guarantee either great leadership or even long-lasting personal success.

...Ethics is really about creating strength. It is a matter of making choices that preserve those values and qualities most deserving of preservation. It's about doing what's right in any given circumstances, regardless of the consequences we might happen to predict, and it's about becoming a properly formed, strongly virtuous person as a result. All of ethics comes down to the choices we make every day. And who we become is a result of those choices.

There are many aspects to strength of character. An ability to make the right choices hinges on all of them. Honesty is important, as is a proper sense of loyalty, an empathetic appreciation for the needs of others, moderated desires, and a grounded, appropriate personal sense of self-worth and dignity. Any leader should seek to surround himself with people who have such qualities.

If you want to be a great leader, be a great person. Work on embodying and living the classic virtues. Broaden and deepen yourself as a human being. Seek to govern everything you feel and whatever you do in accordance with your most fundamental beliefs and values. Believe in other people. Show that you care about them. Never forget the power of apprenticeship. Make it a habit to exercise appropriate control over all your emotions and actions. And remember to have fun whenever it's at all possible.