Tag: Leadership Quote

Leadership Quote: There Are Only Two Ways To Influence Human Behavior..

November 25, 2012February 2, 2023 by Elisa SpainNo Comments

This month’s leadership quote: There are only two ways to influence human behavior, you can manipulate it or you can inspire it. Simon Sinek

Simon Sinek is well known for his Ted Talk, How Great Leaders Inspire Action. If you haven’t seen it, it is worth the 18 minute investment.

Bottom line, when you start with “Why”, your customers, employees, and all stakeholders will be inspired. Manipulation lasts only so long (until the “target” figures it out). Inspiration, on the other hand, can last a lifetime.

Who has inspired you to be who you are today?
Who have you inspired to become who they will be tomorrow?

Leadership Quote: Those Who Win….

October 28, 2012 by Elisa Spain4 Comments

This month’s leadership quote: Sooner or later, those who win are those who think they can. — Dr. Paul Tournier

Today’s blogpost is offered by guest blogger Mary Lore, Vistage speaker and author of Managing Thought.

Mary’s book and program are all about managing thought and getting the results we want.

In my experience, a lot of leaders think “positive thinking” is about thinking happy rah-rah or touchy-feely thoughts or re-framing a thought to make it sound positive, for example changing the word “sh—“ to “fertilizer.” Or they think of that Stuart Smalley character on Saturday Night Live who made positive affirmations in the mirror. (I don’t want to be that guy!)

That’s why I don’t use the term positive thinking,coined the term powerful thinking, and developed theManaging Thought® process. Because to me, positivity isn’t about getting rid of the negative thoughts we have and replacing them with positive thoughts. It is about being aware of the 60,000 thoughts our brains present to us every day – one a second – and choosing to hold thoughts that are in alignment with who we aspire to be and what we truly wish to create – as leaders and as organizations.

In my experience, most of our thoughts are based in fear, focused on what we don’t want vs. what we do want – and we don’t even know it.

When we think about the time we don’t have enough of, the opportunities we don’t have, the customer we lost, the payments we can’t afford, the sacrifices and cuts we have to make, cash we don’t have, customers who aren’t buying, banks who won’t lend, the decisions we are forced to make, and the competition we’re up against, we are not thinking powerfully.

When we think that we don’t want to be viewed as a commodity, the economy is bad, my organization isn’t innovative, my people aren’t engaged, or that I don’t like this or that about my employees or suppliers, again, we are not thinking powerfully.

When we think thoughts of fear, self-doubt, worry, criticism, judgment, anger, frustration, anxiety, negativity and other disempowering fight, flight or freeze thoughts, we are not thinking powerfully. And when we think about surviving, we are not thinking powerfully, because we want to thrive.

When we think powerfully, we are thinking thoughts of vision and purpose, wonder and possibility, focused on what we want, on what truly matters. Our thoughts are inspired, creative, and impactful.

Most of us have not thought about our thoughts. We have no idea what we are thinking in each moment. We have taught ourselves to turn our power to think and to create our reality over to our brains.

Yet we have the ability to pay attention to our thoughts. We always have a choice to focus on what matters and think in powerful ways which affects our ideas, our decisions, and our results. This awareness creates stillness in this fast-paced, ever-changing world and affects how we inspire others, how we lead, what we create from any situation, producing a distinct competitive advantage.

It is time for us to take back our power, to stop re-acting, and start choosing thoughts that serve us in our lives, our relationships, our organizations, our communities, and, through the ripple effect, the world.

How are you using your 60,000 thoughts today?

Leadership Quote: The Best Way To Predict The Future…

September 30, 2012 by Elisa SpainNo Comments

This month’s leadership quote: The best way to predict the future is to invent it — Peter Drucker.

Love this quote on so many levels. First and foremost it speaks to the importance of having a vision. When I presented this quote at my Vistage CEO meeting this month, one of my “inventor” members, just smiled. For him this sums up why he does, what he does.

For my Vistage Key Executive members, they heard it as a reminder that we do control our destiny, even though sometimes we think it is controlled by others.

What does this quote say to you?

Leadership Quote: We Cannot Become What We Need To Be…

August 26, 2012 by Elisa SpainNo Comments

This month’s leadership quote: We cannot become what we need to be, by remaining what we are – – Max Depree

When faced with anything new that is significant in our business or our life… a new role, a new competitor, a new technology, most of us humans, first resist.

And, it is what we do next that matters most.

Change is difficult. And in my experience as a leader and a leadership coach, what I have learned is when we say we like change, the truth is we only like change when we are leading it. When change is thrust upon us, the resistance begs to take over.

What if instead, we were to embrace all the change that comes our way, not just the change we initiate. By recognizing that we cannot remain as we are; rather, we must recognize the changes we must make within ourselves so that we can become what we need to be to thrive in the new environment.

Leadership Quote: Giving People Permission To Fail…

July 29, 2012 by Elisa SpainNo Comments

This month’s leadership quote: Giving people permission to fail is more important than giving them the tools to succeed.

In my experience as a leadership coach, many, if not most leaders, struggle with this one. We often know the answer and are quick to give it. Or, even step in when we see the situation “going south”.

And, we become frustrated when our staff chooses the safe choice rather than the best choice.

Is there perhaps a correlation here? What if instead we explicitly give people permission to fail and let them, what might the outcome be?

Please share your stories.

Leadership Habit: Because That's The Way We've Always Done It….

July 8, 2012 by Elisa SpainNo Comments

Several years ago, I was working with a key executive who had been in his position for many years. We were discussing the way things were done in his department and every time I asked him the reason why they did something a particular way, his answer was “because that’s the way we’ve always done it”. Over time, this answer became a private joke between the two of us as we worked together to modernize his department.

One of my favorite examples of this habit is the seat belt announcement on airplanes. Once, I heard a flight attendant put it this way “for those of you who have never been in a car…” Clearly at least this one flight attendant shared the same humor as my key executive friend and me. And yet, this announcement continues on every airline.

Perhaps it is time for someone (FAA, Airlines?) to pause and ask, “What should our safety message be?” And, for each of us to ask, has “that’s the way we have always done it” become a leadership habit at my company?

If so, is it time for to pause and begin asking:

Why are we doing “that” this way?
What is the goal of doing “that”?
Is doing it “this way” getting you the results you want?