LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"The best way to predict the future is to create it."

Peter F. Drucker

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

So many good Drucker quotes, so I want to share a couple more with you.

Last week, I shared Druckers quote on "MEASUREMENT" and had a couple of people push back with these comments:

• "I'm not sure all things can be measured. Those things that can't be measured are often important to evaluate even if their value is only anecdotal."

• "It's difficult to measure things that are internal, and not seen on the outside."

I agree with both of these comments, and thank you for responding...

My goal is to get us to think and to be willing to ask ourselves some questions that take us deeper.

This new quote from Drucker above, is also attributed to Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States.

I don't think the idea behind this is of FORCE. I think it's of OWNERSHIP. We need to take responsibility for our lives and the future we want to live.

This begins with our current reality and our ability to think forward positively instead of being overwhelmed and in a spiral of negativity.

It's not just our thought patterns, it's the fact that we have been created for a purpose and God has called each of us to pursue His call and purpose in our lives.

Ownership and Responsibility begin with us giving our lives to Him in obedience, and then trusting Him each step of the way as we live our the call and plan He has for us.

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"If you want it, measure it. If you can't measure it, forget it." Peter F. Drucker

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

When I first read this quote from Drucker, I'm not sure I understood it. Now I think I do.

Throughout my years of leadership, I have spent a lot of time, energy and resources working on things that I haven't been able to measure. I've been busy, I've been working hard and I've initiated some really good things, but some of these things, well, really MANY of these things haven't produced results.

It's easy to confuse "being busy" with "being focused on the right things".

Figuring out what to measure is always the most important work because it provides you with a goal, with a way to evaluate and a finish line.

Think of something you're doing right now that is just BUSY WORK. It's not measurable, it doesn't move you in the direction you want to go, and it's absorbing much of your time and energy.... What would happen if you just STOPPED doing this today?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Management is doing things right; Leadership is doing the right things." Peter F. Drucker

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

I learned about Peter Drucker when I was studying business in university years ago. I remember really liking some of the things he said and I resonated with them. I'm going to spend some time unpacking some of my favorite quotes from Drucker.

If you don't know who he is, CLICK HERE for a quick overview.

The quote above is something that is foundational to Druckers vision for organizational leadership. He focused on culture and on behavior at a time when everyone else was focused on sales and results.

I remember writing a paper in graduate school on this quote, and the process of trying to determine what kind of leader I was going to be pushed me to want to learn more about myself, my goals and my style.

When you think about this quote, what NAMES OF PEOPLE come to mind that were either great Managers or great Leaders?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Dreams are meant to be lived."

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

This is the last quote on this journey with , "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" and we'll move on next week.

There are a number of these themes in the Mitty Movie:

"Stop Dreaming: Start Living"

"Go Further"

"Explore New Territory"

"Adventure Waits for No One"

If you feel STUCK, the themes of this movie challenge you to step outside of your comfort zone and LIVE.

"Dreams are meant to be lived"

Are you living your dreams or are they aspirational ideas that you keep locked up in a secret place that you don't spend anytime time thinking about or working towards?

I think the overall them from Walter Mitty is simply about LIFE and for many of us, we are so busy living our life that we don't spend much time dreaming about our life.

What challenges you from the world of Walter Mitty?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Beautiful things don't ask for attention." The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

A couple more weeks and quotes from this film, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" and then we'll move on.

Think about that line above: "Beautiful things don't ask for attention."

I found this thought from Brian J. Hertzog on this line:

"Beautiful things don't ask for attention: Nor do they beg, cry, pander, hustle, bribe, or coerce. Intrinsic beauty radiates outward from its source. It doesn't launch multimillion dollar marketing campaigns to garner attention for itself. Truly beautiful things are just noticed. Then, one by one, other people start calling attention to them to share in their splendor."

I love that description of this quote and Hertzog captures this concept of beauty really well.

Think of something beautiful that you've seen or that you've witnessed. How did you find it?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other and to feel, that is the purpose of life." The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

Last week, I referenced the film, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" and received a number of comments about how much people enjoyed this movie.

I decided to spend a couple of weeks looking at some of the great quotes from the movie, and the first one I found was this:

"Hey Todd, I can't really talk right now. I'm on my way to a volcano."

Instead of diving into the depth of that one, I pulled the one above.

What does this say to you about the purpose of your life?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans." From John Lennon's Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

While Lennon used this line in his song, the words have been spoken by a number of people prior.

I thought this idea went well with the Steve Jobs quote from last week:

"Your time is limited so don't waste it living someone else's life."

It's early October, and time does seem to be speeding up. As we enter into the final quarter of the calendar year, I find myself re-thinking my aggressive list of goals and projects I had hoped to accomplish this year. I'm running out of time, so I'm crossing things off the list, merging projects, and trying to figure out what is the most important.

However, the danger is as I focus frantically on the tasks at hand, I run the risk of missing out on some of the things that are right in front of me... LIFE.

Here's the simple reminder today: Don't get LOST in your planning. There are things that are happening all around you every day... don't miss them!

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Your time is limited so don't waste it living somebody else's life." Steve Jobs

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

I was researching this quote, and found a commentary where someone made this statement as to what Jobs might have meant when he said this:

"Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition."

I love this insight into the quote, and I'm sure Jobs had some other thoughts on this.

What about you?

What does it mean to you, "Don't waste it living somebody else's life."

We all end up doing things that we don't want to be doing. Part of that is work, part of that is personal time control. What would be a WASTE to you?