This year I have a goal to read a book a week as a type of leadership 'bootcamp.' Not every book I have read is worth posting tons of quotes, but I thought I would start posting some of my favorite lines!
The Prisoner in the Third Cell by Gene Edwards
-"Yes I have been to you, as to all others, a Lord not fully understood, a God who rarely makes clear exactly what He is doing in the life of one of His children."
-"Many were healed. But not all. 'And blessed is he who is not offended with me.' "
-[God 'says' to John the Baptist just before his beheading:] "When I called you, John, and told you that you would announce the coming of the Messiah, you assumed that because you were going to prepare the way for me, you would have the joy of seeing that wonderful day of my coming in glory. But today you have met a God you do not understand. Such is the mystery of my sovereignty. Such are my ways in every generation.
No man has ever understood me, not fully. No man ever will. I will always be something other than what men expect me to be. I will work out my will in ways different from what men forsee…'And blessed are you, if you are not offended with me.' "
-"A day like that which awaited John awaits us all. It is unavoidable because every believer imagines his God to be a certain way, and is quite sure his Lord will do certain things under certain conditions. But your Lord is never quite what you imagined Him to be. You have met a God who has not lived up to your expectations. You are going to get to know your Lord by faith or you will not know Him at all.
-"The question is not, 'Why is God doing this? Why is He like this?' The question is not, 'Why does he not answer me?' The question is this: 'Will you follow a God you do not understand? Will you follow a God who does not live up to your expectations?'"
Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson
“Life moves on and so should we”
― Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese?
“What would you do if you weren't afraid?”
― Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese?
“What you are afraid of is never as bad as what you imagine. The fear you let build up in your mind is worse than the situation that actually exists.”
― Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese?
“The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you find new cheese.”
“If you do not change, you can become extinct !”
― Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese?
“He knew sometimes some fear can be good. When you are afraid things are going to get worse if you don't do something, it can prompt you into action. But it is not good when you are afraid that it keeps you from doing anything.”
― Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese?
“It is safer to search in the maze than to remain in a cheeseless situation”
― Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese?
“Movement in new direction helps find new cheese.”
― Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese?
“Sometimes, Hem, things change and they are never the same again. This looks like one of those times. That's life! Life moves on. And so should we.”
― Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese?
“Smell the cheese often so you know when it is getting old.”
― Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese?
“I guess we resist changing, because we are afraid of change.”
― Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese?
The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli
“Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are.”
― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince
“There is no other way to guard yourself against flattery than by making men understand that telling you the truth will not offend you.”
― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince
“The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.”
― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince
“Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great. ”
― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince
“…he who seeks to deceive will always find someone who will allow himself to be deceived.”
― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince
“A man who is used to acting in one way never changes; he must come to ruin when the times, in changing, no longer are in harmony with his ways.”
― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince
“A prudent man should always follow in the path trodden by great men and imitate those who are most excellent, so that if he does not attain to their greatness, at any rate he will get some tinge of it.”
― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince
“It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things.”
― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince
“Men judge generally more by the eye than by the hand, for everyone can see and few can feel. Every one sees what you appear to be, few really know what you are.”
― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince
Thoughts from the Sewell Leadership Event:
Collin Sewell
The faster you find your passion, the faster you won't need an alarm clock.
John Maxwell
Awareness + Abilities + Choices = Capacity
One of the great questions to ask ourselves in self-evaluation…
"What's it like to be on the other side of me?"
Each of us are limited by our inability to be aware of our lack of awareness.
People give up because they can't keep up.
Healthy Assumptions (related to self-awareness):
1) We don't see ourselves as others see us
2) We have blind spots that keep us from our capacity
3) Others who know us and love us can help us
4) We have to give those who love us, permission to help us
People who devalue you do not get to determine your value.
Emotionally strong people do not allow other people to control the relationship.
Emotionally strong people do not waste energy on things they can not control.
Emotionally Strong People do not worry about pleasing others.
Jeff Henderson
Transitioning people from "benefiting from to participating in" is one of the secrets of thriving organizations and leaders.
If your vision currently outpaces your resources, you're on the right track.
Own a space in the land of possibility. Lease a space in the land of reality.
Thriving organizations are create vision-carriers.
What did I do today to cast vision for my organization?
