it's not really what we want

The most valuable thing is every moment you have with your relative, your spouse, your friend - that is the most valuable thing. It's what we really want. We all want it desperately and we don't know that sometimes when we're younger. We think we want more money. We think we want a bigger contract. We want a bigger car. We want to win whatever we win. It's not really what we want. Those are fun things along the way but we really just want love. 

Bob Hurley

"Bob Hurley, Hurley International Founder. #130" by Dr. Michael Gervais. Finding Mastery. July 19, 2018.

carried his own bags

In his new position as secretary of defense, General James Mattis has assumed control of the world's largest and most powerful military. Mattis is now in command of a military made up of nearly one-and-a-half-million people spread across the entire globe. The General is inarguably one of the most powerful men in the world.

Yet, the renown “Warrior Monk” seemingly remains as humble and modest as he's always been.

When Secretary of Defense James Mattis was boarding his flight to South Korea early Wednesday morning, he did something unprecedented for someone in his position. Mattis carried his own bags onto the plane. Embarking on his first overseas trip as Secretary of Defense, Mattis sent a clear message about his leadership style.

To see someone so powerful carrying their own bags may be surprising to some, but to people familiar with the famed “Warrior Monk,” it was all but expected....

This isn't anything new for Secretary Mattis. Stretching far back into his days in the Marine Corps, Mattis has long been praised for being a servant-leader and always putting the needs of his subordinates before himself.

Perhaps no better story can describe this characteristic of Secretary Mattis than when he opted to spend Christmas on base at Quantico so the young Marine originally scheduled to do so could be home with his family. General Charles Krulak, then the Commandant of the Marine Corps, had stopped by the base to deliver cookies and was shocked to find Mattis on duty. Not only had Secretary Mattis given up his holiday for a young Marine, he hadn't told anyone. He simply did it because he knew it was right.

Josh Billinson

"This One Thing Secretary Mattis Does Separates Him from the Rest of Washington's Powerful". IJR News.  Feb. 1, 2017.

life's too short for PowerPoint

Inspiring people is my job. I recognize I need to do this on multiple levels all the time. On an individual level, I try to enter most conversations thinking: How do I leave this person inspired to do amazing things — to believe in themselves and the work they are doing. I don’t always get it right, but I try. I believe being authentic is key, too. People want to feel a sense of belonging, safety and shared purpose. To really unlock that, you need to allow them to see the real you.

I also need to communicate, communicate, communicate. In theory, you could do everything on video these days. But I don’t think inspiration works that way. So when I travel to a market, I try to connect with as many people as possible through town halls and “working the work.” I don’t come to judge what people are doing. I roll up my sleeves and help them solve their biggest problems. Life’s too short for PowerPoint presentations — there are real problems to solve!

Syl Saller

"'Life's Too Short For PowerPoint': CMO Leadership Talk With Diageo's Syl Saller" by Thomas Barta.  Forbes.  Feb. 24, 2017.

a cause larger than yourself

Nothing in life is more liberating than to fight for a cause larger than yourself, something that encompasses you but is not defined by your existence alone.


John McCain
Faith of My Fathers: A Family Memoir. Random House. 2016. p.348

what my job as CEO is not

The most powerful learnings for me in my journey as a CEO have been about what my job is not –

It is not my job to be a judge. My job is to give people the tools and visibility to assess themselves. People are fully capable of self-assessment and although I often give feedback, this is just an input which may or may not be relevant in the problem they are solving.

My job is not to problem solve. I have a natural love of problem solving so my natural instinct is to jump in and try to solve the problem. My true job is to make sure success is clearly defined and then hard as it is—step aside. One person has very limited experiences to draw from and we can only achieve success if everyone is problem solving together.

Phoebe Hayman

"Phoebe Hayman, the founder of Seedling, Talks About Leadership as a Support Role" by Ramon B. Nuez Jr. Huffington Post. August 28, 2017.