Steve Jobs' Quote on Dogma

“Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.” – Steve Jobs

Despite controversy, Steve Jobs was a legend. And without question, he was a living example of what happens when you don’t get trapped by dogma. Contrary to corporate America requirements, he was CEO of a Fortune 100 company even though he only completed one semester of college. Instead, he went to India to find his guru.

His freedom of thinking was constantly illustrated throughout his career. Our lives will forever be influenced by his innovative ideas.

At the same time, do not confuse Mr. Jobs’ quote with

What Really Stands in the Way of Breaking Through the Glass Ceiling?

In a nation where it is stated ‘all men are created equal’, it would seem impossible to have glass ceilings. Yet, every year there are articles and workshops designed to help women and minorities breakthrough this insurmountable threshold. 

Since I would be considered a minority, I have a license to speak openly about this topic. Perhaps I have a

George Lucas’ philosophy on high achievement

“You can’t do it if you can’t imagine it.” – George Lucas

Before you have a conversation with yourself about why that quote is Pollyanna, ask yourself a question: what do you spend time imagining? If you imagine this quote is a lie, you will be right. From where you stand, it will be virtually impossible to convince you otherwise.

However, if you see this quote as a possibility, think about how much time you spend imagining what you are committed to achieving in your life. When I say committed, I am distinguishing between

Do You Think What You are Thinking Is Thinking?

In a society that craves instant results and fantastic quarterly earnings, taking action is more important than thinking. As long as you are doing something, the belief is there will be great results. This philosophy has become so pervasive that even the CEO is expected to function similarly. Except, without sufficient time to think clearly about outcomes, how will you know if you are moving in an optimal direction?

At some point, we have to stop, look and listen. While brainstorming with others is important, we need individual time to ponder. Otherwise, we may be on a rollercoaster that is headed for a brick wall. Yet, we keep saying ‘go faster’.

As the pace increases, we lose sight of

How Do You Handle Tough Conversations?

For those of us who aspire to be managers, we long for the glory days when projects are successfully completed. It is our way to demonstrate that we can produce results through others. At the same time, at some point, every manager will face the situation that may be uncomfortable. It can happen when our best employees don’t play well together. Or one of our direct reports is highly capable, however, unreliable.

On the surface, it seems the answer is to just fire people. Even that can become a tough conversation when you know your decision will significantly impact someone’s life.

When we explore why some people become managers, the complexity increases. Most people become managers because

How Did You Get Where You Are?

If we look at our lives, we each live in a world of our own. Our world consists of friends, family, work, recreation, etc. And that is where we are. The roadmap we used to arrive at our current destination can never be found in the places we frequent or with the people we know. It is figuratively found inside each of us.

We are the architects of the world in which we live. Our outer world is a reflection of

Andrew Carnegie quotes on the value of people

“Take away my people but leave my factories, and soon grass will grow on factory floors. Take away my factories but leave my people, and soon we will have a new and better factory.” Andrew Carnegie

With the proliferation of social media, many experts pontificate on the value of social networks. Yet, more than 100 years ago Andrew Carnegie became one of the wealthiest men in the nation by building the largest steel company in the world. From Carnegie’s perspective, his power and wealth was not