“Pride is at the bottom of all great mistakes.”

“People like people who like them.”

“A good leader encourages followers to tell him what he needs to know, not what he wants to hear.”

“As Thomas Jefferson proclaimed, “In matters of fashion, swim with the current. In matters of conscience, stand like a rock.”

“The Cost and Expectation of Leadership Leviticus 7:33–35 Aaron, like many leaders throughout history, received a divine calling. God chose Aaron and his sons to serve as Israel’s priests and charged them with carrying out rituals and sacrifices on behalf of all Israelites. Scripture gives meticulous detail to their ordination and calling. Their conduct was to be beyond reproach—and God made it crystal clear that failure to uphold His established guidelines would result in death. Numerous accounts in the Book of Leviticus demonstrate the high cost and expectation that goes with a holy calling to leadership positions. As the high priest, Aaron was the only one authorized to enter the Most Holy Place and appear before the very presence of God. The Lord set Aaron apart for his holy work. Despite his high calling, Aaron struggled with his authority and later caved in to the depraved wishes of the people. He failed at a crucial juncture and led Israel in a pagan worship service, an abomination that led to the deaths of many Israelites. Aaron had been set apart for God’s service, but he chose to live and lead otherwise. The failure of a leader usually results in consequences far more grave than the fall of a non-leader. On the day Aaron failed, “about three thousand men of the people fell [died]” (Ex. 32:28). When leaders fail, followers pay the price.”

“The bookends of success are starting and finishing.”

“Efficiency is the foundation for survival. Effectiveness is the foundation for success. It’s Not How Hard You Work; It’s How Smart You Work”

“Most careers involve other people. You can have great academic intelligence and still lack social intelligence—the ability to be a good listener, to be sensitive toward others, to give and take criticism well.”

“THE LAW OF COUNTABILITY Teammates Must Be Able to Count on Each Other When It Counts”

“Anytime a relationship is unequal, it cannot last—whether you are giving more than you get or getting more than you deserve.”

“Almost every man wastes part of his life in attempts to display qualities he does not possess.”

“communication comes from the Latin word communis, meaning “common.” 

“When you give of yourself, it benefits you, the organization, and the receiver.”

“We cannot become what we need by remaining what we are.”

“V. Gilbert Beers says, “A person of integrity is one who has established a system of values against which all of life is judged.” Integrity is not what we do so much as who we are. And who we are, in turn, determines what we do.