Quotes of the day
At a conference yesterday, I got a chance to hear business guru John Maxwell talk about leadership and geopolitical rock star Tom Friedman talk about his new book. Both presentations were excellent. Here’s a quote of note from each.
Maxwell described the many leaders in business and government who lament how lonely it is at the top. Then he smacked them hard. “If you’re at the top all alone, you’re not a leader. You’re a hiker.”
Friedman laid out a very compelling case for a huge national push to end our dependence on fossil fuels and innovate our way to produce “abundant, cheap, clean, reliable electrons.” Along the way he dismissed the so-called “green revolution” in which Americans insulate their homes, recycle more, and switch to compact fluorescent bulbs. Such an approach is easy, he argued. Too easy. Said Friedman: “When everyone’s a winner, that’s not a revolution. That’s a party.”
Good stuff. These aren’t sound bites. They’re proverbs.
The Jimmy Blanchard Leadership forum was by far the best conference I have been to. Who would have thought that Newt Gingrich, John Maxwell, Tom Friedman, Lt. Gen. Russell Honore, Chief Justice Sears and Dan Pink could all share the limelight on leadership.
I think Dan’s thoughts really turned some heads on the future of leadership with his emphasis on design, story, symphony, empathy, play and meaning.
He brought up many new viewpoints and stellar examples/metaphors as he explained, “A metaphor is worht 1,000 pictures.”
One question I had when I walked away was, how does one create/implement symphony in the workplace? I know that it is a process just like any other cultural change, but how does it get a kick start?
Thanks for the insight!
Nate