Category: quotes

2 of My Favorite Quotes

I’m doing some work on my next book and I keep coming back to a few of my favorite quotes. Here are a couple from the archives.

From “Inspire! What Great Leaders Do” by Lance Secretan:

We overuse the word “driven.” We want to be values-driven, customer-driven, mission-driven, market-driven, technology0driven, solutions-0driven, and self-driven. Perhaps this is why so many people are driven to drink, driven insane, or driven to distraction? Are Zen masters “driven”? Were Christ, Lao-Tzu, Confucius, Buddha, or Mother Teresa “driven”? Is being driven part of the problem rather than part of the solution? What would it look ilie if we were customer-inspired? Or market-inspired? Or values-inspired? Or family-inspired? Wouldn’t anyone rather be inspired than driven? There is a greater sacredness and inner beauty associated with inspiration, the breath of God, compared to the manic style of the old story leader that causes us to be driven – and thus drained.

 

 

From one of my all-time favorite business books: “The Trusted Adviser” by Maister, Green, and Galford:

More value is added through problem definition than through problem answer.

Feedback on Opportunity from Crisis

Hi Kevin,
Read your Feb 2 blog post. Absolutely concur. I’ve been sharing with people that we are about to witness the largest launch of new businesses in decades. Too many people looking for jobs that will take months to land. Thousands will choose to never have a boss again (I was one of those folks, and have now been on my own for over a decade).

Thanks for your message.

Best,

Nancy Fox

http://www.bizdevsuccess.com/

Interviewed by Chronicle of Higher Ed

Today I was interviewed by a Senior Writer at the Chronicle of Higher Education about my research into Specialization in the Law School curriculum.  I did a major project on that back in 2003 and nothing like it has been done since.  You can find out about that over at my Wooden Pencil, Inc. site.  The were also interested in the data I’ve gathered in the last 3 National Prospective Law Student Studies.  It should be a nice article.

A Salesman’s Prayer – Og Mandino


A Salesman’s Prayer
From “The Greatest Salesman in the World.”
Og Mandino

I will pray for guidance, and I will pray as a salesman, in this manner—-

Oh creator of all things, help me. For this day I go out into the world naked and alone, and without your hand to guide me I will wander far from the path which leads me to success and happiness.

I ask not for gold or garments or even opportunities equal to my ability; instead, guide me so that I may acquire ability equal to my opportunities.

You have taught the lion and the eagle how to hunt and prosper with teeth and claw. Teach me how to hunt with words and prosper with love so that I may be a lion among men and an eagle in the market place.

Help me to remain humble through obstacles and failures; yet hide not from mine eyes the prize that will come with victory.

Assign me task to which others have failed; yet guide me to pluck the seeds of success from their failures. Confront me with fears that will temper my spirit; yet endow me with courage to laugh at my misgivings.

Spare me sufficient days to reach my goals; yet help me live this day as if it were my last.

Bathe me in good habits that the bad ones may drown; yet grant me compassion for the weaknesses in others. Suffer me to know that all things shall pass; yet help me to count my blessings of today.

Expose me to hate so it be not a stranger; yet fill my cup with love to turn strangers into friends.

But all these things be only if thy will. I am a small and lonely grape clutching the vine yet thou hast made me different from all others.

Verily, there must be a special place for me. Guide me. Help me. Show me the way Lord.

Let me become all you planned for me when my seed was planted and selected by you to sprout in the vineyard of the world.

Help this humble salesman…..Guide me, God.