A few things I’ve found to be true
People who can see the forest and the trees are the ones that change the world. The tree people are focussed and detailed, the forest people like the big picture and how things fit together. You need both types to achieve great things, and a leader who can hold both.
When designing something new, people can’t usually tell you what they want, but they are really, really good at criticizing something they can see, touch, or click on. Make a prototype, and be prepared to throw it away..
I used to only be able to motivate myself to do things I find interesting. Successful executives can motivate themselves to do whatever is needed to be successful. As I get older, seeing things happen gets more important to me, so that becomes interesting.
There are only two mysteries: What started the Big Bang, and why does life strive to live?
If you’re making a movie, a great way to draw your audience into your story is for them to get an “aha” moment, just slightly before the character does. This makes the audience feel smart, and have empathy for the character. This works in presentations too.
Vision is a great thing, but sharing the vision doesn’t get it done. The road to achieving your vision takes a team, and every little step along the way has to be worked through in detail to ensure it is leading towards that vision. There are many great ideas in the world, but turning them into products in the real world takes perseverance and a fanatic attention to detail.
It’s not very effective to tell people what you think they should do, but if you tell them a story, and they see themselves in it, they will want to be in that story and help it come to fruition. (My best resource on this is this book (The Story Factor: Inspiration, Influence and Persuasion through the Art of Storytellingl)
I hate to plan, but I motivate myself by remembering how badly things turn out otherwise. This is the wisdom of age.
The purpose of a plan is to help everyone think through all the details and engage in the discussion. The plan is a MacGuffin.
Always go for dinner with the people you are about to negotiate with. Watch how they treat the servers and staff, that’s how they’ll treat you.
Everything you say out loud comes around back into your ears and reinforces that in your brain. Be careful with your words.
It’s easier to steer a ship when it’s moving. There’s the story of the broadway producer who comes into the rehearsal for a show but the dancers are standing around on stage, while the choreographer is sitting with his head in his hands. The producer asks what’s going on and the choreographer replies “I’m not sure what to do.” The producer yells “Well, do something, then we’ll change it!”