Blog about Leadership

Too many people are standing still. They are neither moving forward nor stepping back. It is one thing to encounter failures and setbacks in life, but, in my opinion, it is even worse to not try because you may fail. If you introduce me to someone who never fails in life, I will introduce you to someone who never achieves anything worthwhile.

Quote for Leaders from Conrad Hilton:
“Achievement seems to be connected with action. Successful men and women keep moving. They make mistakes but they don’t quit.”

Conrad Hilton (1887- 1979) was the American hotelier who founded the Hilton Hotel chain.

Achievement, more than money, fame, or glory, seems to be the measure of success for a lot of entrepreneurs and other professionals. Some use money as a measurement for achievement, but it’s the working toward, realizing, and adding to achievement that is the true motivator.

People who achieve are self-driven. They don’t require someone to tell them what to do; they find out what needs to be done and do it.

My grandfather taught me this lesson when I worked with him during my teen years. My grandfather developed land and built residential homes; I worked with him because of my interest in real estate. He put me to work with carpenters, electricians, and the like; although my interest was more on the business side of real estate. I didn’t start as a good worker. I mostly did what I was told and then stopped working until the next task was given to me. Anyone who has been around a construction site knows how much cleaning up needs to be done; whether it be removing scraps of wood or cleaning up sawdust, there is always work to be done until the project is complete. When I didn’t work on a specific task, my standing instruction became “clean up.” I quickly learned how to find more tasks and didn’t wait until I was told. And I started to achieve more, because I got more done.

The action that leads to achievement is not the same as busy work – the menial tasks that always need to get done. Rather, it’s the action that impacts directly with the project. Learning how to focus your energies and turn on the action has a direct impact on what you are able to achieve. As with many other things, the more you work on something – “practice, practice, practice” – the better you work.

Work on the action that leads toward achievement and the more you will achieve. When you make mistakes, remember the 3 Steps for How to Respond to Failure. Also, keep in mind that “action” is an important part of leadership – Formula for Successful Leadership.

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