A 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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On Monday, I shared a great leadership quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the day of remembrance of the leader. There is another quote from him that I have always liked. It’s not specifically about leadership, but it could still be applicable to what a leader encounters – it was definitely applicable to what Dr. King encountered.

Great quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.:
“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”

This line is from Dr. King’s book published in 1963, Strength to Love in the fourth chapter, Love in action.

Every time I read this quote, I tend to smirk and let out a little chuckle, but if you really think about what Dr. King is speaking about, it’s not funny at all. Take a look at most of the problems in our modern world; take another look at most of the problems throughout history. How many times do you encounter “sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity?” Whether it’s the suicide bomber who kills himself in order to kill people he doesn’t even know with very little discrimination or the KKK member who violently acts out in hatred against a group of people because of the pigment of their skin. Need I continue: the holocaust, nearly every war, slavery…?

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Martin Luther King Jr

Today is Martin Luther King Day. Four days before he was assassinated, Dr King gave a speech at the Episcopal National Cathedral in Washington DC. During his speech, Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution, he gave us a great quote about leadership.

Great Orator

There is no question that Dr King was great with words. He definitely had tremendous influence and he made a lasting impact on our society. He made this world better. Mostly known as a great orator whose lines “I have a dream,” “This is our hope” and “Let freedom ring” are among the most popular and quoted lines of modern history.

Great Leader

There is also no question that Dr King was a great leader.  His philosophy of leadership is the true culmination of his life.

Quote about leadership from Dr Martin Luther King Jr:
“Ultimately a genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus, but a molder of consensus.”

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Today’s is a quick post, but I’ve found another great quote that nearly sums up everything that I have written about success and failure. You can credit a great man and notable leader with hitting the nail square on the head with a single swing.

Quote about Success and Failure from Sir Winston Churchill:
“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.”

Keep failures in perspective: failures happen and then there’s success - fail, persevere, learn, and then succeed.

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A Winston Churchill quote about learning from (from his autobiography, A Roving Commission: My Early Life):
“Where my reason, imagination or interest were not engaged, I would not or I could not learn.”

“The ultimate test of an information system is that there are no surprises.”

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

“It’s much easier to sell the Brooklyn Bridge than to give it away.  Nobody trusts you if you offer something for free.”

“A decision is a commitment to action.  No decision has, in fact, been made until carrying it out has become somebody’s responsibility.”

“Workmanship is essential:  In fact, an organization demoralizes itself if it does not demand of its members the highest workmanship.”