“We think of the cost of small mistakes as ìtuitionî on the way to learning more about how to make the business better. We even have an annual SureChoice Award that we give to the employee who made the best NEW mistake. This fosters a culture of learning from our mistakes since mistakes are inevitable in a growing business. We have a culture where it is okay to make a new mistake but not okay to make the same mistake twice.”

“Fast-paced decisions, though expedient at the time, often ignore the long-term implications. What does the decision mean for employees? How does it fit with the organization’s overall strategy and direction? What is the long-term cost vs. the short-term benefit?”

“Warning: Never say, “I know how you feel.” As soon as you do, the prospect will reflexively think, “You don’t have the foggiest idea how I feel!” and immediately stop listening. No matter how clever your patter, the connection will be damaged, so watch your words carefully.”

“Anita Sharpe makes an interesting connection between leaders who don’t sleep a lot and business success. One IBM exec sleeps five hours a night. Martha Stewart sleeps four hours a night (although I wonder how much of that lost sleep is because of, well, legal concerns and worrying about adjusting to prison life). Lifeway Foods’ CEO sleeps four hours a night. In the past, we’ve written about power-napping centers and hotel chain design strategies. But perhaps we’re on the wrong track. Do we need to sleep more? Or less?”