Innovation can come from some surprising "corners".... be ready and be open!!

 

It may seem odd that I touch on the topic of "Innovation" and use heirloom tomatoes as my inspiration.  It is from this "surprising corner" of our garden this spring that I am reminded of the unusual and unexpected sources of "Innovation," and I want to encourage leaders to be open, willing and ready to be surprised as innovative ideas/products/processes show up on their radar screens.

I have been an avid gardener my whole life and come from a family of very keen gardeners.  My paternal grandmother ( "MaMa") kept a large garden for decades, canning green beans, pickles, stewed tomatoes and other treats that she grew herself.  My brother is a master gardener, and produces an incredible array of fruits and vegetables every year.  As for me... a self described gardening "novice," my focus is on tomatoes... and specifically two varieties of heirloom tomatoes.  One variety has been raised in my family for decades... certainly more than 50 years... and maybe longer than 75.  MaMa raised them for years in her garden, then my father kept up the tradition, then passed the seeds along to my brother and me.  I have raised them for more than 25 years and have shared the seeds with friends and fellow gardeners across the globe.  Its a determinate ( only grows to a limited height) tomato plant, with serrated leaves, that puts off orange "tennis ball" sized fruit that show a faint pink stripe when ripe... I call them "MaMa's old stripers." The second variety was given to me by the parents of my childhood friend Dave Carfang.  This variety has been grown by his family or ours since the mid 1970's, and is an indeterminate ( grows to an unlimited height) tomato plant, with smooth edged leaves, and produces very large pink fruit... sometimes between 1-2 pounds per tomato... and we call them the "Carfang big pinks."  Every year I keep the seeds from one exceptional tomato from each variety, prepare them and set them aside for the following season.  This year that process has produced some unexpected outcomes... an unexpected "Innovation"...that I only recognized once the seedlings were transplanted into the garden. 

The picture above is of this "unexpected innovation" which came from the seeds of a single  "Carfang big pink" from last summer.  It's tall, growing well and the same height as the other "big pinks'... but it has serrated leaves..just like the "old stripers!"  Over the decades that I have been growing the "big pinks," I have never seen this phenomenon... this permutation.... this "innovation" before!  The first picture below is of a small "old striper" in the garden today (note the height and serrated leaves) and the second one is of a "big pink" plant, also in the garden today(note the height and the smooth leaves.)  I have no idea what this "new tomato plant" will produce, or whether it will actually bear fruit this season.... but I can't wait to see!!  I knew that heirloom tomatoes (unlike hybrid varieties) are open pollinators and could be "open" to cross pollination... I just had never seen it before and was certainly not setting out to create a new varietal!

I will keep everyone posted on the progress, and hopefully the fruit, of this new tomato variety... but I share this story to make a point.  I have been gardening for decades... and my family has been "in the garden" for more than 100 years for sure.... and this little "new" tomato plant has blown me away!  In that same spirit... as leaders of businesses, organizations and teams I want to encourage each of you to be ready to be surprised by innovations in areas that you thought you knew very well... areas that you have worked on for years or maybe decades. Be ready... be open ... be flexible for the innovations happening in "your gardens" right now and enjoy the process and get excited about the unique/unexpected examples of "Innovation" that may surprise you when you are least looking for them!

Leaders leading leaders

 

Over the past few weeks, I have found myself in various conversations with several friends, most of whom are currently leading companies or large teams and the topic of “Leaders leading leaders” keeps coming up.  In one of those conversations, I was asked if I had written an essay on this topic, and if so, could I shoot it over.  After a quick check of the 285 essays that are up online (hard to imagine that I am creeping up on 300!!) while I have covered the topic of “Leadership” a ton, I have NEVER explicitly talked about the unique reality/responsibility of “Leaders leading leaders.”  As one grows in their career, you often start as an individual contributor, having your personal impact in your assigned role, building skills and understanding about the role, the organization, etc.  Over time, you might be promoted to a team leader… leading individual contributors and starting to build your craft as a leader.  The reality is with success, team leaders advance and start becoming leaders of larger teams, departments or organizations and ultimately starting to become “leaders of leaders.”  This dynamic is a crucial and important step and is often fraught with challenge and often failure… I hope that the following three ideas/concepts may help you navigate this career progression step with grace and impact.

Looking back over my archive of essays on leadership, there are three that I want to utilize as foundational to the idea of being successful as a “leader of leaders.”

Authenticity: The foundation of a leader.  Let’s go back to 2009 and the lessons from my old boss from Kimberly-Clark, Bruce Paynter.  Bruce was diagnosed with ALS in 2008, and I have the chance, and the honor to spend a lot of time with him and his family in 2009 up until his passing that July.  Bruce had a huge impact on me when I worked for him in the mid 80’s and those months/weeks and days I had with him before he passed are still fresh for me and alive with insights.  Just a few weeks before he passed, I was in a hospice facility with him, and he wanted to talk about this idea… that “Authenticity” was the foundation of a successful leader.  You can read more about that moment in the essay from 2009 (https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2009/06/authenticity-foundation-of-leadership.html) but in my experience, this idea is so deeply true.  First and foremost, as a leader YOU need to work hard on YOUR authenticity… ensuring that your words and actions are aligned along the “rail of authenticity” that Bruce described.  Then, and only then, can you help your direct reports who are leaders find THEIR own authentic voice, help them align their words and actions closer to the “rail of authenticity, helping them with the work of being open and authentic broadly to their organizations.

Leader as teacher:  Over my 40-year career (another “hard to believe” number) I have had the chance to work with some very impactful and inspiring leaders across organizations… and this lesson comes from a former CEO of The Coca- Cola Company… Neville Isdell.  In 2004 as he returned to the company, he led an effort that he called “The Manifesto for Growth,” working to re-energize the company and the broader global bottling system into a period or rejuvenation and “growth!”  I had the chance to be part of that process, working with about 100 other Coke execs from across the globe… it was an intense, exhausting and energizing ( yes those two ideas go together) process; the output was excellent and very productive.  In one specific session, Neville pushed us as leaders to not wait to be told what to do… but to have a unique point of view.  He stopped himself in mid-sentence… correcting himself to say no, not just a point of view… I need leaders who have a “teachable point of view!!!”  you can read more here (https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2009/05/teachable-point-of-view.html) but this idea of “leaders as teachers” is the second concept that I want to highlight.  As you grow in your career, wanting to have a broader and stronger impact, your role as a leader is actually limited by your physical capacity for output if you think of yourself as a singular communication point.  If you think of your leadership model as a teacher… touching/teaching/impacting a multitude around you it allows your impact to grow exponentially…. Especially if you start affecting the leaders around you to be “teachers” as well.

Three impact points of leadership: My final concept to help “Leaders of leaders” is based on a very simple principle depicted here.  

  The idea that as a leader you are ALWAYS working the “three impact points” (https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2009/03/three-impact-points-of-leadership.html) but they are not always in this order!  Sometimes focusing more on inspiration, sometimes more on education, sometimes more on direction.  An effective leader is ALWAYS toggling this triangle and rethinking each of the impact points for every interaction.  “Leaders of leaders” do this on two levels… in one vector you are approaching your team, your reports and your organization and determining the focus areas and the needed alignment of the three impact points.  You are also helping your direct reports who are leaders think through THEIR use of the three impact points…. THEIR approach to THEIR teams… coaching them on ways to “inspire/educate/direct” that are authentic for THEM!!

 

As “leaders of leaders,” I hope you can use these three ideas with your teams.  As I reflect across my career, I often go back to these three concepts (Authenticity/ Leader as teacher/Three impact points of leadership) as foundational lessons for me as a leader … and core ideas that help me be a better “Leader of leaders.”  My hope is that these ideas are helpful to you and that you can bring them to life so that they are productive for you and your organizations today!

 

Leaders...nourish your spirit!

It may seem like an odd topic to highlight, but I have had a number of conversations with friends/associates recently that have brought this issue front and center.  The mixture of  "normal" business issues, combined with fast changing economic trends, credit market fluctuations, global tariff challenges and (for many) a dizzying amount of political dynamics/stress/conflict in Washington and across the globe has increased stress, anxiety and uncertainty for leaders across the board.  New headlines emerge every day... sometimes every hour... that seem to promote stress and unpredictability in markets all over the world and certainly in businesses closer to home.  Its in this stress-filled context that I am suggesting that we as leaders NEED to think about and take actions that help to promote our own stability and well being... find ways to "nourish" our own spirits!

With this background set, it probably seems odd that I highlight a restaurant ( pictured here) in

Bakersfield California... my dear old 24th st. Cafe!  During my time at Bolthouse Farms... 2009-2015 and then again in 2019-2024, I spent a lot of time in Bakersfield California and became very fond of that rough and tumble town.  Very similar to the world I grew up in outside of Pittsburgh Pa., Bakersfield is a working class town, filled with a very diverse set of hard working folks, mainly working in the Ag & Oil industries, proud of their town and heritage regardless of what others may say.  During my second stint with Bolthouse Farms, after buying the company back from Campbell's, I commuted from Atlanta to Bakersfield almost every week and ultimately kept an apartment on the far west side of town.  The business challenges for all of us buying the company back, carving it out of Campbell's, and reversing massive revenue and profit declines were extreme... and that was without us knowing that Covid was lurking 9 months in our future.  The stress and challenges of leading Bolthouse Farms through Covid were certainly the hardest of my career, and probably my proudest professional accomplishments without question.... but my stress was sky high and my spirit NEEDED nourishing !

The 24th cafe was a favorite breakfast haunt before Covid, but after it re-opened it became a regular stop on my early drive to the plant.  Opening at 6am, many mornings I was one of the "early shift" at the restaurant, sitting down at the counter getting my coffee, ordering breakfast and catching up with Crystal and Donna... both who worked early every morning.  This routine was not just a way to "grab breakfast"... it became an important way for me to get set for the day of unknown challenges that would lie ahead... nourishing my spirit along with my body.  While I loved the food and miss it now that I have retired, I look back to those early mornings at the counter and am so appreciative that it was there for me... a quiet spot where I could be strengthened for the day ahead.  That memory... that reality is needed now for so many of us just like it was needed for me back in 2020-2023.

One reality for leaders across industries and organizations is that we are always so visible.  Our organizations watch and listen to us so closely... whether in live settings, and on "zoom calls."  I was floored recently when someone on a zoom call who I have worked with for years noted that I had moved a few books and a hat on the shelf behind my desk in my home office.  They had seen me on zoom for years and actually were somehow tracking what was in my background.  It was a good reminder that leaders are so visible in so many ways; sure the books and hat that I had moved were noted, but it reminded me that other less "physical" changes are also often seen by our teams.  A leader's stress, anxiety, shortness of temper, etc. are all easily seen and felt by an organization and while I will NEVER advocate being in-authentic as a leader... I am advocating that we need to take action to manage ourselves... manage our stress... and to nourish our spirit when we are "feeling the challenges" of the moment.  By nourishing our own spirit, we are inherently nourishing the spirit of the entire organization.

This idea also translates into personal relationships.  Recently we had some dear friends over for dinner, and after the meal we sat together and the conversation veered to today's political reality.  While I don't use this blog for personal political ends,  I am never shy to share where I stand on things and I joined in with the conversation where all four of us were beyond angry/frustrated/worried/discouraged with what is happening with the current administration in Washington.  After sharing frustrations and examples of the "latest abomination"... Global tariffs and an emerging trade war, Greenland nonsense, CDC defunding, Elon Musk antics in Wisconsin, destabilizing relations with historic allies, and the list kept growing... we took a breath ( or two!) and  talked about what we can and should be doing right now in opposition to this Washington chaos.  We talked about supporting legal groups taking action in the courts to slow/stop/reverse a number of the actions being led by the administration.  We discussed the importance of the mid-terms and special elections and the need to work/support key candidates in key toss-up races.  Finally, I suggested that we needed to "nourish our spirits" for the battles ahead.

 Yes it's a crazy time right now, but odds are that it will be even crazier in the weeks and months ahead and that we need to be ready and strengthened for the fight ahead.  Just coincidentally I had baked sourdough bread that morning and I cut our friends a big piece of the loaf to take home and suggested that it would make great toast in the morning...a way to"nourish your spirit to start you day."  While not quite exactly like sitting at the counter at the 24th st. Cafe, the idea is the same.  Find ways to protect and strengthen your spirit for the challenges ahead... whether in business, politics or broadly in life.... find your 24th st. Cafe, your sourdough toast or whatever is best for YOU as a way to strengthen and nourish your spirit.

postscript: here we are just a few days after posting this essay and all I have to say is "Wisconsin has spoken"... and the trade wars have begun.  Musk's efforts to "buy" the Wisconsin state supreme court election has failed completely and The President's unilateral "highly regrettable" (a quote from the Japanese Prime Minister) tariffs have been deployed causing a dramatic negative global market reaction.  It is a wild ride indeed and is clearly going to get wilder before it gets calmer.... and we need to be a strong, resolute and as clear-eyed as possible... I am working hard to "nourish my spirit" for the battles ahead and I hope you do the same!

  

“Legacy” requires action !

 

 

With a blog titled “Find Your Legacy,” it’s not difficult to uncover the plot of my story.  For the past 16 years, 275+ essays, and over 180k pageviews I have been focused on this idea from many angles.  Literally 20 years ago, in the spring of 2005, I published a “little book” with this title as a leadership “training tool” when I was an executive at The Coca- Cola Company.  I have been thinking about, speaking about, and writing about “Legacy” for decades now and I keep learning new lessons on the topic and a call I received last week shed new light on that exact issue. To maintain confidentiality, I will use “L” rather than the actual name of the caller.

 

Early last week, my cell rang and out of the blue I saw that “L” was calling.  “L” is an executive at Bolthouse Farms whom I have known for many years and whom I worked closely with when we bought the company back from Campbell’s in 2019.  I literally hadn’t heard from her since my retirement party in Bakersfield, late January 2024, and I wondered if everything was ok.  Quickly “L” assured me that all was well with her, her family and her professional life and that she was calling just to say “thanks,” and candidly I hadn’t a clue at that second what I should say “your welcome” for!!  She reminded me that back in 2021/2022 she met with me several times to work on an area of her development plan that she struggled with … she hated speaking in public.   I remembered us working on a number of her presentations, role playing in different settings and different group/audience sizes and I remember her making good progress in our work sessions.  She shared on the call last week that she had taken those early “lessons” and kept working on this area, and that just recently she had become the head/chair/president of the “toastmasters chapter” at the company and that she wanted to share that news and say thanks.  I was floored, humbled and so proud of “L”, now head of the “toastmasters chapter” … and starting from those humble “lessons” behind the admin building at Bolthouse Farms.

 

I was so touched by her call, so proud of her and wished her the very very best as we hung up the call last week.  Clearly a moment of “Legacy” alive in world today… but a “Legacy” story that had a clear reminder to me personally.  I thought back to those early “lessons” with “L” and remembered that the reason we met outside behind the admin building was that we were in the heat of Covid and beginning the process of trying to vaccinate (on site) the employee population.  It was incredibly stressful, and an incredibly busy time (business results were getting shaky as well) and I remember back to 2021 wondering whether I really had time for the “lessons” with “L.”  I was commuting to Bakersfield from Atlanta on top of it all and I came close to NOT being available for those “lessons,” NOT being generous with my time, NOT taking action to pass along a little “legacy” that might help the next generation of leaders at good old Bolthouse Farms.  I came close to really blowing it… and thankfully I didn’t!!

 

Even after all the years, decades, essays and speeches I am reminded once again that OUR legacy that we leave behind every day is based on our ACTIONS…. not our INTENTIONS!  WE need to continue to work on our actions and find ways to ACT generously as leaders, look for ways to leave our legacy… or maybe just have time for a few “lessons” outside behind the admin building … with our teams today regardless of the pressures/challenges of the moment!

 

 

Work the “problem” not the “worry”…

 

 

The challenges of business, and life more broadly, can at times seem overwhelming.  As we close out calendar Q1 2025, the changing landscape of consumer demand, industry disruptions, global tariffs, expanding federal layoffs, uncertain global alliances, and literally the list goes on and on.  Every week… and sometimes every day ( every hour??) there are announcements and updates that make all of us take a step back and wonder/worry about the path ahead.  We ask ourselves, our families and our friends a myriad of unanswerable questions.  What if the administration shuts down this agency or that department… what if the economy goes into a minor/major correction…what if layoffs hit our family or company…etc…???  The questions, the fears, and the “worries” seem to expand and its hard to know which way to turn, or what action to take next.  Candidly, when surrounded by fears/worries its common for all of us to get into a sort of “spin” where the worries take over and productive “forward focused” action seems elusive.

 

Recently, I was in a conversation with a good friend and work colleague who seemed surrounded by business concerns/worries.  While the business is flourishing, the competitive pressures, customer requirements and board expectations are all increasing.  Add those business dynamics to todays’ uncertain political and economic landscape, and the conversation became centered on a growing list of “worries.”  After a few minutes of empathetic listening, I blurted out (in full “rainman” style) “you need to work the problems, not work the worries.”  My odd outburst stopped the conversation’s direction immediately, and I was asked what I meant by “work the problem, don’t work the worry?”

 

I shared that I TOTALLY understood and shared in the anxiety/worries that this person was facing.  It is a crazy time and its hard to determine which way to turn, or what action to take on any given day, or at any given hour!  In my experience I have seen moments of massive uncertainty before… I think back to the attack on 9/11, the global financial meltdown of the great recession in 2008/2009, the onslaught of the Covid pandemic in 2020, or the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the capital to name just four!  In each of these incredibly intense, world-shaking moments the fears/anxieties/worries seemed insurmountable… yet here we are.  In each of those moments, I had leadership roles in businesses that needed my immediate attention and focus…. and action!  In each of those situations I needed to refocus myself on the real problems/challenges/issues that we were facing and “work the problems!”  Yes the worries were still there… yes I still had fears and anxieties (and probably didn’t sleep very well during those days of crisis) but I worked hard to put the worries to the side and work the problems at hand.

 

In my conversation, I shared a few stories from the past and specifically talked about how it felt to be leading a large company through the first few months of covid.  There was no playbook… we didn’t know what to do… there weren’t any vaccines as of yet… it was so scary and yet we needed to work on two basic concepts… keep the business running and make the workplace safer that our employee’s homes.  Those two concepts… those two “problems” became our complete focus and it actually allowed our front-line leaders to focus in as well on those two ideas for their departments and their teams… and it worked!  Yes, the fears and anxieties were still there and yes, the madness of that moment would persist for months (and years), but the focus on “working the problems” at hand really helped us find our way thought those VERY uncharted waters!

 

Just as I shared with my work colleague, take a look at your world today, and I am sure that worries abound. Its natural and understandable.  Work hard to find a way to put the worries to one side, and work on the core problems that face you as a leader today… and work to focus your teams energies toward productive problem solving, vs spinning on the worries/anxieties that surround us all.

 

I have known her for my entire life and will miss her forever

 It is with a heavy heart this morning that I pass along the news about the passing of our dear "Aunt Lorraine."  Lorraine has been a large, loving and powerful presence in my life for the entirety of my 63 years and I will miss her dearly and deeply forever.  I share this news here because over the years I have referenced her across numerous essays, and probably the widest read story being the one focused on her now famous "Aunt Lorraine's Law"  ( https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2009/03/aunt-lorraines-law.html) 

Below is the obituary that I drafted yesterday, and that we are posting this week.  Join me in remembering her smile, her generosity, her recipes, and more broadly her legacy. 

 

Lorraine Ann Wark Diamond
January 19, 1933 – February 15, 2025

Lorraine Ann Wark Diamond, 92, of Tom’s River, New Jersey, passed away on February 15, 2025, after a long and fulfilling life. Lorraine was born on January 19, 1933, in New York City to Fred and Kunigunda Wark. She was the beloved sister of Arline Marie (Wark) Levisay and the cherished aunt to Mark, Bill, and Alice Levisay.

Raised in Brooklyn, New York, Lorraine attended PS 104 (The Fort Hamilton School) before graduating from high school in 1954. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics from The Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. After completing her education, Lorraine began her career at General Foods Corporation before joining the world of advertising at Young & Rubicam (Y&R) where she ran the test kitchens. For over 30 years, she worked at Y&R’s 40th and Madison offices alongside her friends, Audrey Wardly and Barbara Badyna, and her husband, Alfred Diamond.

Lorraine lived for many years in Baldwin, New York, with her parents, Fred and Kunigunda Wark. After their passing, she married Alfred Diamond in 1975, and they enjoyed a loving marriage until Alfred's passing in 1994.

An avid traveler, Lorraine explored many corners of the world, with a special fondness for Zermatt, Switzerland. After retiring from Y&R, she moved to Tom’s River, New Jersey, to be closer to many of her dear friends including Audrey Wardly and Herbie Smarro.

Lorraine was an ever-present and supportive figure in the lives of her niece and nephews after the death of her sister Arline in 1974. Known affectionately as “Aunt Lorraine,” she was a constant source of love, humor, and strength. Her independence, sassiness, generosity, and caring nature left a lasting impact on all who knew her.

Lorraine will be deeply missed and forever remembered for her sharp wit, loving spirit, and dedication to family.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly asks that donations be made in Lorraine’s memory to Lutheran World Relief. 

"Do Fewer Things Better: redux.... a focus on executional excellence!

 

It was over 12 years ago that I first posted an essay focused on this idea of doing "fewer things better."  you can see the original essay here. ( https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2012/09/do-fewer-things-better.html)   Here we are today in early 2025, in what seems like a really different world form 2012, new roles/companies for me, new technology dynamics with AI exploding, new global political dynamics... and yet this simple idea continues to reverberate in my thinking and the requirements for leaders to get A LOT done continues to grow.  Getting "A LOT" done is not my focus here... my desire is to talk less about how much we are getting done, I will not celebrate the phrase "I am multitasking my brains out" in this essay!  Quite the contrary, I will be centered on the quality of our work as leaders, and the executional excellence of our companies/teams/organizations.

One reality that is common for me today as it was in 2012 was and is feeling very lucky to be part of high growth organizations.  Its in that context that I wrote, 

 "I have had the chance to be part of a very dynamic, high growth company, working closely with a group of very inspired, motivated, and talented individuals. One reality of a high growth environment is that the scale and challenges of the business are often out-stripping the capabilities and capacities of the organization. Unlike many big companies that go through their every 2-3 year “reorganization” cycles, looking to cut costs when they can’t find/create real top line growth, we are constantly feeling the need to have the organization “catch-up” to the changing needs/challenges/size of the business. Because of this growth dynamic, individuals and teams are often stretched as their markets/customers/brands accelerate. This reality spans functions and departments all across our company, and mine is no exception."

This idea that "individuals and teams are often stretched" beyond their current capabilities and capacity as they grow is exhilarating and nothing new.  As leaders we need to realize this and navigate a tough balancing act... to drive for growth and to build the capabilities and capacity of our organizations AND execute with excellence.  I push myself to not fall into the trap to think that this is an either/or dynamic.... we can grow a ton OR execute brilliantly... that is an unacceptable leadership trap/headest... it's an "AND" not an "OR"thing!

This focus lead me to write about a conversation from that time that illustrates this point, 

 "I was talking with two of my talented leaders and we were working through the facts that there seemed to be just too many priorities for them and their teams, and at that moment certain things seemed to be falling through the cracks. It wasn’t a matter of skills or motivation; it was clearly an issue of prioritization. I asked them how MANY of the projects/initiatives they thought were getting accomplished, and they said maybe 80-85%. Additionally I asked them to grade their work on how WELL they thought they were accomplishing the projects, A to F. They both thought that maybe a B or B+ would be the right score. I suggested that is if we were getting a B+ of 85% of the work, then our “score” wasn’t an overall B+/85%, but rather a 72 ( 85 x 85 = 72.3) We needed to combine how MANY of the projects were being accomplished with how WELL they were being done. Were we really working so hard just to do average work? Does the business need/require just “average” work to accomplish “exceptional” results??? It was at the end of this conversation that the three of us came to the point of view that we needed to do more A+ work even if it meant us prioritizing the work even more dramatically."

This idea of a combined score of 72%, barely a passing "C," was not what those leaders from 2012 were working so hard to achieve, and its not the expectation that we as leaders need to set today! This dynamic will push all of us to step back for the moment and think about prioritization and focus for ourselves and our teams.  If we can decipher between "what's important" and "what's urgent," then how can our teams?  In a well read historic essay, "The tyranny of the urgent" ( https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2010/11/tyranny-of-urgent-5-for-2.html),  I used a simple matrix to depict this idea.

As you can see this model pushes us as leaders to get this clear first for ourselves ....how are WE spending our time and where is our focus ???  Then, and only then can we work with our key leaders to do the same for our companies.  My experience guides me to realize that WE ( and I am including myself here for sure) spend too much time in quadrants #3 & #4, we push ourselves to think about quadrant #1, and NEVER spend enough of our time and focus in quadrant #2.  Writing this essay, and candidly you reading this essay is literally time spent in #2!

I will close in the exact same place as I did in 2012, we all need to work on this, we as leaders need to model this and help our teams bring it to life in their challenged, hectic, "get more done" worlds every day,

"Once we have done a better/stronger job prioritizing the work at hand (for the week/quarter/year/etc), then we must commit ourselves to strive for excellent work on the initiatives that we’ve prioritized. I know it will never be perfect. I don’t believe in”perfect,” nor do I believe that “practice makes perfect.” I DO believe that “practice makes better” and that we all can work hard on making tomorrow better than yesterday. My focus is on working to do “fewer things better”, maybe even taking a few initiatives/priorities off the plate so that we as an organization can improve our focus, and improve our “grades” on the quality not just quantity, of our work."