Institutions too often focus their energy preserving the problem to which they are a solution than to innovate their way to success.

People who behave rarely make history.

Is the game plan you are currently running the most direct path to your destiny?

If organizations are focused on a purpose, something that will make the world a better place and leave a big impact, people can rally behind that mission. If a company is only about making money, it's hard to unleash passion. If there's a big WHY that the company is working to solve, passion will flow like the amazon.

Mistakes aren't fatal; they are merely the portals of discovery.

We can no longer rely on the rules of the past to win.

Business today is all about improvisation, which is the essence of jazz. Perhaps in the past we could just follow the operating manual and do what we were told, but today the world is too complex and fast. Today it's all about real-time innovation and creativity. Individuals may get hired based on their resumes, but they'll get promoted and reach their dreams based on their ability to create. In that context, being a jazz musician was the best MBA I could have ever received.