No" is always an easier stand than "Yes.

The goal of winning is not losing two times in a row.

Everything looks like a failure in the middle.

I've found that small wins, small projects, small differences often make huge differences.

A basic truth of management - if not of life - is that nearly everything looks like a failure in the middle.

What being among the 'right people' entails is the possession of human capital, rather than organizational capital: an individual reputation, portable skills, and network connections. Career responsibility is squarely in the hands of individuals, a function of their knowledge and networks. Transferable knowledge is more important to a career than firm-specific knowledge.

A vision is not just a picture of what could be; it is an appeal to our better selves, a call to become something more.