Always plan for the fact that no plan ever goes according to plan.

In this age of omniconnectedness, words like 'network,' 'community' and even 'friends' no longer mean what they used to. Networks don't exist on LinkedIn. A community is not something that happens on a blog or on Twitter. And a friend is more than someone whose online status you check.

A poor leader will tell you how many people work for them. A great leader will tell you how many people they work for.

If someone's performance is down we do not say, 'Hey pick up your things here.' We do not yell and scream at them, we say, 'Are you okay?' The idea of putting our financials goal aside for one minute to express empathy for the human being for that work and saying, 'Are you okay?' That is part of the sacrifice.

Every single organization - or career, for that matter - exists on three levels: WHAT you do, HOW you do it and WHY you do it.

Pushing yourself to be the best is unsustainable. Simply push yourself to be better than the day before.

Good listeners have a huge advantage. For one, when they engage in conversation, they make people 'feel' heard. They 'feel' that someone really understands their wants, needs and desires. And for good reason; a good listener does care to understand.