It's not enough to be close to the customer. You've got to be glued to the customer.

Make an extensive table of project 'deliverables'. Label one column 'as requested'. Create another column labeled 'could be'. Make each 'could be' wild and woolly!

It may be primarily property taxes in the case of a public library, or state taxes and tuition in the case of an academic library at a public university, but the funding sources of most libraries continue to have a strong geographic component.

Think about the market, think about the design, and think about who is going to design for that market. Hit the mark.

When you choose a managerial path, you are choosing to devote your life to people. Period.

An ability to embrace new ideas, routinely challenge old ones, and live with paradox will be the effective leader's premier trait.

A while back, I came across a line attributed to IBM founder Thomas Watson. If you want to achieve excellence, he said, you can get there today. As of this second, quit doing less-than-excellent work.