Traditional machines, like this water powered mill, supply brute force for tasks like grinding corn and pulling heavy loads.  Each of these machines is much more powerful than any man.  They eliminated lots of jobs that involved life-shortening brutal labor for unskilled workers. 

Modern automated machines (like computers and telephones switches) can perform repetitive tasks much faster and with fewer mistakes than any human.  They are eliminating lots of boring jobs.

There are no machin...

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The standard sports movie includes a scene where the coach makes a big pep talk to spark a come from behind win.  These scenes are good drama, but bad models.  They remind me of a cartoon where the recipient of a Safety Award thanks his boss by saying, “Without trophies like this, I would have no motivation to avoid injuries.”

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The kind of attention that leads to excellence comes out of caring.  The internal result of caring about the task of hand is equally valuable.  Caring turns tedious chores into prideful accomplishments.

When it comes to dealing with other people, I can't always tell how smart or honest they are, but somehow I sense whether or not they really care about the subject and about me.  That recognition of caring makes all the difference in how I react to them.

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Nobody can be the best at everything, but each of us has some strong points.  One key to personal success is making the most of our strengths so we have an area of true excellence.  One key to successful leadership is recognizing the strengths of others so our group can reap the benefits of their excellence.

Don’t pay too much attention to averages.  Many people drown in rivers that have an average depth of less than two feet when they step out of the part that is few inches deep and fal...

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