The middle of every successful project looks like a disaster.
Interpretation
Success often comes with challenges and setbacks, especially during the process of a project.
This quote highlights the reality that the journey toward success is often messy and chaotic. At the core of many successful projects lies a period that may appear disorganized or overwhelming, yet it is during this tumultuous phase that essential progress is being made. The key takeaway is to embrace the struggle and chaos that can accompany the pursuit of goals, as they are often indicators of growth and development.
In practice
In a team meeting, discussing the hurdles faced during the project phase.
Tribalism reflects strong ethnic or cultural identities that separate members of one group from another, making them loyal to people like them and suspicious of outsiders, which undermines efforts to forge common cause across groups.
Organizational structures that allow divisions and departments to own their turf and people with long tenure to take root creates the same hardened group distinctions as Congressional redistricting to produce homogeneous voting blocs - all of which makes it easier to resist compromise, let alone collaboration.
The way innovating companies are designed leaves ambiguities, overlaps, decision conflicts or decision vacuums in some parts of the organisation. People rail at this, curse it-and invent innovative ways to overcome it.
The boomers' biggest impact will be on eliminating the term 'retirement' and inventing a new stage of life... the new career arc.
I've found that small wins, small projects, small differences often make huge differences.
Leaders is the new organisation do not lack motivational tools, but the tools are different from those of traditional corporate bureaucrats. The new rewards are based not on status but on contribution, and they consist not of regular promotion and automatic pay rises, but of excitement about the mission and a share of the glory of success.
I've accomplished so many things in basketball. I financially secured my kids' life and their future. I'm just happy. I'm just blessed. So anything that I'm not awarded doesn't matter because I've been rewarded enough in this lifetime.
Writing careers are short. For every 100 writers, 99 never get published. Of those who do, only one in every hundred gets a career out of it, so I count myself as immensely privileged.
I came to Paris with four Γ©cus in my pocket, and Iβd have fought with anybody who told me I was in no condition to buy the Louvre.
The rewards of my life have been great. I built a company; I left things better than I found them. I have a good reputation. I put the Vanguard shareholders and crew first. That's a huge thing.
Luck is earned. Luck is working so hard at your craft, service or enterprise that sooner or later you get a break.
Don't just let your business or your job make something for you; let it make something of you.
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