As spring begins to arrive, it's a great time to reflect on any personal habits we'd like to improve upon whether it's starting new ones, continuing ones that are working well, or even--and this is the hardest part--stopping ones that don't work anymore, now is the time. As we remember our pain points from last year, it's worth recalling investor Ray Dalio's principle around failing well--pain plus reflection equals progress. If you're reflecting, you're progressing and that's good news.
As we adjust our businesses to a digital age where almost anything is available digitally and information gathering is essentially free, it's worth pausing as the summer approaches to think about creating value. In our transactions, our goal as professionals in business is to create value for others consistently. As we think about how and why we do that, here's a great quote to frame the conversation:
"Excellence is not, in fact, a part-time job. You can't just do it when it's convenient or when you feel like it--that's actually the opposite. Excellence is an all-encompassing drive; you're either in or you're out." Steve Fradkin, CEO, Northern Trust (One of the Top 10 Banks in America)
Clark Twiddy, President of Twiddy & Company, is the author of our Leadership Corner, published on our blog the third Tuesday of each month. He can be reached at ctwiddy@twiddy.com.
