More than a year ago I met a former client for coffee and a chat. As we caught up on our career and life events something unexpected happened: she began to quote my words back to me.
Apparently several times during our conversations while working together, I had said something that impacted her thoughts and perspective enough she felt it important to write down in a notebook.
I asked her about it and she proceeded to pull a small notebook from her bag. I was a little surprised and a more than a little embarrassed, which she quickly picked up on and smiled. ‘Don’t worry.’ she said ‘You’re not the only one in this book.’
After we started working together in a coaching engagement, she began to hear other words of wisdom from people around her and she started to captured those in her book as well.
From that coffee chat, I was reminded that we are all influencing each other all day long. You just never know what words you will share that will have a profound impact, especially as a leader.
For that reason I too began to capture words of wisdom that I encountered. Some of them were from the people I encountered in my day to day conversations while others were from things I read. But instead of just capturing them for myself, I wanted to share them with others so that we could all have the opportunity to be inspired and so #WisdomWednesday was launched.
It’s been a year since I began capturing and sharing wisdom and I wanted to compile all of those words here. Enjoy the wisdom and may one of these thoughts inspire action in you.
7/23/2014 #wisdomWednesday Quotes from people I’ve encountered in my life: “No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.”
7/30/2014 #wisdomWednesday Quotes from people I’ve encountered in my life:
“When in doubt, just take the next small step.”
8/6/2014 #WisdomWednesday Quotes form people I’ve encountered in my life: “Often, leading by example is the most persuasive technique there is.”
8/13/2014 #WisdomWednesday Quotes form people I’ve encountered in my life: “Busywork isn’t important work. I don’t measure success in check marks.”
8/20/2014 #WisdomWednesday Quotes form people I’ve encountered: “No one is in charge of your happiness or career success but you.”
8/27/2014 #WisdomWednesday quote from people I’ve encountered in my career: “If a scientist never makes a mistake, he’s doing nothing. Admitting it is another thing altogether.” This one is from a brilliant project manager.
9/3/2014 #WisdomWednesday quote from people I’ve encountered in my career: “Data itself is neutral. How you present it and influence others’ interpretation is what makes it positive or negative.”
9/10/2014 #WisdomWednesday quote from people I’ve encountered in my career: “Never surprise your boss when in a meeting with his boss.”
9/17/2014 #WisdomWednesday quote from people I’ve encountered in my career: “Over prepare, then go with the flow.”
9/24/2014 #WisdomWednesday quote from people I’ve encountered in my career: “before you can become a great anything, first you have to decide TO be great.”
10/1/2014 #WisdomWednesday quote from people I’ve encountered in my career:
“Processes are important, but relationships get things done.”
10/8/2014 #WisdomWednesday quote from people I’ve encountered in my career:
Your true leadership persona shows up when you are behind closed doors
10/15/2014 (10/16 actually) #WisdomWednesday quote from people I’ve encountered in my career: “It’s better to be late than never show up.”
10/22/2014 #WisdomWednesday quote from people I’ve encountered in my career: “A leader’s job isn’t to do great things, it’s to clear the way for others.”
10/29/2014 #WisdomWednesday quote from people I’ve encountered in my career: “To read fast is as bad as to eat in a hurry.”
11/5/2014 #WisdomWednesday Quote from those who have crossed my professional path: “Focus efforts on what you do well, less on fixing what you don’t.”
11/12/2014 #WisdomWednesday Message framed on a senior leader’s desk:
“He who knows others is learned. He who knows himself is wise.“
11/19/2014 #WisdomWednesday about effective meetings:
“If you don’t want to know my perspective, don’t ask me to the meeting.”
11/26/2014 #wisdomWednesday quotes from pros I’ve encountered “Never let tech make the decisions, choose the tech that meets your needs”
12/3/2014 #WisdomWednesday quotes from pros I’ve encountered: “You can’t avoid risk in business. Whether you act quickly or wait, there is risk.”
12/8/2014 [Did not post]
12/17/2014 #WisdomWednesday quotes of influential leaders: “Simply select the right project at the right time and especially for the right reason.”
12/24/2014 #WisdomWednesday Quotes for influential leaders I’ve encountered: A leader who puts work before family has a short shelf life.
12/31/2014 #wisdomWednesday ‘Adults sometimes forget childhood lessons, like the difference between storytelling and telling stories.’
01/07/2015 #WisdomWednesday Very impactful quote from early in my career: To teach is to learn twice.
1/14/2015 #WisdomWednesday quote from people I’ve encountered in my career:
You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
1/21/2015 #WisdomWednesday quote from people I’ve encountered in my career:
A wise leader listens with an open mind and a closed mouth
1/28/2015 #WisdomWednesday quote: The less people think, the more they talk.
2/4/2015 #WisdomWednesday quote from thinkers I’ve read in my career: Time makes more converts than reason. (Thomas Paine)
2/11/2015 #WisdomWednesday quote from thinkers I’ve read in my career: A leader leads by example not by force. (Sun Tzu)
2/18/2015 #WisdomWednesday quote from thinkers I’ve encountered in my career: Wisdom is learning what to overlook. (William James)
2/25/15 #WisdomWednesday quote from thinkers I’ve encountered in my life
Say what you have to say, not what you ought. (Thoreau)
3/4/2015 #WisdomWednesday Quotes from everyday people that impacted my thoughts: Don’t like my answer? Change your question.
3/11/2015 #WisdomWednesday Quotes from everyday people that impacted my thoughts: What is it you are assuming about this situation?
3/18/2015 #WisdomWednesday: If you can’t give me a strong why, you haven’t convinced yourself. If you’re not convinced, you can’t convince me.
3/25/2015 #WisdomWednesday Quotes from everyday people that impacted my thoughts: What are you measuring and why?
4/1/2015 #WisdomWednesday Quotes from everyday people that impacted my thoughts: what do you want in this situation – right now?
4/8/2015 #WisdomWednesday Quotes from everyday people that impacted my thoughts: What is possible in this situation? What is not?
4/15/2015 #WisdomWednesday Quotes from everyday people that impacted my thoughts: Why did you choose that (tool, location, person, word)?
4/22/2015 #WisdomWednesday I overheard someone reading aloud: Let your boat of life be light, packed with only what you need..
4/29/2015 #WisdomWednesday Quotes from everyday people that impacted my thoughts: You decide: happy or sad, need or want, yes or no.
5/6/2015 #WisdomWednesday curated Powerful Questions
what are you assuming about the other person?
5/13/2015 #WisdomWednesday curated Powerful Questions
What’s next?
5/20/2015 #WisdomWednesday curated Powerful Questions
what is your responsibility to this moment?
5/27/2015 #WisdomWednesday curated Powerful Questions
How high do the stakes need to be before you act?
6/3/2015 #WisdomWednesday curated Powerful Questions
Who are you trying to please?
6/10/2015 #WisdomWednesday curated Powerful Questions
What don’t you know, that you don’t know?
6/17/2015 #WisdomWednesday curated Powerful Questions
If you weren’t scared what would you do?
6/24/2015 #WisdomWednesday curated Powerful Questions
what is the most important thing for you to accomplish today?
7/1/2015 #WisdomWednesday quotes from fav authors: ‘plans are just ideals, not reality.’ Ht @zen_habits
7/8/2015 #WisdomWednesday ‘Why is it that the words we write for ourselves are always so much better than the words we write for others?’ HT-Finding Forrester
7/15/2015 #WisdomWednesday ‘Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.’ – Voltaire
7/22/2015 #WisdomWednesday “The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.” – Ayn Rand
Will there be more?
