GOOD

'The heart is the chief feature of a functioning mind.'  

- Frank Lloyd Wright

Our lives do not require a choice between doing that which is moral and that which is logical – in fact, the greatest commitment to good that we can make comes from our recognition of the place of goodness in the world.  I will seek to always operate in a compassionate, morally upstanding manner, and one of which I can be proud.

'It takes twenty years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.  If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.'  

- Warren Buffett  

The long-term value of commitment to doing good is the greatest resource and asset that any firm will ever have.  Businesses compete in a world not often extolled for its integrity; choosing a path of dignity and goodness is a great differentiator.  My every effort is dedicated to elevating that reputation.

'Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.'  

- Colin Powell  

There will certainly be difficult days, but my choice to look onward and upward rather than downward and backward defines my focus.  Goodness is manifested in our choices toward one another – and I will always seek to choose supportive, optimistic views of others.

'Nice goes much further than mean.'  

- Mark Cuban 

My leadership model rests upon a requirement for debate, a necessity for conflict, and an embrace of tension.  Competing priorities fuel effective decision-making; at the same time, conflict and tension should never spill over into harshness or dismissiveness.  Be candid, not cruel.

'I don’t put others down; I talk my team up.'  

- Rex Ryan  

We are not successful because others fail; we are successful because we achieve success.  Winning business through denigration of others or deflecting critique through pointing out others’ foibles is antithetical to my principles.  We are not good simply because others are not.

'Truth is the ultimate power.  When the truth comes around, all the lies have to run and hide.'  

- Ice Cube  

The central foundation of goodness is honesty.  A dishonest person cannot do or be good.  I will strive to be truthful and candid in all my dealings, both internally and externally, and will respectfully but ruthlessly hold my team members to account when we fall short.

'A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties.'  

- Harry S. Truman  

Our economy is a cyclical one – every two or three years, a pundit talks about how they’ve ‘never seen a situation like this before.’  We can choose a positive view in such a situation, or we can choose a negative view – by choosing to view challenges as opportunities, my positive approach will create prolonged success.  I choose to see the good in the world, for it is present in all things.

'You can disagree without being disagreeable.'  

- Ruth Bader Ginsburg  

Passive-aggressive agreement in the service of tranquility is no virtue.  Disagreement – the spirited debate which fuels improvement – is the heart of creating good outcomes, and to recoil from disagreement out of fear of disagreeableness rejects my values.  I choose disagreement.  I choose debate.  It is the path to achieving all great aims.

'The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity.'  

- Dwight D. Eisenhower  

Those who lack integrity will not last long on my team, to be sure.  Those lacking it in a leadership role will have an even shorter tenure.  Integrity at all times, on all things, in all circumstances…this is not something I strive for.  It is something I demand, of myself and of others.

'Whatever is begun in anger ends in shame.'  

- Benjamin Franklin  

Choose to approach life through a curious, not a furious, lens and one will be happier and more successful.  Anger obscures good judgment and creates a barrier to growth.  When emotions run high, I try to remember – I am surrounded by good people with good intentions.

'It has been my observation that most people get ahead during the time that others waste.'  

- Henry Ford  

The industrious use of time is a great demonstration of commitment to good.  To waste others’ time, to squander their most precious resource, is to belittle their value.  I will endeavor to be a leader who properly values time and its effective use; efforts demonstrate priorities, after all.

'He who stops being better stops being good.'  

- Oliver Cromwell  

There is an inherent challenge in the embrace of goodness as a virtue – it requires constant improvement.  Growth, advancement, and change are the watchwords of an individual committed to being and doing good.  I focus everyday on my own growth – by addressing shortcomings, I do more for not only myself, but for others.  We owe improvement to our teammates, and to commit to it is the greatest contribution to goodness of which we are capable.