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Ideas for Impact

Inspirational Quotations #950

June 19, 2022 By Nagesh Belludi

It is not easy to be a pioneer—but oh, it is fascinating! I would not trade one moment; even the worst moment, for all the riches in the world.
—Elizabeth Blackwell (American Physician)

The most dangerous of our impulses reign in ourselves against ourselves. To dissolve them is a creative act.
—Hugo von Hofmannsthal (Austrian Author)

Our masks, always in peril of smearing or cracking, in need of continuous check in the mirror or silverware, keep us in thrall to ourselves, concerned with our surfaces.
—Carolyn Kizer (American Poet)

Better indeed is knowledge than mechanical practice. Better than knowledge is meditation. But better still is surrender of attachment to results, because there follows immediate peace.
—The Bhagavad Gita (Hindu Scripture)

Fools follow after vanity, men of evil wisdom. The wise man keeps earnestness as his best jewel.
—The Dhammapada (Buddhist Anthology of Verses)

When the wish for peace is genuine, the means for finding it is giving in a form each mind that seeks for it in honesty can understand.
—Helen Schucman (American Psychologist)

It takes no genius to observe that a one man band never gets very big.
—Charles A. Garfield (American Psychologist)

Top management is supposed to be a tree full of owls-hooting when management heads into the wrong part of the forest. I’m still unpersuaded they even know where the forest is.
—Robert C. Townsend (American Businessman)

The world has never yet seen a truly great and virtuous nation because in the degradation of woman the very fountains of life are poisoned at their source.
—Lucretia Mott (American Social Reformer)

There is no kin equivalent to knowledge.
There is no friend equivalent to knowledge.
There is no wealth equivalent to knowledge.
There is no happiness equivalent to knowledge.
—Subhashita Manjari (Sanskrit Anthology of Proverbs)

Death is a very dull, dreary affair, and my advice to you is to have nothing whatever to do with it.
—W. Somerset Maugham (British Novelist)

Luck is loaned, not owned.
—Norwegian Proverb

The main purpose of science is simplicity and as we understand more things, everything is becoming simpler.
—Edward Teller (American Nuclear Physicist)

Filed Under: Inspirational Quotations

Don’t Manage with Fear

June 16, 2022 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Stop Leading Through Fear---Gain Commitment, Not Compliance The ability to rouse fear has forever been an essential tool of management. Fear can be an effective mobilization tool in the short term. But fear breeds complicity, not commitment.

Instead of fear-based tactics, try soft power. Build trust and gain influence using these methods.

  1. Develop an inspiring vision. Work hard to follow through on implementing that vision and celebrate even little accomplishments along the way.
  2. Communicate expectations. Ask, “How can I help you do your job better?” Follow up. No need to keep everything too close to the vest. You needn’t tell everything you know, but what you say and do has to be true.
  3. Solve problems quickly. Push for results. Set aside some time for review and create options or actions that are apt for your team’s situation. Be tough where you must be, kind where you can be.

Idea for Impact: Don’t take the fear approach with employees. With motivation, fear works—up to a point. Understand how your people view your leadership style and ensure your behavior doesn’t cross the line between pushing them hard and pushing them away.

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  3. To Micromanage or Not?
  4. Avoid Control Talk
  5. 20 Reasons People Don’t Change

Filed Under: Effective Communication, Leading Teams, Managing People Tagged With: Assertiveness, Coaching, Feedback, Human Resources, Likeability, Manipulation, Persuasion, Relationships, Workplace

Great Jobs are Overwhelming, and Not Everybody Wants Them

June 13, 2022 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

One of my friends, a senior executive at a Fortune 500 firm, recently said, “no, thank you” when asked if he’d like to be considered for the post of CEO of his company.

My friend is an ideal CEO candidate: he’s accomplished and well-liked, he’s about 10 years from retirement, he’s been a company “lifer,” and he’s worked hard grabbing the gold ring.

Great Jobs are Overwhelming, and Not Everybody Wants Them When I asked what caused this change of mind, he reflected, “At what cost, however?”

Well, his response wasn’t unexpected. A successful corporate career demands a high level of performance for sustained periods.

Ambitious professionals, especially top performers, have started to think differently about the tradeoffs of a demanding job. They’re asking questions such as “How much is enough?” and “If I get that job, what is it that I’m giving up?”

Most new CEOs are overwhelmed, disclosing that their jobs are more demanding, complex, and stressful than expected. Little wonder, then, that the average CEO’s tenure has gotten shorter over the years.

The brutal reality is that CEOs have less time than ever to prove their worth. The tolerance for mistakes and short-term underperformance has really gone down.

CEOs have to perform or perish. The CEO job is no longer a tenured role, and the ground has shifted over the decades. Several factors have made the jobs of business chiefs much more complicated than in the past. There’s immense pressure to produce consistently excellent results and keep everybody satisfied. It’s so stressful just working hard to keep the job. Then there’s the unremitting pressure of walking a tightrope; managing the conflicting interests between various stakeholders is exhausting.

Ceos Have Less Time Than Ever to Prove Their Worth CEOs’ performance must be more transparent than ever due to the never-ending demands imposed by global competition, geopolitical volatility, technological disruptions, ever-watchful regulators, increasingly engaged boards, and the specter of activist shareholders. A job with such challenges can quickly overwhelm, and CEOs end up working days, nights, and weekends in a futile attempt to pull free. They feel guilty about sacrificing precious family time for their work.

Above all, CEOs feel lonely at the top—being “where the buck stops,” they don’t have anyone to confide in. CEOs tend to isolate themselves due to the overwhelming responsibilities and the pressure to appear calm to employees.

Idea for Impact: Not everybody wishes to climb the top of the ladder. A high-pressure climate is not for everybody. Remember, burnout happens not when you work too much but when you invest emotionally in work and don’t get a commensurate return.

Wondering what to read next?

  1. The Truth About Work-Life Balance
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  3. Why You Can’t Relax on Your Next Vacation
  4. How to Combat Burnout at Work
  5. Is Your Harried Mind Causing You to Underachieve?

Filed Under: Career Development, Health and Well-being, Living the Good Life Tagged With: Assertiveness, Balance, Career Planning, Getting Ahead, Mindfulness, Stress, Time Management, Work-Life

Inspirational Quotations #949

June 12, 2022 By Nagesh Belludi

Nothing is so good that somebody, somewhere will not hate it.
—Frederik Pohl (American Author)

Don’t sacrifice your life to work and ideals. The most important things in life are human relations. I found that out too late.
—Katharine Susannah Prichard (Australian Writer)

Strange how love coexists with hate, how they render each other mute, how the swilling of them together makes a new and softer, sympathetic thing.
—Sonya Hartnett (Australian Novelist)

The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.
—William James (American Philosopher)

We cannot be saved until we have risen above all our enemies, not the least of which is ignorance.
—Joseph F. Smith (American Religious Leader)

I weigh the man, not his title; ’tis not the king’s stamp can make the metal better.
—William Wycherley (English Dramatist)

How easy it is to judge rightly after one sees what evil comes from judging wrongly!
—Elizabeth Gaskell (English Novelist)

The person who renders loyal service in a humble capacity will be chosen for higher responsibilities, just as the biblical servant who multiplied the one pound given him by his master was made ruler over ten cities.
—B. C. Forbes (Scottish-born American Journalist)

A bird in the hand is a certainty, but a bird in the bush may sing.
—Bret Harte (American Author)

Patience can’t be acquired overnight. It is just like building up a muscle. Every day you need to work on it.
—Eknath Easwaran (Indian Meditation Teacher, Author)

Naggers always know what they are doing. They weigh up the risks, then they go on and on and on until they get what they want or until they get punched.
—Jools Holland (English Musician, TV Presenter)

Even if happiness forgets you a little bit, never completely forget about it.
—Jacques Prevert (French Poet)

I was given talent, and if you are given it, it is your obligation to use it.
—Dennis Potter (English Dramatist)

That as long as we are being remembered, we remain alive.
—Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Spanish Novelist)

Oh, God! that bread should be so dear! And flesh and blood so cheap!
—Thomas Hood (British Poet, Humorist)

An error is simply a failure to adjust immediately from a preconception to an actuality.
—John Cage (American Composer)

He that has no charity deserves no mercy.
—English Proverb

Filed Under: Inspirational Quotations

Dreams and their Significance in Buddhism

June 11, 2022 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

There are psychological, spiritual, and prophetic aspects when it comes to interpreting dreams. In Buddhism, dreams are symbols that reflect situations from your waking life. Now deriving the exact meaning of your dreams is a bit of a tricky process because dreams are never seen as straightforward messages. Most of what you experience in your dreams is an indirect mirroring of the highs and lows of your real life.

Let’s dive deeper into what Buddhism believes about dreams.

Dreams and their Significance in Buddhism

From a psychological perspective in Buddhism, dreams refer to your internal thought process. They reflect the ideas that constantly circle your consciousness. And find a way to get reinforced in your dreams, making your subconscious mind aware of them. The forms of how these thoughts or ideas appear in your dreams might vary, and deciphering them depends on how you interpret them.

A typical dream cycle, as per Buddhist beliefs, has five stages. The first stage is when you start to feel sleepy, and the second stage is when you sleep light. The third stage is a phase where you turn into a deep sleeper; the fourth stage is when you return to your transitional phase of light sleeping. And the fifth stage is when you wake up completely, thereby completing the entire sleep cycle.

Spiritual Dreams in Buddhism

If you know about how Gautama attained enlightenment, you would know what spiritual awakening means. He was “awakened” to become Lord Gautama Buddha. He successfully achieved the heights of spiritual enlightenment through his ascension journey. Once he attained the highest form of spirituality marked by serene calmness, he was totally free from the shackles of all negative energies affecting unawakened humans, such as ego, dread, regret, and guilt. This ultimate stage of enlightenment is characterized by complete harmony. It depicts the balance between your deep-set emotions, your body, and your mind.

Think of this as something that resembles aligning of your chakras. It indicates that when the flow of internal energies in you strikes the perfect balance, your negative emotions and your physical pain can no longer affect you. You not only become capable of controlling your body but also your mind leading to a great mind-body-spirit connection. And this balance has a huge role to play in your physical and emotional well-being.

Did you know that Lord Buddha experienced a series of seven symbolic dreams before he attained enlightenment? It is also believed that these dreams prophesied and revealed his spiritual awakening.

Thus, according to Buddha, dreams are more complex than you think. Buddha’s theory of dreams states that you cannot shape or bend your dreams to do evil or bad things. It surpasses your willpower and is against ethics with no karmic influence at all.

Popular Stories About Dreams in Buddhist Folklore

According to the legend, a god or deva was playing a game with his fellow gods in Devlok or the abode of gods. One of the gods decides to rest for a while and dies in his sleep, only to be born as a mortal. The mortal being goes through the normal cycle of life and death.

She grows up to be a beautiful girl, gets married, gives birth to children, and passes away due to old age, completing the cycle. But, it is believed that when she dies, she is transported back to where the devas are playing, coming full circle back to being born as the god who is resting.

He wakes up from his nap, indicating the rebirth of the woman who died on earth. In this case, the entire life cycle of the girl is equated to the short siesta of the god.

Milinda Panha is a popular Buddhist text representing conversations between the Indo-Greek king Menander or Milinda, the king of Bactria. And his teacher, the famous Buddhist monk named Nagasena.

Milinda Panha states the six reasons or origins of the occurrence of dreams. Wind, phlegm, and bile are the first three natural causes of dreams. Spirits or unexplained invisible forces form the fourth reason why dreams occur to you. A repeat of past episodes is the fifth reason causing dreams. And Prophetic messages foretelling the future are the sixth cause why dreams are experienced.

It is believed that of all the causes of dreams mentioned above, the dreams of prophetic visions are the most important. They are the significant premonitions predicting the future for you.

Buddhism also believes that several other factors also contribute to the triggering of dreams. These include anxiety and psychological stress, physical exertion, and identification of innermost thoughts. Getting on the same page as these thoughts finally contributes to mental peace.

Bonus Read – Wisdom is a treasure! Explore the popular stories related to the Goddess of wisdom in different mythologies around the world.

Significance of Dreams in Buddhism

The dreams that channel your stress and anxiety are rarely prophetic in nature. They simply are a representation of your thoughts running through your conscious mind all day. The most impactful memories or emotions hijack your waking mind.

However, they stay hidden in your conscious and get a chance to process and play themselves in your subconscious while you are dreaming. When we dream, we tend to lose our major senses and get disconnected from the real world. This gives your subconscious mind a free hand to explore and understand your innermost thoughts with extreme liberty.

The dreams caused due to physical ailments or hurt also do not contribute to spiritual awakening. They might have little to no importance if you are trying to interpret such dreams at all. External disturbances around you, including natural events such as rain, storm, cold, etc., might also trigger such dreams.

For example, gloomy weather caused by heavy rains and dark clouds can have a negative effect on your mood in waking life. This mood can pretty much find a way to sneak into your subconscious and appear in your dream, indicating irritability.

Everyone cannot experience prophetic dreams or straight-up premonitions. It is a rare phenomenon. But if you happen to see them, you must make every effort to interpret them. These dreams let you experience the spiritual world located in a different plane of existence. Prophetic dreams have the power to help you connect with the intangible universe or realm. This way, you could connect to your dead loved ones as well as the gods.

Buddhism believes that the gods you seek connection with, warn you of mishaps ahead of time in order to protect you. They also foretell good things that will happen in the future through your prophetic dreams.

Yet, such dreams speak the language of symbols and need to be deciphered with care.

Dreams also occur when two overly attached individuals seek connection through telepathy. And telepathy is only possible when your waking mind slips into a subconscious state to process these messages.

Conclusion

According to Buddhism, a new life begins in the dream world after your so-called real life ends. So what is seen as a mock-up of waking life emotions in your dreams is actually perceived as reality.

It signifies traveling to and exploring multiple other unknown universes that you may not even be aware of in your real life. That is why Lord Buddha is called the enlightened one, as he is truly beyond all the aspirations and does not yearn for more.

He achieved the supreme state of tranquility and did not need any dreams to attain a higher level of consciousness. Simply because he now stands right on top of the world with the highest degree of enlightenment.

Filed Under: Inspirational Quotations

How are You: Always Have to Say ‘Good’

June 9, 2022 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Don't ask 'How are you?' if you're not going to listen with genuine respect and interest

“How are you?” is usually meant less as an actual question and more a greeting-on-autopilot—a casual call-and-response.

The unwritten rule of conversation is that you’re expected to reply with nothing more than a declaration of utter satisfaction with life.

People aren’t usually interested in hearing the real answer. Responding with a “Well, to be honest, I’ve been kind of down today. Had a bad day at work” could be a faux pas. You aren’t supposed to burden every interlocutor with your situation, particularly with people who aren’t close.

So “how are you?” isn’t a bad thing to say at all—most of the time. But, there’re occasions, readable with empathic awareness, when you shouldn’t ask someone how their day is going unless you’re going to listen to their response with genuine respect and interest.

Idea for Impact: Showing that you care about people can do wonders, but if you don’t care, don’t feign that you do—people can see through it.

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Filed Under: Managing People Tagged With: Conversations, Etiquette, Getting Along, Likeability, Networking, Relationships, Social Life, Social Skills

Be Kind … To Yourself

June 6, 2022 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

'Fierce Self-Compassion' by Kristin Neff (ISBN 006299106X) In Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power and Thrive (2021,) University of Texas-Austin’s Kristin Neff argues that self-acceptance and self-compassion—being good to ourselves—makes us more likely to adopt healthy behaviors.

Neff summarizes numerous studies that have suggested that self-compassion is associated with overall well-being: “The more you’re able to accept yourself, the more you’re able to make positive, healthy changes in your life.”

The most important relationship you’ll ever have is the relationship with yourself. Learn to pay attention to your thoughts and feelings. Put your needs on top; give yourself compassion and comfort. Listen to your restlessness. Feelings of agitation can lead to a new life of purpose. True self-awareness can help you learn what drives you, what excites you and motivates you.

Self-Compassion: Be Kind ... To Yourself Neff suggests creating moments within each day and practicing meaningful self-care. Do something nice for yourself: take a walk in the woods, meditate, play with a pet, call a friend for support, journal, or indulge in a hot bath.

Idea for Impact: Pay attention to your self-talk and speak to yourself the way you would to someone you love, “What do you need right now?” Dwell upon that question and allow an authentic answer to emerge. Then, ask, “What’s one brave decision you can make now to get unstuck and move in the direction of your goals? What’s stopping you from getting started?”

Wondering what to read next?

  1. What Are You So Afraid Of? // Summary of Susan Jeffers’s ‘Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway’
  2. Heaven and Hell: A Zen Parable on Self-Awareness
  3. I’ll Be Happy When …
  4. Sometimes You Should Stop Believing // The Case Against Hope
  5. Perspective is a Fabulous Gift. Your Life is Your Contribution.

Filed Under: Living the Good Life Tagged With: Attitudes, Balance, Discipline, Emotions, Mindfulness, Motivation, Resilience

Inspirational Quotations #948

June 5, 2022 By Nagesh Belludi

What is forgiven is usually well remembered.
—Louis Dudek (Canadian Poet, Publisher)

I have always felt that a politician is to be judged by the animosities he excites among his opponents.
—Winston Churchill (British Head of State)

Why is it so difficult to love wisely, so easy to love too well?
—Mary Elizabeth Braddon (English Novelist)

Writing is thinking on paper.
—William Zinsser (American Writer, Editor)

The punishment of desire is the agony of unfulfillment.
—Hermes Trismegistus (Greek-Egyptian Author)

The successor to politics will be propaganda. Propaganda, not in the sense of a message or ideology, but as the impact of the whole technology of the times.
—Marshall Mcluhan (Canadian Thinker)

The big problem is not the haves and the have-nots—it’s the give-nots.
—Arnold Glasow (American Businessman)

Most teams aren’t teams at all but merely collections of individual relationships with the boss. Each individual vying with the others for power, prestige and position.
—Douglas McGregor (American Sociologist)

‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.
—Alfred, Lord Tennyson (British Poet)

Temperance is moderation in the things that are good and total abstinence from the things that are foul.
—Frances Willard (American Temperance Campaigner)

He who gives little gives from his heart; he who gives much gives from his wealth.
—Turkish Proverb

Nothing is so awesomely unfamiliar as the familiar that discloses itself at the end of a journey.
—Cynthia Ozick (American Novelist, Essayist)

My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all.
—Stephen Hawking (English Theoretical Physicist)

Freedom is not merely the opportunity to do as one pleases; neither is it merely the opportunity to choose between set alternatives. Freedom is, first of all, the chance to formulate the available choices, to argue over them—and then, the opportunity to choose.
—C. Wright Mills (American Sociologist)

Finding bad reasons for what one believes for other bad reasons—that’s philosophy.
—Aldous Huxley (English Humanist)

Do not commit the error, common among the young, of assuming that if you cannot save the whole of mankind you have failed.
—Jan de Hartog (Dutch-American Author)

Filed Under: Inspirational Quotations

How to Lead Sustainable Change: Vision v Results

June 2, 2022 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

In the Drucker Foundation’s Leader to Leader (1999,) Harvard Business School professor John Kotter proposes one of my favorite visuals on the essence of noticeable results that bear witness to a leader’s vision of change:

How to Lead Sustainable Change: Vision v Results

This illustration encapsulates why some organizational change initiatives succeed while others never get off the ground or break down after a while. Kotter observes,

Results and vision can be plotted on a matrix that has four dimensions. Poor results and weak vision spell sure trouble for any organization. Good short-term results with a weak vision satisfy many organizations—for a while. A compelling vision that produces few results usually is abandoned. Only good short-term results with an effective, aligned vision offer a high probability of sustained success.

Idea for Impact: The only way a leader can produce a well-paced, sustainable, and transformational change is by mobilizing the people around her to appreciate the benefits for them in her vision of the desired future. Ongoing results oblige visibility into progress and will catalyze the organization’s commitments.

Read Kotter’s Leading Change (1996,) an influential missive on change management.

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Filed Under: Managing People, MBA in a Nutshell Tagged With: Coaching, Discipline, Feedback, Leadership Lessons, Management, Motivation, Performance Management

Nuts! The Story of Southwest Airlines’ Maverick Culture // Book Summary

May 30, 2022 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Kevin & Jackie Freiberg’s Nuts! Southwest Airlines’ Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success (1996) is a popular tome about the history and culture of Southwest Airlines and the fun-loving antics of its colorful co-founder and CEO Herb Kelleher (see my tribute.)

'Nuts- Southwest Airlines' by Kevin and Jackie Freiberg (ISBN 0767901843) Despite its Pollyannaish tone and repetitive narratives, Nuts| is a very enjoyable cheerleaders’ account of how an underdog overcame roadblocks and thrived in a competitive industry.

Nuts| focuses on the people-oriented culture that Herb and his secretary Colleen Barrett established based on Herb’s well-known dictum, “The business of business is not business. The business of business is people.” To Herb, Southwest was a cause—never just a company. The Freibergs write,

If there is an overarching reason for Southwest Airlines’ success, it is that the company has spent far more time since 1971 focused on loving people than on the development of new management techniques. The tragedy of our time is that we’ve got it backwards. We’ve learned to love techniques and use people. This is one of the reasons more and more people feel alienated, empty, and dehumanized at work. Many organizations today would be surprised at how much more people would be willing to give of themselves if only they felt loved.

Southwest Airlines---Employee Culture

Nuts| is dreadfully out-of-date. Southwest and the airline industry have changed a lot since the mid-90s. Southwest even stopped handing out peanuts to protect passengers from peanut-related allergies.

The miracle at Southwest Airlines could keep on only so long. As long as Herb was the CEO, employees would go the extra mile for the sake of Herb. Until his retirement in 2001, Herb preserved Southwest’s unique cost structure and work rules. Kelleher’s successor, Jim Parker, presided over mounting labor tensions and quit after just three years. CFO Gary Kelly replaced Parker in 2004. Bob Jordan became CEO in 2022.

The going has not been smooth for Kelly. Southwest has become more like the other carriers regarding employee relationships and cost structure. The rehabilitated legacy airlines and a new breed of ultralow cost carriers have chipped away gradually at many of Southwest’s apparent competitive advantages. Yes, customers still rave about Southwest’s friendly staff, unpretentious service, and flexibility in travel planning. However, Southwest hardly ever has the lowest fares on most routes. In fact, Southwest’s average fares have outpaced the industry by 12% since 2009.

Miracle of Southwest Airlines: Employee Culture

Recommendation: Speed-read Nuts! … it’s full of original insights, upbeat stories, and concrete suggestions for principle-centered leadership and how to inspire people to achieve incredible results. Here are the key takeaway lessons:

  • Even a little respect goes a long way. Give employees responsibility and entrust them to take that responsibility.
  • Herb Kelleher on Southwest Airlines Tail---Employee Culture Set the ground rules—and let employees be creative. “Culture is one of the most precious things a company has, so you must work harder at it than at anything else.”
  • Give your employees some skin in the game, and they’ll go the distance. Southwest claims, “We have credibility because we tell people what we’re going to do and then we do it.”
  • Empower workers to make decisions at the customer level. Employees who feel they have leeway in their jobs to make the “right decision” depending on circumstances are happier, more confident, and more productive. They’ll even give extra—because they believe their work has special meaning and is not just a job.
  • Make sure people feel they can be themselves and have opportunities to express individuality.
  • See yourself as a motivator and a positive force. When things go wrong, accentuate the positive and focus on a path to a solution. It’s an approach that employees will admire and want to emulate.
  • Build a sense of community. Foster the feeling of a “family” in which employees can count on each other professionally and personally.
  • Recognize that employees have lives outside of work. Celebrate every milestone to establish and strengthen relationships. The walls of Southwest’s headquarters are covered with pictures and commemorative plaques of picnics, community service awards, customers’ commendation letters, service employee milestones, and tributes to important cultural events.

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  5. “The Business of Business is People” and Other Leadership Lessons from Southwest Airlines’s Herb Kelleher

Filed Under: Leadership, Leadership Reading, Leading Teams, The Great Innovators Tagged With: Employee Development, Entrepreneurs, Leadership Lessons, Motivation, Persuasion

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About: Nagesh Belludi [hire] is a St. Petersburg, Florida-based freethinker, investor, and leadership coach. He specializes in helping executives and companies ensure that the overall quality of their decision-making benefits isn’t compromised by a lack of a big-picture understanding.

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