I’ve believed this for so long that I can’t remember not believing it.  I know because of this I tend to see other statements supporting my belief in almost every book I read.  I know you have what you believe to be a superior product or a state of the art service model and you are certain 2016 will be “your year.”  You have prepared the operating budget to support your plan and the necessary capital investments are being made – please don’t forget the necessary investment in human capital, personal and professional.

To close 2015 a few selections from recently completed items on my reading list:

From “41, A Portrait of My Father” by George W. Bush: “The Watergate experience confirmed a key lesson: A leader must surround himself with people of good character and set high standards.  Watergate also reinforced the importance of personal relationships.  Nixon seemed to have few real friends. A cost of his isolation was that he had no one to keep him grounded or talk him out of his worst instincts.”

From “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch: “I know you’re smart.  Everyone here is smart.  Smart isn’t enough.  The kind of people I want on my team are those who will help everyone else feel happy to be here.”

From “Operation Jedburgh – D-Day and America’s First Shadow War” by Colin Beavan.  This fascinating account of the behind enemy lines campaign that helped make the Normandy invasion possible has a quoted communication to Washington headquarters from the American Franklin Canfield who was charged with pitching the plan to the “military higher-ups”:  “Success of the plan depends exclusively on one thing; qualified personnel to carry it out.”