Every company, every boardroom in which I sit, has a plan, and they have objectives, goals, and a process. And to make it work, the pressure and incentive have to come from the top.
Vernon JordanRead
I'm here because I stand on many, many shoulders, and that's true of every black person I know who has achieved.
Interpretation
Acknowledging the contributions of others in one's achievements.
This quote highlights the importance of recognizing and valuing the support, sacrifices, and legacies of those who came before us. It underscores that personal success is often built upon the foundation laid by a community of people who have contributed to one's journey, particularly within the context of the black experience in America.
In practice
In a graduation speech, acknowledging teachers and mentors who helped you along the way.
Every company, every boardroom in which I sit, has a plan, and they have objectives, goals, and a process. And to make it work, the pressure and incentive have to come from the top.
But there will come a time and a place to give back, and each individual will recognize that time and place.
We tell ourselves that skill is the precious resource and effort is the commodity. It's the other way around. Effort can trump ability-relentl ess effort is in fact something rarer than the ability to engage in some finely tuned act of motor coordination.
It's easy to be famous today. People pay a million dollars to be recognized, but nobody cares about them. They cared about me because I did things other men were afraid to do. That's why my fans identified with me. They were mostly working-class.
No matter how well you do in the regular season, it has to be capped off with a championship to really mark your legacy in the game.
It's not all about talent. It's about dependability, consistency, and being able to improve. If you work hard and you're coachable, and you understand what you need to do, you can improve.
Excellence is never granted to man but as the reward of labor. It argues no small strength of mind to persevere in habits of industry without the pleasure of perceiving those advances, which, like the hand of a clock, whilst they make hourly approaches to their point, yet proceed so slowly as to escape observation.
If you want to be successful, it's just this simple. Know what you are doing. Love what you are doing. And believe in what you are doing.
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