Surround yourself with people who take their work seriously, but not themselves, those who work hard and play hard.
Interpretation
Choose to associate with individuals who are dedicated and serious about their work yet maintain a sense of humor and balance in life.
This quote by Colin Powell emphasizes the importance of surrounding oneself with people who are committed and passionate about their work. However, it also underscores the value of joy and lightheartedness, suggesting that individuals who can balance seriousness with playfulness foster a positive and productive environment.
In practice
During a team meeting, I shared this quote to inspire collaboration and lightheartedness amongst the team.
Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier. I am talking about a gung-ho attitude that says 'we can change things here, we can achieve awesome goals, we can be the best. 'Spare me the grim litany of the 'realist;' give me the unrealistic aspirations of the optimist any day.
One of the fondest expressions around is that we can't be the world's policeman. But guess who gets called when suddenly someone needs a cop.
Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence.
If you get the dirty end of the stick, sharpen it and turn it into a useful tool.
High-quality early-childhood programs and health coverage have expanded, and the number of mentoring relationships for at-risk youth has risen dramatically. That progress is encouraging, but it's not evenly distributed.
As I've thought about gay marriage, I don't see any reason not to say that [couples] should be able to get married.
Leadership is hard to define and good leadership even harder. But if you can get people to follow you to the ends of the earth, you are a great leader.
I feel a real sense of duty to use the voice and the platform I've been afforded by my fame to speak out for those whose voices don't get a chance to be heard.
If we want girls to receive positive reinforcement for early acts of leadership, let's discourage bossy behavior along with banning bossy labels. That means teaching girls to engage in behaviors that earn admiration before they assert their authority.
It is impossible to imagine anything which better becomes a ruler than mercy.
Systems, coaches, and directors or club presidents do not win games - players do, they are the only people who can make a significant difference once that game starts.
If you have to control people, you have to have an administrative force that does it. So in U.S. industry, even more than elsewhere, there's layer after layer of management - a kind of economic waste, but useful for control and domination. And the same is true in universities.
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