The Best Time to Plant a Tree is 20 Years Ago

“When a seed is sown into the ground, you cannot immediately see the plant.”— Mamata Banerjee

I was startled on our walk this evening.

I was taken aback by how tall the trees on our playground have grown. They are well over 60 feet tall. When they were planted there twenty years ago they were about as tall as me.

The work you are doing today is planting seeds for the potential of tomorrow.

The coaching you are giving to others is providing them nourishment and sustenance.

Your followup and optimism provide the sunshine needed for growth.

Twenty years ago is a fine time to plant a tree.

It is also best to keep on planting seeds of growth every day.

Yours in the calm pursuit of excellence,

Alan Willett

Endurance Is Not Always a Virtue

by Alan Willett | March 13, 2018 | Leadership | 0 Comments

I have seen leaders show great endurance in leading marathon projects. They are putting in marathon hours. The sweat sheen on them and their teams is obvious, even heroic.

Do You Need a Win?

by alanwillettco | April 3, 2018 | Inspiration | 0 Comments

A client wrote to me recently with a note that said simply “I need a win.” Have you been there, where it feels like you have faced a sudden losing streak and quite simply there is a need for a win? I have. I expect Elon Musk is looking for one with Tesla.

The Reader’s Edge

by alanwillettco | April 25, 2018 | Inspiration | 0 Comments

The exceptional leaders are voracious consumers of information. They listen to audio books, they read books, they seek out others to hear their stories. The things they read spans multiple genres, time periods, and cultures.

ANNIVERSARIES ARE IMPORTANT MARKERS

by Alan Willett | July 3, 2018 | Inspiration | 0 Comments

"Ritual is important to us as human beings. It ties us to our traditions and our histories." — Miller Williams, Poet My wife and I just celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary. Even though real work of building a life together happens in the minutes and hours between...

LEADERSHIP ON FATHER’S DAY

by alanwillettco | June 18, 2018 | Inspiration | 0 Comments

"Welcome to Sherwood!" — Robin Hood Father's Day was a delight for me. My family treated me a number of fun things. I was served breakfast in a hammock. I was treated to a delicious cold milkshake at a local ice-cream shop. My daughter and I have a plan to go buy some...

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by alanwillettco | May 8, 2018 | Leadership | 0 Comments

"I have never had to face anything that could overwhelm the native optimism and stubborn perseverance I was blessed with. " — Sonia Sotomayor One of my best clients and I were enjoying the start of our day at a local coffee cafe. We covered a range of topics and one...

PERSISTENCE, PREY, AND IDEAS

by alanwillettco | June 12, 2018 | Inspiration | 0 Comments

"Language is the means of getting an idea from my brain into yours without surgery. " — Mark Amidon The Washington DC zoo has this very interesting roulette-style wheel located just past the cheetah exhibit. You spin the wheel to find out if you caught your prey, your...

ANTICIPATE INFLECTION POINTS

by alanwillettco | April 9, 2018 | Leadership, Technology, Uncategorized | 0 Comments

"A strategic inflection point is a time in the life of a business when its fundamentals are about to change. that change can mean an opportunity to rise to new heights. But it may just as likely signal the beginning of the end." — Andrew Grover There are a wave of...

PATIENCE, PASSION, PERSISTENCE, PROGRESS

by alanwillettco | May 15, 2018 | Inspiration, Leadership | 0 Comments

"Even though it is not always easy… being a planetary scientist is one of the coolest jobs on the planet!" — Elizabeth (Zibi) Turtle Imagine exploring Titan! And to be clear, I am not referring to the planet Titan of Thanos (Avengers), I am referring to a...

Making the Leap

by Alan Willett | September 17, 2018 | Inspiration | 0 Comments

Paradigm leaps take need, courage, and sweat. You will notice a different look and feel to the newsletter this week. Earlier this year, I became unsatisfied with a few key things and decided to make some changes.