Our Principles

We have learned two ways to approach this principle in the book. Challenge drives innovation and Hit the Wall. Challenge is fundamental for every great leader. You have to challenge yourself to rise above, and the same applies to your colleagues and employees.

These challenges will inevitably lead us to run into walls that we can't get past. Our reactions to challenges define us. Do we sit down and cry or do we accept the challenge and climb over the damn wall? It’s OK to ask someone for help. The main thing is to get over the wall.

Once we get over that wall and celebrate our success, the next wall will come and present us with the next challenge. With each wall we overcome, we will become more alert and better in our personal development. We learn and build our experience. This process should never stop, because it keeps us and our brain young and fit.

There are always people out there who either won’t or can’t understand you. The former are driven by conscious or unconscious prejudices and the latter are held back by their own possibilities. The question now is how much time you spend on them. How much time and energy do you invest in convincing them of an idea? 

I suggest you make this decision quickly but carefully. Quickly because time is precious, but carefully because if you are seen as capriciously dismissive, your work environment will suffer. As hard as this might sound now, it's not your job to fix the gaps in basic knowledge within your audience. If you realize that they are not capable of understanding you, make adjustments. Revise your language and arguments and try again or stop talking to them. 

Albert Einstein once said, "If you can't explain it easily, you haven't understood it well enough," so do some soul-searching and come up with a tactic, but again, don't waste your time. Time is the only thing we are given in this life, and how you choose to invest it will determine how far you will go. 

You need to be happy where you are, whether it's in your professional or personal life, in your role, or in your relationship. If you are not happy where you are, your brain will develop avoidance strategies to keep you from going where you are not happy. 

Why would you want to be in a place that makes you unhappy? This contradiction, that is, voluntarily putting yourself in a situation that is unpleasant for you, creates a cognitive dissonance. That is, a discrepancy between what is expected to happen and what actually happens. Your brain can't resolve this discrepancy for the time being and slowly goes into defense mode. Every brain handles this differently, and some start a real fight. And there you go, you're in a mess. 

That's why it's so important to take care of your mental health by making sure you're happy where you are. Remember that where most people are is not necessarily where you're happiest. Go your own way and find your own place. Don't let anyone tell you that here or there is better or worse. Don't just listen to your brain, listen to your gut.

Usually we confuse excuses with explanations, and to be honest, there is a very fine line between the two. Sometimes that line is very hard to find, and there are a lot of psychologists who may have different definitions than I do. For me, the most important difference is the internal attitude. An apology usually comes in the form of an excuse and has emotional aspects, while an explanation is a clear statement without any form of blame.

Take responsibility and don't put it on someone or something else. Taking responsibility is hard and is one of the first things to practice on the way to becoming a great leader. It is hard because we have to accept that we are not perfect and there is no higher authority to blame for our mistakes.

Don't apologize for anything. You did it on purpose, and you have to stand by it. And more importantly, never apologize for what you are. Whether you are black, white, a woman, a man, tall or short, fat or thin, or whatever else. It's nobody's business because it's you. It must depend on your performance and if the company and the employees do not value your performance, it is either not and you need to work harder on yourself or the company is the wrong one and you should leave it as soon as possible.

Some people confuse excuses with explanations, and there is a fine line between the two. But the distinction is clear, and dependent on your internal attitude. An excuse is meant to deflect blame away from yourself while an explanation is meant to provide information. An apology can contain elements of both: Insincere apologies shift blame while sincere apologies acknowledge responsibility. An explanation is a clear statement of what happened.
Take responsibility. This is hard and is one of the first things to practice on the way to becoming a great leader. It is hard because we have to accept that we are not perfect and there is no higher authority to blame for our mistakes.

Don't make excuses to deflect. You did it on purpose, and you have to stand by it. Never apologize for what you are. Whether you are black, white, a woman, a man, tall or short, fat or thin, it's nobody's business because it's you. Any assessment must depend on your performance and if the company and the employees do not value your performance, you need to work harder on yourself or the company is the wrong one and you should leave it.

Of all that is written, I love only that which someone has written with his blood. Write with blood, and you will find that blood is spirit. Says Zarathustra right at the beginning of the chapter and this is for me one of the deepest wisdoms in his book. If you want to do something, do it with passion and full dedication. Do it as if your life depended on it and don't let anything stop you. Then you'll be pure inspiration and you'll sweep other people away. Don't talk, do.