The Song of Significance

And the final quadrant, the most important one, is the work with high stakes and high trust. This is significant work, important work, work on the edge. This is the work that creates human value as we connect with and respect the individuals who create it.

Yes, we need to make a living. But how do we make a life?

Like most important words, translating a concept like the Japanese term kokoro is difficult. It means heart, spirit, mind, and self. It’s the inner and outer expression of who we are and what we’re capable of. Even if you don’t speak Japanese, the word is likely to resonate. It’s an expression of our personhood, the dignity and connection we seek i

Here are some questions we can begin with, every time we set out to do our work together. And yes, they’re worth asking out loud, worth answering in writing, and worth committing to the answers: What’s the specific change this team is going to make? What’s my personal role in making that change happen? What do I need to learn to support or lead thi

The people you hire to follow instructions are rarely the people who will help you build something of innovation and substance.

Significant Organizations Create an Impact They earn more money. Attract better employees. Change more lives. Raise more donations. Offer better work environments. And the only thing you need to create that impact is to give up merely doing your job and start leading instead. More isn’t the point. Better is.

Real value is no longer created by traditional measures of productivity. It’s created by personal interactions, innovation, creative solutions, resilience, and the power of speed.

another series of questions we can ask after we’re done: Did we ship on time? Did we make big promises (to our customers, sure, but also to our coworkers) and keep them? Did we relentlessly make the work better? Did we seek discomfort in the process of stretching to innovate? Is our theory of change, process, and creation improving? Did we ask hard

The conductor of an orchestra doesn’t make a sound. He depends, for his power, on his ability to make other people powerful. BEN ZANDER, BOSTON PHILHARMONIC