Don Soderquist Quotes

“Do whatever you’re asked to do. No job is too small or menial that it doesn’t need to be done well. And no one is too good for those small jobs."

I frequently ask leaders if they know what their personal values are, and most say yes. Then I ask them: 'Have you written them down?' Most say no. Values are incredibly important! They determine who we really are—what our character is, the real you when the mask is off.

Trust is the foundation of all life's relationships. It is an essential ingredient in successful leadership. It is not something we are entitled to, either. You have to earn it.

Whether your organization is a large corporate entity or a small business with only a few employees, a winning team is born the day leaders purpose to make people feel that they are significant an that their work has value by treating them with dignity and respect.

We as leaders, ought to model integrity every day. It starts with how we handle the dilemmas that may seem small. Your decisions and actions set the tone for the culture and reinforce the expectation of others.

A leader must keep his or her eye on the core customers and core business. I have seen many executives focus so much on new growth that they let the core business slip away.

High expectations are a powerful driving force, helping you become better than you already are. Sometimes you need to go one step further and step out on faith, even when you don't have history or research to predict success. As the biblical writer said: 'Now faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see' (Heb. 11:1). Yes, past performance is the greatest predictor of future performance—but if we lived by that credo alone, no one would do anything bold and new. Sometimes we need good, old-fashioned faith.

“Too many leaders are afraid of letting their minds wander too far; they put fences around their dreams. If you want to accomplish great things, you must dare to venture beyond today’s realities. The thinking behind ‘Imagine the Possible’ was that we needed to push even further, beyond the self-imposed limits of our current thought processes and previous experiences."

Do things right the first time. If you don't have time to do a job once, you certainly don't have time to do it again.

Giving people a sense of significance is the best motivation, the best way to get people fired up about their jobs, their company the contributions they can make. Find little ways of impacting people's self-esteem, and get out of their way. Then watch as they get the job done and do so with an attitude of pride to be part of the team.

Today's great leaders will make sure they have all the important information, appropriate discussion, and reflection so that they can act decisively when time is of great importance.

I have seen companies that have shady practices thrive for a period of time. But the success never lasts. Whether it is a scandal or a long-term erosion of customer loyalty, doing business—doing life—without values is short sighted and leads to failure.

People need to feel that someone cares about them; that someone is listening to their ideas. The return on investment of a ‘thank you’ is infinite because it costs nothing—but what matters most to people are time and attention.

You and I can have a tremendous impact on the job performance of the people around us—but more importantly, we can have an impact on their entire lives. It could happen during a five-minute conversation, with just a few words of encouragement delivered at the right time and in the right way.

I believe that leadership skills are transferable and can be taught.