Quotes About Progress

All kids are gifted; some just open their packages earlier than others.

You can work really hard, but if you're not training in the right way you're not going to improve and get to the level that you want to.

One problem with gazing too frequently into the past is that we may turn around to find the future has run out on us.

There is nothing you can do about the past except keep it there.

In the information society, nobody thinks. We expected to banish paper, but we actually banished thought.

Each generation writes off earlier errors as the result of bad thinking, of less able minds--and then confidently embarks on making fresh errors of its own.

But there are still the hours, aren't there? One and then another, and you get through that one and then, my god, there's another.

This is what you do. You make a future for yourself out of the raw material at hand.

People were getting homes, jobs - everybody was getting served one way or another.

Abstract academic discussions have a way of leaving their mark on entire civilizations, as the events of this century have proved all too well.

eight, nine kilometers—more than halfway!

The time has come to dialogue on every side, to build bridges. Too long have we walked backward into the future, obsessed with our past, trapped within it. The human race is now approaching a quantum leap forward. We must turn and face the future. This and this alone will ensure the saving of the planet!" "And what is our part in this?

Secure early wins. Early wins build your credibility and create momentum.

YOU'VE GOT BIG IDEAS AND AMBITIONS IN YOUR CAREER, and you've done well ... so far. But are you ready for your next move? Because your path to the top will be built step-by-step through a series of major career moves. And each time you make a change, you have the opportunity to shine or to stumble. Shine and you will be positioned for still greater things. Stumble and you may never recover.

Creating a Learning Plan Your learning agenda defines what you want to learn. Your learning plan defines how you will go about learning it. It translates learning goals into specific sets of actions—

Even a few hours of preentry planning can go a long way. Begin by thinking about your first day in the new job. What do you want to do by the end of that day? Then move to the first week. Then focus on the end of the first month, the second month, and finally the three-month mark. These plans will be sketchy, but the simple act of beginning to plan will help clear your head.

Accelerate everyone. Finally, you need to help all those in your organization—direct reports, bosses, and peers—accelerate their own transitions. The fact that you're in transition means they are too.

How will you make it your own?

In fact, as you will discover later, learning should be a primary focus of your plan for your first 30 days on the job (unless, of course, there is a disaster in progress).

FIGURE I-4 Key transition milestones

successful in rapidly scaling the learning curve, building key relationships, and getting early wins,

do whatever it takes to get into the transition

Third, based on your first-cut conclusions about strategic priorities, identify a few ways to achieve early wins and build momentum.

Finally, when your relationship with your boss has matured a bit (roughly the 90-day mark is a good rule of thumb), begin to discuss how you're doing.