When we force ourselves to do things we’re not naturally inclined to do, or that don’t fit our passion or purpose in life, we pay for it with reduced motivation and drive.

You can’t outsource the narrative of your company.

To these left-brained business titans, the soft edge looks like a realm of artists, idealists, hippies, poets, shrinks, and do-gooders.

Fifteen is the number of people with whom we can have deep trust in the face of almost any turn of events. Dunbar calls these “sympathy groups.

How many of us were tagged with “no ranking” in high school, or dismissed early in our careers, or are dismissed even now? What gifts and passions might we possess that haven’t yet been discovered but that could give us wings to fly?

Confidence gets you off to a fast start. Confidence gets you that first job and maybe the next two promotions. But confidence stops you from learning. Confidence becomes a caricature after a while. I can’t tell you how many confident blowhards I’ve seen in my coaching career who never get better after the age of forty.” – Bill Walsh.

We get smarter and more creative as we age, research shows. Our brain’s anatomy, neural networks, and cognitive abilities can actually improve with age and increased life experiences. Contrary to the mythology of Silicon Valley, older employees may be even more productive, innovative, and collaborative than younger ones... Most people, in fact, have multiple cognitive peaks throughout their lives.

Innovative cultures are safe environments for honest inquiries.

Companies that develop trust have a recruiting advantage. They have a retention advantage and a productivity advantage.

Of course it’s pointless to argue whether hard or soft, yin or yang, Mars or Venus, is superior. Both are always needed.