thinking/critical

Of all the companies that use the Internet for business intelligence, those who have a talent for finding the meaning and patterns behind the noise will benefit the most.

For those of us who are or aspire to be leaders, the choice must be about more than the increased paycheck. The choice must be about having a passion to lead, a belief that you can make a positive difference, and a willingness to be criticized, disliked, and argued with for the sake of progress.

Our discomfort with truth-telling leads us to say we like things we don’t actually like. Such as your girlfriend’s chicken tortilla soup, which tastes like soggy flour. But you can’t say that, so you eat it while cringing inwardly. When does she find out? When she’s been your wife for two years and suddenly you can no longer tolerate it and you blurt out that you absolutely hate that stuff. The risk that was avoided during the courtship was not the risk of hurting her feelings. Not really. It was the risk of mustering enough courage to say what you thought in a kind and loving manner. If receiving feedback is difficult, giving it is more so.