TL;DR
Successful leaders aren’t reciting a secret script every morning — they’re operating from a set of attitudes that show up in how they make decisions, take risks, and own their misses. Here’s how nine of those attitudes have actually played out in my career, and what they can do for yours.
I’m constantly looking for ideas — and the easier they are to find, the better. That’s why I still come back to Jeff Haden‘s piece, “9 Things Highly Successful People Say Every Day,” every few years. It’s held up.
Here’s my challenge, though: I can’t just take a cool idea and drop it like science on the people I lead. If I want a team to actually use an idea, I have to give them the same context that got me there — why it resonates, where it came from, why I think it’s worth applying. The more people understand the why behind a principle, the less confusion there is. And the less confusion, the more efficient — and honestly, the more fun — we all get to be.
So here’s the article, and here’s how nine of these principles have actually shown up in my career — even on days I didn’t say a single one of them out loud. As Jeff puts it: “Accomplishments are based on actions, not on thoughts — yet the thought is always father to the deed.” That’s the whole point. Achievement starts as an attitude before it ever becomes a result.
#1 “No one else is willing to do that…so that’s what I will do.”
We changed Double Forte’s business model in 2009 for one reason: almost no one got hired in our industry between 2000 and 2005, which meant we were staring down a five-year hole where we wouldn’t be able to find people with the experience our old model required. The industry standard — a pyramid with roughly 75% of the workforce under seven years of experience, billed out at 95–115% utilization — wasn’t going to survive that gap, and honestly, I didn’t want to survive it either.
So we moved to a “square” model: equal numbers of people above and below the eight-to-nine-year line. I called more than a dozen agency leaders, big and small, to vet it. Every single one said some version of, “That sounds ideal — let me know how it goes.” Nobody was actually doing it.
I couldn’t find a precedent. I built one anyway.
It took time — we didn’t just cull the team and backfill with 22-year-olds — but we hit the model, and we’re still seeing the payoff in client tenure and staff retention.
#2 “Let’s try it.”
Jeff’s version of this is, “Wow, that wasn’t so bad after all.” Mine is a step earlier: let’s try it — which is usually what gets you to “that wasn’t so bad” in the first place. When you spot a gap, and leaders are always spotting gaps, sometimes the only way through is to take the leap.
Doing the same thing over and over guarantees the same result. “Let’s try it” is what actually moves a team forward. It might not work. It might be a huge win. It might land somewhere in the middle. Either way, it’s a real data point — and that’s more than you had before.
#3 “I can’t do everything today…but I can take one small step.”
Without a plan, goals are just wishes. And without a first step, even the best plan is just a nice diagram.
Writing my book was an exercise in eating the elephant one bite at a time. I hear from people all the time who say, “I’ve always wanted to write a book but haven’t found the time.” Writing a book is time-consuming. Writing a good one is more so. But nothing gets written by people who never start. A little every day gets you to the goal — Jeff’s right that the first step is always the hardest one, and every step after that gets easier.
#4 “I should just be quiet.”
Leaders are expected to talk. Often, we should shut up instead. Filling a room with your own voice, even when you think you’re being entertaining, is diverting and it eats time that could go to actually listening.
Listening loudly is one of the most underrated skills a leader can build. It only happens when you close your mouth and actually pay attention — to your team, to the noise, to what’s happening around you.
#5 “I don’t care what other people think.”
I do care what other people think — specifically, the people who matter to me. But I’ve also learned that living true to myself means my definition of success won’t match most people’s. My priorities won’t line up with everyone else’s, and some of my choices will make zero sense to people who look a lot like me on paper.
With a clear sense of purpose and a real set of values, decisions get faster, relationships get more meaningful, and the people around you make progress at a better clip. You can’t make everyone happy. What you can do is look in the mirror and be good with who’s looking back.
#6 “I’ll show you.”
I’m not especially motivated by being told I’m wrong — I’m motivated by not letting people down, and I’ll do almost anything to keep the promises I’ve made. When I do miss, I work hard to make sure the other person knows I saw it and I’m making it right.
That’s how I’m wired. It’s not how everyone’s wired. Some people do their best work when they’re told, flatly, that they were wrong — it lights a fire. If that’s what moves you, use it. The point isn’t the specific trigger. It’s knowing what actually gets you to show up harder.
#7 “It’s not perfect…and I’m okay with that.”
Good work, finished, beats perfect work, late. Full stop.
Your idea of perfect is someone else’s idea of good enough. Once you ship something, you and everyone around you will find plenty of ways to improve it. What matters is that you’re making progress instead of burning time on small tweaks that won’t move the needle.
#8 “I should have done better.”
Great leaders know they’re human. They also know they can do better, be better, do more — and they say so, out loud, to themselves and to other people. Then the next day, they actually try not to repeat the mistake.
#9 “That’s okay. I’ll just outwork them.”
You may not have everything you think your competition has. What they don’t have is you. As Jeff closes his piece, quoting Jimmy Spithill, skipper of the America’s Cup-winning Oracle Team USA: “Rarely have I seen a situation where doing less than the other guy is a good strategy. Even when everything else seems stacked against you, effort and persistence can still be your competitive advantages — and they may be the only advantages you truly need.”
An “I Can Do It” Attitude Is a Choice, Not a Trait
None of this is rocket science. It’s an attitude and a work ethic that drives successful leaders forward and gives the people around them a reason to follow. And because I liked the science Jeff dropped on me, here’s some more science to inspire you.