“Christmas is built upon a beautiful and intentional paradox; that the birth of the homeless should be celebrated in every home.”
― G.K. Chesterton

Merry Christmas! May you be blessed this Christmas season and throughout the new year!

“The secret of my success is that we have gone to exceptional lengths to hire the best people in the world.”
― Steve Jobs

If you don’t recruit top talent, you can’t hire top talent.

If you don’t hire top talent, you can’t retain top talent.

If you don’t retain top talent, you can’t build a high-performance team.

“You can’t ask an employee to work as hard as you, or you create a fake expectation, vs. how much you compensate them. You work for them, they don’t work for you.”
― Gary Vaynerchuck

Way too often, entrepreneurs and founders look to hire people with the same level of enthusiasm for the business a founder has. That’s not realistic.

Don’t confuse effort with results. You need people who get stuff done, not people who work hard. I’d rather have the guy who got it done and went home early than the guy who burned out after three months of late nights.

You can’t expect employees to love your business the way you do. They have their own lives, families, and goals, and they should.

If you want maximum performance, show your people the path to achieve their goals.

This post first appeared on X.

“You get what you measure. Measure the wrong thing and you get the wrong behaviors.”
― John H. Lingle

Modern managers often seem to be confused about how to measure performance. I like to say, they’re measuring attendance when they should be measuring results. Of course, everyone who wants their business to be successful wants to measure performance, so I’m going try try to clear up this confusion.

If you’re worried about how long it takes to get a response to your email, you’re measuring attendance.

If you make your salaried employees clock in and clock out, you’re measuring attendance.

If you care about what time of day your team members are working, you’re measuring attendance.

If you track computer usage, you’re measuring attendance.

However…

If you track sales, if you track retention, if you track customer satisfaction, you’re measuring results. These are metrics that truly reflect the success and productivity of your team.

It’s important to shift your focus from babysitting your employees to leading them. That’s how you drive overall performance and success in your organization.

Remember, it’s never about “butts in seats”.

“Acknowledge all of your small victories. They will eventually add up to something great.”
― Kara Goucher

The big wins are wonderful, but consistent, small wins are the foundation of success. Small wins are an investment in your life. Small wins build confidence and create momentum.

When you’re stuck, or confused, or overwhelmed, or afraid, look for a little win. Just get something. It’ll help you break through whatever challenge you’re facing. Get a small win, celebrate it, and look for the next win.

Small wins create the necessary platform for big wins. Don’t underestimate their impact. Acknowledge and appreciate each win, and let them propel you forward.

“Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.”
― Hanlon’s razor

“Man tends towards good, but he is also capable of evil.”
― John Paul II

Stupid: Rich people having money is the cause of poverty.
Bad: Tax the rich.
Evil: Eliminate money.

Stupid: AI will eliminate all human jobs.
Bad: Only approved companies should be allowed to develop AI.
Evil: The government must control AI.

Stupid: Words hurt people.
Bad: Censor speech.
Evil: Arrest everyone who refuses to say the correct words.

Stupid: All opinions are equally valid.
Bad: My opinion is always right.
Evil: Everyone should have the same opinions.

Stupid: Men have no right to have an opinion about life in the womb.
Bad: Unborn babies aren’t human beings.
Evil: You have a right to kill your unborn baby.

“Many times experts fail because they’re experts in the past version of the world.”
― Vinod Khosla

It doesn’t matter how you got here. Your next decision requires an understanding of the present and a vision of the future. The past is irrelevant to the next decision.

If you’re constantly looking over your shoulder, you can’t see where you’re going.

“Just Do It.”
― Nike slogan

Sometimes, you just need to go for it. But how do you start? How do get that first bit of momentum? How do you take that first step?

Well, like so many things, it’s simple, not easy.

You start.

That’s it. It’s not complicated, and it’s not going to magically make all the challenges disappear. But it’s a start. It’s momentum. It’s that first step.

Then, you adjust and keep going. And repeat the process again. And again. Before you know it, you’ll actually be getting somewhere. As you go, don’t stop, but keep your eyes open and adjust on the fly.

That’s how you go for it.

“Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well.”
― Robert Louis Stevenson

Don’t seek fame. Seek success.

Don’t seek comfort. Seek growth.

Don’t seek quantity. Seek quality.

Don’t seek money. Seek strength.

Don’t seek perfection. Seek progress.

Don’t seek to fit in. Seek to stand out.

Don’t seek revenge. Seek forgiveness.

Don’t seek to impress. Seek to inspire.

Don’t seek approval. Seek authenticity.

Don’t seek applause. Seek accomplishment.

Don’t seek to be seen. Seek to make a difference.

Don’t seek followers. Seek meaningful relationships.

“Whatever you are, be a good one.”
― Abraham Lincoln

Is your current path a path to mediocrity? To average? To normal?

We’re all on a path. It could lead to fame or infamy, riches or poverty, success or failure. But it could also lead to nothing, to nowhere.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Am I rising above my peers?

• Do I elevate the people around me?

• Am I leaving a legacy for future generations?

• Do my actions inspire others to achieve greatness?

• Am I worthy to follow in the footsteps of the greats of the past?

• What do I need to change so I can answer yes to the questions above?

Everyone has areas of strength and areas of weakness, but hall of famers don’t accept losing. They fight through their weaknesses and maximize their strengths. They don’t settle for average. They treat normal like a disease.

Don’t settle for less than your potential. Be great.

Be great for yourself. Be great for your family and friends. Be great for the world.