The secret of your success is determined by your daily agenda.

Success is due to our stretching to the challenges of life. Failure comes when we shrink from them.

In the end, people are persuaded not by what we say, but by what they understand.

Ranking among the greatest Christmas movie classics, 'It's a Wonderful Life' tells a beautiful story about the priceless value of relationships.

For more than a decade, I led an organization that put on an elaborate Christmas program each December. It was a big production, with over 250 people participating in more than 20 performances. By the end of the season, everyone who participated was exhausted.

Talent grips us. We are overtaken by the beauty of Michelangelo's sculpture, riveted by Mariah Carey's angelic voice, doubled over in laughter by the comedy of Robin Williams, and captivated by the on screen performances of Denzel Washington.

If you are a leader, you should never forget that everyone needs encouragement. And everyone who receives it - young or old, successful or less-than-successful, unknown or famous - is changed by it.

Without failure there is no achievement.

The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure.

Inability to make decisions is one of the principal reasons executives fail. Deficiency in decision-making ranks much higher than lack of specific knowledge or technical know-how as an indicator of leadership failure.

The greatest mistake we make is living in constant fear that we will make one.

The experience of pain or loss can be a formidably motivating force.

Family and friendships are two of the greatest facilitators of happiness.

How do leaders serve their people? They may pay good wages and treat employees with respect.

People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude.

Your attitude towards failure determines your altitude after failure.

The greatest day in your life and mine is when we take total responsibility for our attitudes. That's the day we truly grow up.

When a person starts to talk about their dreams, it's as if something bubbles up from within. Their eyes brighten, their face glows, and you can feel the excitement in their words.

The dreams and passions stored within hearts are powerful keys which can unlock a wealth of potential.

Positional leaders ignore the fact that every person has hopes, dreams, desires, and goals of his own. And leaders must bring their vision and the aspirations of the people they lead together in a way that benefits everyone.

The best way a mentor can prepare another leader is to expose him or her to other great people.

Growth is the great separator between those who succeed and those who do not. When I see a person beginning to separate themselves from the pack, it's almost always due to personal growth.

Look at our society. Everyone wants to be thin, but nobody wants to diet. Everyone wants to live long, but few will exercise. Everybody wants money, yet seldom will anyone budget or control their spending.

The most talented do not always end up as celebrities, and those with less talent often do. Upsets are written into our history and occur around us every day.

Time management is an oxymoron. Time is beyond our control, and the clock keeps ticking regardless of how we lead our lives. Priority management is the answer to maximizing the time we have.

A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.

Time is more valuable than money, because time is irreplaceable.

Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.

People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.

Everything rises and falls on leadership.

Leadership is influence.

I vividly remember a conversation I had many years ago in 1974, which marked a turning point in my leadership journey. I was sitting at a Holiday Inn with my friend, Kurt Campmeyer, when he asked me if I had a personal growth plan. I didn't. In fact, I didn't even know you were supposed to have one.

A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.

The unsuccessful person is burdened by learning, and prefers to walk down familiar paths. Their distaste for learning stunts their growth and limits their influence.

Remember, man does not live on bread alone: sometimes he needs a little buttering up.

Teamwork makes the dream work, but a vision becomes a nightmare when the leader has a big dream and a bad team.

A word of encouragement from a teacher to a child can change a life. A word of encouragement from a spouse can save a marriage. A word of encouragement from a leader can inspire a person to reach her potential.