jungle jeff

Ditto

Fortune has named SAS the number one employer to work for, again.

Why?  You’ll have to read the article to find out, but you can bet CEO “Dr. Goodnight”, is using common sense and the estimable ROI that comes with following your gut – that being loyal begets loyalty.

I’d like to extend a very special thank you to Bob Stewart for sharing the link in yesterday’s jungle jeff comments section.

Comments are a great resource to extend, enhance and create an online leadership think-tank community.

Fortune Magazine recently ranked the Walt Disney Company number one for quality.

Intel was number two.  UPS number three.  Apple number four.

Big names.  High expectations.  Focused on excellence.  Every single day.

What does that mean to you and me?

This Fortune article places Apple at the top of it’s list for the Most Trusted Company.

There’s a reason people either love Apple or don’t love Apple.

It’s as simple as the difference between night and day.

Apple illuminates the risky, undiscovered breakthroughs.

Microsoft illuminates the slow and steady, status quo.

Just like there are people who use the treadmill and train for the local 5k race.

And just like those that challenge the odds and the obstacles, for their Country’s Olympic Trials.

We need both, but only the risk-takers get their photo on the cereal box.

Fortune favors the brave.  It does indeed.  But what does that mean, “favors you“?  Or what does it mean, “brave“?

This sounds pretty inspiring, yet how do we apply it or gauge whether we are brave?  Try this on for size.

I believe if everyone likes you, you are not brave enough.  Courage implies risk. And risk implies challenging the status quo. Generally, people do not like being challenged.

This also applies to us when we look in the mirror.  I am often tempted to not  challenge myself to do more, do better, do differently.

Why?

Because it’s too much work, too much risk, too much uncertainty. Isn’t it?  Ever find yourself thinking like this?  Good.

Most people intuitively understand that hard work pays off, that uncertainty is part of life, that risk is a key ingredient for continuous improvement and that fortune favors the brave.