Be clever, but more importantly, be kind

Are you trying to be right or do you want to make the change you are seeking to make?

Too often, the reason we are stuck in our organizations, our teams, our families is we are busy trying to prove people wrong.

You can’t eat your cake and have it too. We can’t be right and get what we want.

It’s difficult to change people’s minds. Impossible if you want them to be wrong too.

We have spent too much time building our walls to insulate us and protect us to have someone come in and tear them down. Expect confrontation.

So what point are you trying to make? What game is it you are playing? What is it you are trying to accomplish?

Because respect starts with kindness. It starts with small simple acts of generosity. We don’t need to keep score of the wins or loses. Leave that to haters who want to hate.

Being clever will get you pretty far in life. It is important to be clever, but more importantly, it’s better to be kind.