Mandela stands alone in possessing all of the qualities of other great men, but has one quality which is transcendent... his ability to forgive and to place others above himself.

What I've come to realize is that emotional intelligence, which I define as buoyancy, was the only way I knew how to lead, and is, in my option, the only way to inspire real change.

As buoyancy is not contrary to other characteristics of leadership, including decisiveness, accountability and performance standards, I don't ever think it can be self-defeating.

The secret is to be prepared, to draw on the strengths of the people around you, and most importantly, to instill confidence that your team will step up and find a solution.

At the end of the day it's really easy to be a great leader when things are going well. The real test, whether or not you believe in being an emotionally intelligent leader, is when things go wrong.

As a sensitive and highly intuitive person in the command-and-control corporate world, I always felt miscast.

My grandfather used to say to me when I was a boy, "Getting knocked down is no big prize - it's getting up that's the real trick." I couldn't agree more.

True buoyant leaders can never communicate in percentage points, or charts and figures. First and foremost, they must be storytellers, communicating with their hearts, not heads.

Maintaining patience, being generous, and helping your peers takes time, and no small amount of emotional fortitude. But it brings an exponential difference in your team's ability to problem-solve.

As I was coming up in business, screwing up was not an option in any form.

Survival in the demand economy depends on and requires experimentation, risk taking, and trial and error.

When God looks at sin, what he sees is what a violin maker would see if the player were to use his lovely creation as a tennis racquet.

Life is foggy

It's probably foolish to expect relationships to go on forever and to say that because something only lasts 10 years, it's a failure.

Deep thoughts (come) from a deep well. Society is useful because when we see ourselves reflected through others we can gain a deeper understanding of ourselves.

Friends are friends forever, if the Lord's the Lord of them.

I've learned never to be surprised if what must inevitably happen happens right now.

Almost anything can be dealt with if people are of good will and light hearts and strong values.

If the challenge we face doesn't scare us, then it's probably not that important.

Bruce Benedict is so slow he'd finish third in a race with a pregnant woman.

Talent alone is not enough. I believe that a really good gymnast is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.