Stewart D. Friedman Quotes

People struggle most with seeing new ways of doing things and often need help in breaking through their tradition-bound mindsets.

Skilled leaders focus on "we," not "me."

"Leading" is about mobilizing people toward valued goals.

Firms that fully embrace the needs and interests of the whole person will win today's competition for the best talent.

Knowing what matters most, what I call "being real," is the alpha and omega for leaders.

When employers no longer offer secure full-time employment with benefits, then it's hard to expect employees to be loyal, engaged, and maximally productive.

We all want to have a rich and meaningful work life and a fulfilling life beyond work.

The principles that apply to engagement for employees are the same as those that apply to supervisors.

The act of envisioning is mainly useful as a means for identifying what matters most to you now.

The worst thing you can do, despite the innumerable obstacles we confront, is to not try.

Curiosity about the world and questioning of the status quo to open minds to alternative visions of the future are essential leadership skills. And they can be learned.

If you're searching for "work/life balance" you'll always be disappointed because "balance" connotes a zero-sum equation.

I've been writing for decades that balance is an inapt metaphor as it necessarily entails tradeoffs.

The only failure is the failure to learn from conscious and deliberate efforts to make things better, even if those attempts fall short of the mark.

Change is surely the order of the day.

I'm a humanist and an optimist.

Michelle Obama is a powerful example of someone who has learned how to align her actions with her values, manage boundaries across domains of life, and embrace change courageously.

Family, community, and the realm of the private self - your mind, body, and spirit - are all important sources of the inspiration, support, and ideas we all need to lead the lives we want.

No one can have it all, at the same time. I've never seen that.

Of course that's the best way to continue to learn anything: Try to teach it!

Young men now want to be caregivers as well as earners so they have joined with women in demanding a different compact at work; they want flex and time for family too.

Technology has changed everything.

Having a 9-to-5 workday in which work is left behind when one leaves the office is no longer the norm as employers expect employees to be available outside of work.

I am very gratified to have lived to see a revolution in the field of work/life: Everyone - men and women, employees and employers - now has this issue top of mind.

Right now we're in the midst of a grand experiment on how best to harness the incredible power of the Internet while we struggle to maintain useful boundaries among the different parts of our lives.

Continual improvisation on a theme is a more useful way to think of how to bring the various parts of life together.