Quote of the Week: Feel too small to make a difference?

Today is Mosquito Day.   Yes – there is such a thing.    So – it’s a perfect time to feature this quote which is also a nice companion piece to recent quotes on freedom. Many people have good ideas about ways to improve products, processes and services but they sit back and stay quiet as they say to themselves, “Why bother?  it won’t make any difference.  No one will listen.  No one will even pay attention.  Nothing will ever change.” And sometimes people don’t put as much energy into their work as they might, because they  don’t think it will matter so much to anyone. Even those of us who have been selected or elected as leaders – sometimes fail to step up and truly lead because well – what difference would it make? We get caught up in day-to-day problems.  We are pushed to make goals and deadlines.  We get pulled into meetings, then our input is ignored.  We feel confined by our budget and then get hammered by the economy.   We feel trapped by the demands of upper management which often conflict with the needs and desires of our customers.  So much can be beyond our control that we often forget the impact we DO have.  Positive and negative. Yes – just like a  mosquito in a tent – we make a difference every single day.    One that, instead of blood, may very well suck the morale and productivity out of those  around us. What can we do, how can we lead ourselves and others to make a positive difference? It doesn’t have to be time consuming. You can make a difference with simple gestures like smiles and thank yous. Your thank you’s remind others of how they make a difference and encourage them to do more of it. Posting this week’s quote or sharing it at a staff meeting reminds people that they CAN make a difference.  And that you want them to do so.   Though you may want to add a comment or footnote similar to this:   I would like to put in a plug for making a positive difference using positive methods (not lots of biting that results in lots of  red bumps that itch like crazy). Tomorrow I’ll  share more easy ways for leading ourselves and others to make a difference.  Look for these in 10 by 10 on Tuesday.

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You can post the above quote to your computer screen with just three clicks. 1. Click on the image above. Don’t see an image? Try this link. 2. Right click on the image that appears. 3. On the pull down menu that appears, click on “set as background”. Voila! There’s still plenty of room on the left side of the screen for all your shortcut icons. Note: If you don’t like your new wallpaper, don’t want to replace it with a quote from the Business Class Quote Library and don’t know how to get rid of it…… Go to your control panel. Select “Display”. Select “Desktop”. And then choose from the designs offered.” Or print the PDF version below. Just click on the printer icon in lower right corner of the image. Problems? Try this link.

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