Reality: You cannot cut your way to greatness, and that's valid figuratively as it is physically. Olivier has a very well written post on killing American brands, one lousy CEO at a time. I think the other part of the brand killing spree is the idea that we can manage what the brand means to our customers and decide which parts need attention. Usually that's where the disconnects start to appear.
Reality: It's the patient who grow tall, writes Tom Fishbourne. We know all of these things, yet we are constantly in search of the big idea, the instant win that will tie us over. I'm thinking that those who succeed today are those who have the discipline and the patience to create value - over time. Is that different from any other time?
Reality: Balance is bunk! wrote Keith Hammonds a couple of years ago. It's the central myth of the modern workplace: With a few compromises, you can have it all. But it's all wrong, and it's making us crazy. Balance is a relic, a fleeting phenomenon of a closed, industrial economy that doesn't apply in a global, knowledge-based world.
They say you may fool most of the people most of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time. One of those people may be you.