Let's say you work as a manager in a software development firm where dozens of software engineers write mountains of code every week.  The products are so complex that the overall design is divided among several teams.  After years of your employees bringing in projects late or riddled with bugs, you discover that the key to consistent high-quality performance is getting them to practice two vital behaviors: (1) admit when they have problems, and (2) immediately speak up when they won't meet a deadline.  When your software designers do these two things consistently, products get completed correctly and on time.  When they don't, they don't. 

-Grenny, Patterson, Maxfield, McMillan, and Switzler, Influencer

In the beginning, I thought inviting people to lunch was a good idea.  Then at one of the lunches, I found out that an individual had worked the overnight shift, changed out of uniform, and caught a couple of hours of sleep prior to joining me for lunch.  This person didn't have enough time to go home and come back for our lunch, and didn't want to miss the opportunity to accept a lunch invitation from the CEO.  From that day forward, I knew that I had to have meals with staff members at rotating hours to fit into their schedules, not into mine.  Even to listen, you have to make yourself available to the logistic needs of others.

-Dr. David Feinberg, former CEO of the UCLA Hospital System, quoted in Prescription for Excellence

Law Number XLV: One should expect that the expected can be prevented, but the unexpected should have been expected.

-Norman Ralph Augustine, Augustine's Laws 

 There are tons of aphorisms surrounding this topic: "expect the unexpected" is a particularly common one.  Or if you've come in contact with any of NASA's safety discussions (or heard it from Donald Rumsfeld), you know about the "unknown unknowns."  What this all boils down to is that risk presents itself to us in the form of what we know versus what we don't, what we expect and what we don't.

Trust.  Such an important topic because I have been witness to countless situations and experiences where it was lacking.  For example, the time when I made a big purchase from a charismatic vendor who then stopped communicating with me after the check was received.  Or, the time when I was surrounded by leaders making big decisions, but not one of them could walk their fancy talk. In both situations, I lost trust (and respect) for the leaders and their companies, which means that ultimately my relationship with them also soured.  How do you think this translates to their bottom line? 

Appreciation, recognition, encouragement: ARE.  Together they make up a cost-free, fully sustainable fuel, one that builds self-confidence  and self-esteem, boosts individual and team performance, and keeps an organization running cleanly and smoothly.  ARE is more powerful than the fuels that make engines roar and space shuttles soar, because it propels human energy and motivation.  And unlike costly, nonrenewable fuels like oil and gas, its supply is inexhaustible.  You can give out ARE all day long, at home and at work, and wake up the next morning with a full tank.  In fact, the more we use, the more there is, because every time people receive some ARE they discover more of their own internal supply and start giving away the overflow.

-Lee Cockerell, Creating Magic

Unless the reason for a rule is understood, it is difficult to learn the rule, and it is still more difficult to apply it successfully in practice.

-George C. Crocker, Crocker's Principles of Procedure

 It can be very tempting to give the reason "because I said so"  because it's so quick and easy, but it is seldom a compelling explanation for the person who hears it.  It may make a toddler follow instructions for a brief time, but rarely does it lead to lasting change (anyone who has ever tried to get a four-year-old to stop jumping on the couch or bed has experienced this). And even more importantly, it fails to teach the child anything and does not give him or her the ability to apply the same concepts to new situations.