The conductor of an orchestra doesn’t make a sound. He depends, for his power, on his ability to make other people powerful.

As leaders, we're giving out grades in every encounter we have with people. We can choose to give out grades as an expectation to live up to, and then we can reassess them according to performance. Or we can offer grades as a possibility to live into. The second approach is much more powerful.

My job [is] to awaken possibility in other people. If their eyes are shining, you know you're doing it. If they're not shining you get to ask this question: Who am I being that my children's eyes are not shining?

Throw yourself into life as someone who makes a difference, accepting that you may not understand how or why.

It is the tuning of the universe... It's as if at the beginning of the symphony God turns up the volume just a tiny bit.

I make myself a relentless architect of the possibilities of human beings.

I'm so sorry for you your lives have been so easy. You can't play great music unless your heart's been broken.

Imagine Martin Luther King saying, 'I have a dream ... But I don't know if the others will buy it.'

It's not a question of how much power you can hoard for yourself, but how much you can give away.

Everybody loves classical music they just don't know about it yet.

Live the rest of your life in possibility

This is the moment — this is the most important moment right now. Which is: We are about contribution. That’s what our job is. It’s not about impressing people. It’s not about getting the next job. It’s about contributing something.

If you make a mistake, celebrate.

My job is to awaken possibility in other people.

In the measurement world, we set a goal and strive to achieve it. In the universe of possibility, we set the context and let life unfold.

When you make a mistake, throw your hands in the air and say How fascinating!