As I scramble through my stories and experiences of 2013 I asked myself, “so what”? So, here are a few ‘so whats’ or leadership thoughts and reflections from my 2013 journey that I will take into 2014 – they may help you too. These ‘so whats’ are from my observations and experiences working with a wide variety of leaders in different businesses, industries and countries, sometimes in difficult situations and sometimes in positively exciting situations. Some of these ‘so whats’ are also words of wisdom and guidance given to me by people from all parts of my life – some of the words I have had to hear a number times over years before they really resonated with me, and given I am recalling them now, I guess they are also a reflection of my journey in 2013. Some of these ‘so whats’ will undoubtedly sound familiar and hopefully some of them will resonate usefully for your leadership in 2014.. Humility brings out the best in people Relationships always matter There must always be more to business than only making money Having a real passion for what your are doing is infectious and a must for long-term success The more ‘present’ you are the more powerful you are Well placed humour is critical Listen more, talk less Think more deeply, judge more slowly Being vulnerable is wise Ask yourself, in every situation, ‘is this the best of me’, and you’ll stay on track Things often have to get worse before they get better Communication is just not simple Some people only want your help on their own terms – you can’t help everyone but you can try for a while Technology is an enabler, not the answer Our ultimate freedom is to choose our attitude in any given situation Seek to understand people, more than things, and business challenges make more sense Success and failure are part of the same package – be able for both Our life is simply a product of what we say ‘yes’ and ‘no’ to Reflect more Being honest and saying what you think are not the same thing – being honest is virtuous but not always easy Be thoughtful We live in a house of mirrors and think we are looking out windows Be sure your actions match your priorities – if not, your actions may be misguided rituals Always be clear of your intentions in any given situation otherwise you may have the wrong impact Most fearful thought is useless Best wishes for 2014! Dave