Light and dark Quote by Michael D. Eisner
““Even the most talented executives are a blend of strengths and weaknesses, light and dark. One of the most difficult jobs in running a company is to keep people’s energies focused by giving them new challenges. As we looked for the next generation of leaders at Disney, only those who could handle highly varied responsibilities were going to be candidates. The company had become too interdependent to rely on highly specialized managers with narrow sets of skills. I was less drawn to people with perfect credentials for a given job than to those who had strong underlying qualities such as common sense, character, creativity, and passion. With those traits—and the right training and support—people tend to succeed at whatever jobs they’re given.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Leadership Forum, Disney, 2005
Effective leaders need a mix of strengths and weaknesses and must be adaptable to varied responsibilities, not just narrow expertise.
In simple terms: Leaders succeed when they have broad qualities and can handle many tasks.
Key Takeaway
Seek adaptable talent with core character.
Themes
leadership
adaptability
talent development
Mood
reflective
inspirational
Type
advice
philosophical
When to use this quote
- executive hiring
- team building
- career development
- succession planning
Key Concepts
organizational behavior
human potential
skill diversity
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you identify underlying qualities beyond a résumé?
- What challenges arise when assigning diverse tasks?
A Different Perspective
Overemphasis on specialization can limit innovation and resilience.
![“We all walk in the dark and each of us must learn to turn on his or her own light.[so we can see the bright side of everything]” quote by Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/340/earl-nightingale-1728_bright_we-all-walk-in-the-dark-and-each-of-us-m_81497.jpg)
