Leadership & Professional Development

Introduction

Curiosity drives innovation. For entrepreneurs, a curious mindset opens doors to new ideas, uncovers hidden opportunities, and sparks creative solutions. Yet curiosity doesn’t always flourish on its own; it thrives when cultivated deliberately. The following habits provide a framework for embedding curiosity into your daily routine and organizational culture.

Habit 1: Ask Questions and Prize Inquiry

• Encourage yourself and your team to prioritize questions over ready answers.
  
• Expand who’s involved in projects to gather diverse perspectives and challenge assumptions.
  
• Keep a question journal or host regular “curiosity sessions” where team members share what puzzles them or what problems they’d like to solve.
  
• Reward inquisitiveness by recognizing insightful questions and ideas that arise from them.
  

Habit 2: Explore New Interests and Connect Ideas

• Venture beyond your expertise: read widely, attend events outside your industry or take up a hobby unrelated to your business.
  
• Seek connections between seemingly unrelated ideas; breakthroughs often occur at the intersection of disciplines.
  
• Encourage cross‑functional collaboration within your company to harness different viewpoints.
  
• Adopt a “lifelong learner” mindset – curiosity thrives when you are open to new experiences and perspectives.
  

Habit 3: Challenge the Default and Experiment

• Question the status quo by examining why things are done a certain way and imagining alternatives.
  
• Reserve time in your schedule for exploration and experimentation, free from the pressure of immediate results.
  
• Incorporate short “innovation sprints” into your workflow, allowing small teams to test ideas quickly and learn from feedback.
  
• Treat failure as a learning opportunity; curiosity is strengthened when experimentation is safe and celebrated.
  

Conclusion

Curiosity isn’t a trait reserved for a select few – it’s a habit anyone can develop. By asking more questions, exploring new interests and challenging default assumptions through experimentation, you create fertile ground for innovation and growth. 

Introduction

A strong personal brand is one of the most valuable assets an entrepreneur can build. It helps attract opportunities, establish credibility and inspire trust. But brand-building doesn’t happen by chance – it’s the result of deliberate actions. Here are three personal branding moves, inspired by top entrepreneurs, that can elevate your visibility and influence.

Move 1: Define and Own Your Voice

“Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.”
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– Malcolm Forbes

• Craft a clear message about who you are, what you stand for, and the value you bring.
• Share your origin story and the challenges you’ve overcome to humanize your brand.
• Use storytelling to tie your expertise to relatable experiences.

Move 2: Show Up Consistently

“Your brand is not what you sell; it’s the experience you deliver.”

– Tony Hsieh

• Maintain a steady presence across the platforms that matter most to your audience – consistency can help build recognition and reinforce trust over time.
• Publish regular updates, insights or behind-the-scenes content to keep your network engaged.
• Repurpose core ideas into multiple formats – blogs, podcasts, short videos – to broaden your reach.

Move 3: Turn Expertise into Influence

“If people like you they will listen to you, but if they trust you, they’ll do business with you.”

– Zig Ziglar

• Share thought leadership by speaking at events, contributing guest articles or hosting webinars.
• Offer practical insights, not just opinions – these can position you as a trusted resource.
• Highlight testimonials, case studies, or results that demonstrate your impact.

Conclusion

Personal branding is less about self-promotion and more about showing up with clarity, consistency and value. By defining your voice, showing up consistently, and turning expertise into influence, entrepreneurs can create brands that are more likely to attract opportunity and inspire confidence.

Introduction

Mornings shape the trajectory of your entire day. For entrepreneurs juggling decisions, team management and strategy, starting strong is essential. The following rituals offer a simple framework to boost your energy, sharpen your thinking and improve your mood – no complicated routines required.

Ritual 1: Hydrate and Nourish Your Brain

• Drink water first: After a night of sleep, your body is dehydrated. Begin your day with a glass of water to replenish fluids and support focus.
  
• Balance hydration: Coffee and tea contribute to fluid intake, but water should be the foundation.
  
• Fuel wisely: Follow up with a nutrient‑dense breakfast, such as eggs with avocado, Greek yogurt with nuts or a protein‑packed smoothie. Foods rich in protein and healthy fats stabilize blood sugar and provide sustained mental energy.
  

Ritual 2: Get Moving

• Short workouts count: Morning movement – whether stretching, yoga or a brisk walk – delivers oxygen and nutrients to your brain, improving focus and stamina.
  
• Stay consistent: You don’t need an intense workout; even a ten‑minute routine can provide immediate cognitive benefits and help protect brain health over time.
  
• Incorporate variety: Mix light cardio, strength exercises and flexibility work to engage different muscle groups and keep things interesting.
  

Ritual 3: Embrace Mindfulness and Natural Light

• Seek sunlight: Expose yourself to natural light within 30 minutes of waking. It helps reset your internal clock and enhances alertness throughout the day.
  
• Practice mindfulness: A few deep breaths, a quick meditation or journaling can lower stress hormones and clear mental clutter.
  
• Prioritize rest: Quality sleep underpins morning energy. Aim for seven to eight hours per night and limit screens before bed to allow your brain to recharge.
  

Conclusion

You don’t need a complicated regimen to start your day with intention. By hydrating and nourishing your body, adding a bit of movement, and embracing natural light and mindfulness, you’ll prime your brain for creativity and resilience. What morning habits keep you energized? Share your routines and explore more wellness insights on our blog.

Introduction

Maintaining peak mental performance isn’t optional for entrepreneurs—it’s essential. Juggling strategy, decisions and constant change require a sharp mind and clear focus. Fortunately, simple habits can support cognitive function and help you stay on top of your game. Below are three science‑based practices that can keep entrepreneurs mentally sharp and energized.

Habit 1: Engage in Regular Physical Exercise

• Physical activity stimulates blood flow and supports memory.
  
• You don’t need a marathon‑level training plan; short daily workouts, brisk walks or stretching sessions send oxygen and nutrients to your brain.
  
• Schedule movement breaks throughout the day to recharge and prevent sluggishness.
  

Habit 2: Practice Continuous Learning

• Reading challenges multiple neural circuits and strengthens memory, strategic decision‑making and verbal intelligence.
  
• Set aside time each day for books, articles or podcasts. Explore subjects both within and beyond your industry to spark new ideas.
  
• Consider keeping a reading list or joining a book club to stay consistent and accountable.
  

Habit 3: Prioritise Rest and Recovery

• Aim for seven to eight hours of sleep each night to support reaction time, attention and memory.
  
• Establish a consistent sleep schedule and practice good sleep hygiene, such as limiting screens before bed.
  
• Take “mini‑resets” during the workday—stand up, stretch or meditate briefly every hour to avoid mental fatigue and improve clarity.
  

Conclusion

Staying sharp doesn’t require expensive tools or complicated hacks. By combining regular exercise, continuous learning and deliberate rest, entrepreneurs can bolster focus, decision‑making and resilience. 

From Silicon Valley garages to Main Street storefronts, the most consistent predictor of entrepreneurial success isn’t IQ, funding, or even the idea itself–it’s mindset. Below are four core beliefs that top founders and intrapreneurs share. Each section explains why the belief matters, how companies across industries practice it, and what you can do this week to adopt it.

1. Discipline > Motivation

Why it matters:
Motivation is emotional fuel; discipline is the engine. When the excitement wears off (and it always does), disciplined routines keep the wheels turning. A 2024 meta-analysis of 12 000 entrepreneurs found that self-discipline correlated 28 percent more strongly with venture longevity than initial passion did.

Cross-industry in action:

• Sports apparel: Gymshark’s “66-Day Challenge” asks customers—and employees—to repeat one tiny habit daily, reinforcing the brand’s culture of consistency.
• Fintech: Wise releases platform updates every Thursday, whether or not executives “feel inspired.” Cadence beats inspiration.

Quick win:
Block a non-negotiable “Power Hour” at the same time each workday for your highest-leverage activity (cold calls, prototype coding, investor outreach). Protect it like a client meeting.

2. Action > Knowledge (Bias for Action)

Why it matters:
Ideas age quickly; executed experiments create real data. Companies with a documented bias for action grow revenue 2.5× faster than cautious peers, according to Bain & Company’s Founder’s Mentality research.

Cross-industry in action:

• E-commerce: Shopify famously ships internal “hack-day” results to production within a week, turning concepts into live features while competitors are still polishing decks.
• Healthcare: Cleveland Clinic runs cross-functional “Swarm” teams that test workflow tweaks on live wards for 48 hours, then scale the winners hospital-wide.

Quick win:
Adopt the 24-Hour Rule: any idea discussed in a meeting must have its first micro-experiment (a call, a Figma mock-up, a landing page) launched within one day.

3. Growth Through Discomfort

Why it matters:
Neuroscience shows that deliberate exposure to manageable stress rewires the brain for resilience and faster learning. Entrepreneurs who routinely seek mild discomfort report 34 percent higher opportunity-recognition scores.

Cross-industry in action:

• Automotive: Toyota’s “Gemba Walks” push executives onto the factory floor to solve problems in real time – outside their comfort zones.
• Media: Netflix rotates senior engineers into unfamiliar teams every 18 months to keep skills sharp and egos humble.

Quick win:
Schedule a “Fear List Friday.” Write down one task you’ve avoided all week (e.g., calling a dissatisfied customer). Do it first thing, then note what you learned.

4. Service-First Thinking

Why it matters:
Customer-centric firms grow at more than double the rate of product-first peers because loyalty compounds faster than features. A 2024 survey of 250 start-ups showed that those investing early in service infrastructure had a 32 percent lower churn rate after Series A.

Cross-industry in action:

• Hospitality: CitizenM Hotels empowers every “ambassador” to resolve guest issues – no manager approval needed; cutting complaint-resolution time by 60 percent.
• B2B SaaS: Atlassian’s “Legendary Support” program rewards engineers who jump into support queues, ensuring the product roadmap stays anchored to real user pain.

Quick win:
Map your Service Moments of Truth: list the three places where customers feel most vulnerable (pricing page, onboarding email, renewal call). Audit each touchpoint this week and remove one friction point.

Putting the Beliefs to Work

1. Pick one belief that feels least natural to you.
2. Run the suggested quick win for the next seven days.
3. Debrief: What changed in customer feedback, speed, or personal energy?
4. Stack the next belief once the habit feels automatic.

Mindset isn’t magic, it’s a muscle. Train these four beliefs consistently and your venture will gain the resilience, momentum, growth capacity, and customer love that separate enduring businesses from momentary hits.

Ready to level up? Share your biggest takeaway on LinkedIn, tag @Cydcor, and tell us which mindset shift you’ll tackle first. Let’s build the next success story–together.

Venture capital, market timing, even IQ all pale in comparison to one factor that predicts whether a startup survives: the founder’s confidence. A 2023 peer-reviewed study that tracked 5,000 entrepreneurs for five years found that higher self-confidence increased the odds of venture success by 27 percent – even after controlling for funding and prior experience. 

The good news? Confidence isn’t genetic; it’s built. Below are three research-backed habits – from the latest psychology papers and cross-industry case studies – that you can implement this week.

1. Keep Promises to Yourself (Build Self-Integrity)

When your actions consistently match your words, you wire your brain for self-trust. Neuroscience writers call this “self-integrity,” and missing a personal commitment erodes it just like missing a KPI erodes client trust. A 2024 analysis in NewTraderU reports that entrepreneurs who intentionally honor daily micro-commitments (getting up on the first alarm, sending the follow-up they said they would), score 18 percent higher in self-efficacy assessments.

Cross-industry snapshot:

• Consumer fitness: Peloton’s “Blue-Dot” streak visualizes every completed workout. Users who keep a 10-day streak are 42 percent more likely to keep their subscription, according to the company’s 2024 retention report.
• Fin-tech: Wise ships platform updates every Thursday, no matter what. The ritual signals reliability internally and externally, reinforcing both employee and customer confidence.

Quick win for this week:
Start a 5-day “non-negotiable” streak for one high-leverage habit (e.g., prospecting calls from 9-10 a.m.). Track it publicly on your team Slack channel.

2. Act Before You Feel Ready (Courage First, Confidence Second)

“You don’t get brave by thinking—you get brave by doing.”

— Neil Gaiman

Contemporary psychology agrees: action precedes confidence. A 2024 review of growth-mindset studies summarizes the effect neatly; small acts of courage reinforce neural pathways for self-belief, which then fuel bigger risks.

Cross-industry snapshot:

• Aerospace: SpaceX’s “test, fail, iterate” rhythm launches prototypes long before they’re perfect, compressing learning cycles and turning fear into data.
  
• Healthcare: Cleveland Clinic runs 48-hour “Swarm” experiments that let frontline staff trial process tweaks immediately; 62 percent of successful pilots cited acting fast as the confidence catalyst for change.

Quick win for this week:
Apply the 24-Hour Rule – any idea raised in a meeting must see its first micro-experiment (a rough mock-up, a single customer call) within one day.

3. Surround Yourself with Belief (Leverage Social Confidence)

Confidence is contagious. A 2024 feature in Forbes on solopreneurs showed that founders who engaged weekly with a peer support group doubled their revenue growth compared to those who worked in isolation. Academic work backs this up: social support increases entrepreneurial passion, which in turn boosts well-being and persistence.

Cross-industry snapshot:

• Gaming: Roblox’s developer accelerator pairs rookies with alumni mentors; 78 percent of participants ship a revenue-generating game in their first year.
• Hospitality: CitizenM empowers every “ambassador” to solve guest issues without a manager, creating a culture where employees reinforce one another’s agency and poise.

Quick win for this week:
Identify three “confidence allies” – people who challenge yet believe in you. Book a 30-minute coffee or virtual catch-up with at least one of them before Friday.

Putting It All Together

1. Choose one habit (self-integrity, courageous action, or social belief).
2. Run the quick win for seven straight days.
3. Review the evidence – How did your energy, decision speed, or sales pipeline change?
4. Stack the next habit once the first feels automatic.

Confidence isn’t a personality trait; it’s a practice. Build it brick by brick, and your venture will gain the resilience and momentum to outlast any market storm.

Your move: Which habit will you start today? Share your experiment on LinkedIn, tag @Cydcor, and keep the confidence ripple growing.

Funding, market timing – even a brilliant idea – won’t carry a venture if the founder can’t run a tight calendar, convey ideas crisply, and persuade stakeholders to act. Below are three “make-or-break” skills drawn from Cydcor’s recent carousel plus the newest research and real-world examples you can model today.

1. Time Management: Turning 24 Hours into Competitive Advantage

Why it matters:
Startup life is an endless juggling act. As University of Cincinnati management professor Rebecca Arwine notes, founders routinely switch between marketer, salesperson, and CEO (often in the same morning). Structured time-blocking converts that chaos into focused execution.

Data point:
Teams that track priorities meticulously can raise output by up to 18 percent and move from idea to launch faster, according to UC’s 2024 guide for founders.

Cross-industry in action:

• Atlassian’s “No-Meeting Wednesdays” gives product squads a full day for heads-down work.
• Gymshark’s 66-Day Micro-Habit Challenge reinforces consistency over bursts of motivation.
  

Quick win | Set a Daily Power Hour:
Block an immutable 60-minute slot at your peak-energy time (e.g., 8–9 a.m.) for your highest-leverage task. Treat it like an investor meeting—non-cancelable and distraction-free.

2. Clear Communication: Your Multiplier for Trust & Productivity

Why it matters:
Great ideas die in translation. Workplace studies show that well-communicating teams enjoy productivity lifts of up to 25 percent and are 50 percent more likely to cut turnover.

Data point:
A June 2025 survey found 70 percent of employers rank communication as the #1 skill they seek, topping technical expertise.

Cross-industry in action:

• NASA’s in-mission “comm loops” require every critical update to be confirmed aloud—no assumptions.
• Buffer publishes internal salaries and strategies publicly, proving that radical transparency scales even in a fully remote workforce.

Quick win | Adopt the “SBAR” Framework:
Before your next meeting, prep a one-page SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation). It keeps updates laser-focused and decision-ready–perfect for busy investors or cross-functional teams.

3. Salesmanship: The Engine Behind Every Great Idea

Why it matters:
Even if you’re “not in sales,” you’re always selling vision to employees, value to customers, ROI to funders. No surprise that 15 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs began their careers in sales, giving them an edge in persuasion and resilience.

Data point:
Target Training International’s study of 17,000 serial founders ranks persuasiveness the #1 differentiator of high-growth entrepreneurs.

Cross-industry in action:

• Amazon’s “Working Backwards” press release forces product managers to pitch clearly before coding begins.
• CitizenM empowers any “ambassador” to solve guest problems instantly, proving that frontline sales skills drive both loyalty and revenue.
  

Quick win | Run the 30-Second Value Test:
Can each team member state your product’s value proposition, target buyer, and biggest benefit in under half a minute? If not, host a lightning round and refine until everyone nails it–confidence follows clarity.

Putting the Skills to Work

1. Pick one skill that feels weakest today.
2. Apply the quick win every day for the next seven days.
3. Review what changed–in focus, team engagement, or pipeline velocity.
4. Stack the next skill once the habit feels automatic.

Master these three disciplines and you’ll turn hustle into repeatable performance – no matter how turbulent the market gets. Which skill will you tackle first? Tag @Cydcor on LinkedIn and share your progress–let’s grow stronger skills and stronger businesses together.

Experience more, learn more, and be ready for more!

If you’ve been trying to figure out your resolutions for the new year… stop. 

We’re not making resolutions this year. We’re making changes. 

If you want to experience, learn, and earn more in 2025, these 5 actions will empower you to hit the ground running.

Let’s make 2025 the best one yet!

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1 - Simplify

Have your past New Year’s resolutions looked something like this?

This year I will:

• Go to the Gym 6 times a week
• Read 1-3 books per week
• Learn Spanish
• Start a drop shipping cell phone case side hustle
• Write and publish a collection of personal essays
• Take up carpentry

Aspirations are good. But trying to do too much will have you burnt out by January 7th.

This year, what if we committed to doing less? 

Life gets complicated… and complexity has a way of spreading us thin. Instead of trying to do it all, commit to doing a few things exceptionally well.

As an exercise, ask yourself these three questions. For each of them, write down only ONE answer.

What do I want to experience this year?
What do I want to learn?
What do I want with my career?

Your mind may want to create an exhaustive list… but your job is to distill each question down until you have one over-arching priority for each. As you prepare for the New Year, keep returning to these priorities.

With simplicity comes clarity. When you take on a new project at work, or you develop a new hobby to enrich your personal life — you can weigh the value of these activities against your true aspirations.

You’ll do more of what actually matters. And get more from life because of it.

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2 - Find Mentors

Now that you are focused on a few key priorities, find people who currently have those things. Make them your mentors. Rather than trying to figure everything out yourself, you can save a lot of time with clear, actionable advice from people you trust.

There are mentors for everything, and the best ones are people in your everyday life (not the talking heads with millions of followers on social media).

If you want to show up more for your kids and family in 2025… seek advice from your neighbor down the street who gets daily calls from their adult children and always has grandchildren visiting.

If you want to learn a new language… find a friend who speaks it and offer to buy them lunch once a week. 

If you want to pick up some coding knowledge that will get you ahead at work… ask your programmer friend if they need help with a project. Become their apprentice.

This isn’t just a better way to develop… it’s a good way to live a quality, fulfilled life. Through mentors, you can pursue your interests and goals WHILE deepening friendships and relationships along the way.

That’s a win-win in our books! 

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3 - Reduce Screen Time

Your phone is a tool for enhancing your life. Used effectively, it can get you closer to your goals for 2025… but it’s not the goal itself.

6 hours and 35 minutes daily. That’s how much time the average internet user spends online. And in younger generations, this number is significantly higher.

How much time do you personally lose, scrolling through social media and watching Reels? What if you trade 30-60 minutes of daily screen time for something different?

This isn’t about saying “TikTok is bad. Eliminate it entirely.” This is about making a small reduction that can win you back a TON of valuable time in 2025.

One super easy change you can make right now is to go into your phone settings and turn on greyscale. This will make your phone black and white. It may feel like you’ve stepped back into the 1950s, or you’re looking at one of those magic moving newspapers in Harry Potter (which is fun)...

And there’s actually a huge psychological benefit.

Our phones are made to be addictive. The pretty, enticing on-screen colors are a BIG part of why we can’t keep our eyes off them. 

Early studies — like this one from the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education — suggest that this small change can lead to big reductions in screentime (and increased time to pursue the priorities you’ve created for 2025). 

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4 - Get Comfortable with AI

This one may be controversial — depending on who you ask. But if 2024 was an indicator… AI will play a significant role in 2025. 

Does this mean you have to be the ChatGPT “power user” who believes the only thing holding them back from the secrets of the universe is better prompt engineering? No.

But you should have a working knowledge of the most prominent AI tools… good, bad, and ugly included.

Take some time to play and experiment with AI. See how it performs when handling some basic work tasks and try using it in creative ways that support your goals for the year. You won’t just be learning the abilities of this emerging technology — you’ll also be learning its limitations.

83% of US professionals believe new grads should be entering the workforce prepared to use AI, and the same should apply to people who are well into their careers.

If you dive in with an open mind and find that the AI hype is overblown… now you know.

And if you discover clever ways to do more in less time… now you have a secret weapon for having more experiences, knowledge, and advancement opportunities in 2025.

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5 - Be Intentional

This point ties back to #1. In 2025, be intentional with your time. In a busy world, it’s all too easy for our minds to be in multiple places at once.

If we really want to experience, learn, and earn more this year, we need to understand that we can’t do all three at once. 

If you’re at your kid’s baseball game… you are gaining experience.

When you’re reading a book… you are gaining knowledge.

When you’re at a workshop picking up a new career skill… you are gaining opportunities to learn more.

And if you try and read the book while listening to the workshop while at the baseball game… you are gaining nothing.

If you start to feel overwhelmed and lose sight of your goals, check back in with yourself. Ask:

“What is this hour for? What do I want to gain from it?”

And for that hour, be present and focused on that one thing.

Because all your 2025 goals will not come at once.

They’ll come when you string every moment of intentional focus into one incredible year.

Let’s make 2025 the best one yet!

Seek wisdom and actionable advice from some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs.

1. Steve Jobs on the importance of Passion:

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do."

There’s a good chance you’re reading this on a device first imagined by the late Founder of Apple. And without pride and passion, it’s unlikely that Jobs could have ever left such an impressive thumbprint on our world!

2. Ursula Burns on What It Takes To Succeed:

"Dreams do come true, but not without the help of others, a good education, a strong work ethic, and the courage to lean in."

Over the course of 30 years, Burns climbed the ranks of Xerox, going from intern to CEO. Your dreams won’t come easy, but don’t be afraid to chase them!

3. Jeff Bezos on Going After Goals:

"I knew that if I failed I wouldn't regret that, but I knew the one thing I might regret is not trying."

There’s an alternate reality where Jeff Bezos lived a boring, safe, regrettable life. Don’t let that be you!

4. Indra Nooyi on Setting the Bar:

"As a leader, I am tough on myself and I raise the standard for everybody; however, I am very caring because I want people to excel at what they are doing so that they can aspire to be me in the future."

The former CEO of PepsiCo continues to be considered one of the most powerful business leaders in the world. Now we know how she’s been able to command such a compelling influence!

5. Phil Knight on Competing to Win:

“Play by the rules, but be ferocious.”

Leave it to this Nike co-founder to give us a quote that fits on a T-Shirt! Business is a game. Be fair, be competitive, and leave nothing on the court.

6. Henry Ford on Mindset:

"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't—you're right."

You don’t have to be a woo-woo manifestation nut to see the point Ford is making here. If you don’t believe in yourself… who will?

7. Elon Musk on Mission:

"When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor."

Do we need electric cars to reverse the impact of climate change? Absolutely. Do we need a plan to get humanity to Mars? We hope not (but it’s always good to be prepared). Even the most “impossible” problems can be solved when we recognize the severity of inaction.

8. Mary Barra on Responsibility:

"Do every job you're in like you're going to do it for the rest of your life and demonstrate that ownership of it."

Barra’s first job at GM was to inspect fender panels. Without taking pride and responsibility in this small task… would they have made her the company CEO 34 years later?

To those who have, more will be given.

9. Steve Cohen on Taking Risks:

"One of the questions I ask [potential employees] is: "Tell me some of the riskiest things you've ever done in your life?"

As one of the leading hedge-fund managers… Cohen lives in a world where multi-million dollar mistakes are “just another Tuesday.” Risk-taking IS a skill that’s necessary for success. Make peace with the idea of losing, or you may never win!

10. Madam C.J. Walker on Taking Action:

"Don't sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them."

For this last quote, we went back over 100 years, to an entrepreneur who really should be a household name. Walker was the first child in her family born after the Emancipation Proclamation and went from destitute poverty to a haircare empire. She is on record as America’s first self-made millionaire. Emphasis on self-made.

There we have it — 10 inspiring quotes from 10 incredible business leaders. Which one resonated with you the most? Which one will you act on today?

Vera Quinn joins top business podcast hosts to discuss leadership, her entrepreneurial journey and more. Here are our three favorite takeaways!

Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric, once said “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.”

And no matter where you are in that journey — whether you’re taking the first step into entrepreneurship and trying to grow yourself, or you’re leading a team you want to develop, it’s important to examine the advice that has made other leaders successful.

Our CEO, Vera Quinn, has recently joined a few top podcasts to discuss the Cydcor approach to leadership — and how Vera continues to develop the team.

While a lot was discussed on these shows, we’ve highlighted a few of our favorite takeaways — which will expand your definition of leadership and teach you how grow the people around you.

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1. Culture Takes Courage

Culture is a bit of a buzzword in most corporate circles — with many leaders taking a “do as I say, not as I do” approach to their values. 

But in discussion with Chris Waters on To Lead is to Learn, Vera presents a different way to go about culture: 

Lead by example.

“I can say whatever I want to say, but it’s about my actions,” Vera says. “If we’re in a meeting and I’m not modeling the culture, someone on the team will speak up. We hold each other accountable. We call each other out.”

Vera and Chris go on to discuss the self-awareness and courage this requires as a leader. 

We may think of the “courageous” leader as someone who’s always right and becomes a poster-child for the company’s values. But we are all human — and true courage comes from a leader willing to put themselves on the same level as their team. 

Vera explains that if we shed the idea that we have to be “perfect” and instead make ourselves an ingrained part of the culture (just like everyone else), we can attract a team that enhances our strengths and sures up our weaknesses.

So, as you lead and build culture with your team — remember this:

A good leader is someone who allows their team to hold them accountable.

That takes courage.

To listen to the full episode, click here.

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2. Match Opportunity with Ambition

On the Leadership is Female podcast, Vera and host Emily Jaenson discuss strategic leadership. 

To break the concept down, Vera highlights the two things a leader has to do: 

1. Gather a group of people 
2. Point them in the direction of the most important work that needs to be done.

At a glance, this may just sound like “telling people what to do.” But that’s what a boss does, while leaders take a different approach.

The keyword for Vera is “point.”

The leader can guide a team to where it needs to go — but it is by everyone’s own volition that the actually work gets done. As Vera and Emily discuss, it takes empathy to lead this way.

Vera explains that the best way to do that “pointing” is to “match opportunity with ambition.”

By taking the time to learn the individual goals of your team, you can align their ambition to the opportunities that need to be captured within the business.

Then, the team member can be personally invested in taking on that responsibility, rather than being forced to do it.

That’s how you end up with a team that you are leading, rather than having a group of people you are bossing around. Big difference.

To listen to the full episode, click here.

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3. Be Interested (Not Interesting)

You may have read the last point and wondered:

“Ok… how do I empathize with my team and learn what their ambitions really are?”

And that’s exactly the topic that Vera dives into with Teri Schmidt, host of Strong Leaders Serve.

Vera tells Teri about her rise to leadership — and how a coach once told her that she needed to transition from “being interesting to being interested.”

“At the time,” she recalls, “I wanted to be the best. I wanted to be the bright, shining star.”

But a leader who tries to do that will not be a leader for long. 

Vera highlights the importance of attracting talent around you — and moving from being the person everyone wants to learn about to being the leader who’s actively invested in learning more about their team.

“It changed my paradigm of being a leader,” Vera says, “and it even changed how I approached being a spouse, mother, and friend.”

Funnily enough, when you put the focus on “being interested,” you’ll draw more people to you compared to when you’re trying to be the most “interesting.”

People want to follow a leader that’s invested in their interests, story, and expertise. They don’t want to follow someone that makes it all about themselves. And while building rapport with your team is a big benefit to this mindset shift — doing this also sets you up to learn more than you ever could before. 

To listen to the full episode, click here.

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And when it’s all said and done, learning is the number one thing that a leader should be doing. That’s why we always get excited when Vera gets on a podcast to share some of the lessons, she’s learned at Cydcor.

You now have three actionable insights that you can act on today. So, get out there, keep growing as a leader and developing your team!

Criticism is an opportunity for growth — but only if you know how to properly deal with customer complaints. 

Let’s face it — everyone’s a critic these days, and it’s all but impossible to work a job without getting some negative feedback at some point in your career.

Even the most successful people deal with valid criticism. In the end, their ability to handle and interact with that feedback is what sets them apart. 

Knowing how to isolate, identify, reflect on, and act on negative feedback is a skill they have developed over time — and doing the same will help you grow in your career or in entrepreneurship.

The next time you need to respond to negative feedback, turn to this four-step framework.

Step 1: Isolate

It’s all too easy to view negative customer feedback as a personal attack. There’s a fine line between constructive criticism and insult — and sometimes the feedback is just downright mean. But even when something falls into the category of constructive criticism, it can still hurt!

The first thing you need to do is isolate the feedback. It is not reflective of you, the person. It is reflective of the experience the customer had with the product or service.

Isolate the feedback as if you were a neutral, third party to the situation. This will remove any emotions, disappointment, or anger that you may be feeling about the situation and allow you to interact with the customer’s concerns in a positive way.

A lot of the time, the spirit of the negative feedback is valid, but the way it’s said isn’t. Your job is to not let the presentation of the criticism bother you (even if it comes in the form of yelling or choice language) while trying to identify where the real problem lies.

Step 2: Identify

After you’ve isolated the feedback — you can identify where the real concern lies.

This may seem like a simple step, but it’s usually anything but. Customer feedback doesn’t happen in a vacuum. There are usually factors outside of the situation that impact how the response is worded or expressed.

A customer may rant about 10 different things that you did wrong — when all of those 10 things boil down to one specific concern that the customer can’t quite put their finger on. Or they may simply state that “this is bad” without explaining any of the reasons why they feel that way.

To work with negative feedback, you sometimes need to play detective. Ask questions that allow the customer to fully express their feelings. This won’t just help them feel heard, it will also give you the context you need to get to a solution.

Don’t just aim to listen, aim to empathize and understand.

Don’t say “I hear you” while someone is complaining — say “I understand.” Big difference there.

When the customer is finished explaining — repeat back what you’ve heard, but remove the emotion out of it. Be matter-of-fact as you walk through what’s just happened. This will prime the customer to start viewing the situation as a solvable problem (and not an emotion-crushing disaster).

As you go through your recap with them, focus on the handful of issues that are really at the crux of the issue. Even if these are things outside of your control. Take responsibility for them. The worst thing you can do is “try and pass the buck” — and in a world where everyone’s trying to point fingers, most customers will respect you for taking accountability.

At first — negative feedback can seem overwhelming and impossible to fix. But when you get good at finding the one thing that sits at the heart of the complaint it becomes manageable.

When the key issues are identified, act swiftly. Show the customer you’ve listened to them in the way you go about resolving the matter.

Step 3: Reflect

The most important work happens after the specific situation has been put to bed. Your job now is to evolve so that the problem does not happen again with another customer. It can be useful to discuss the negative feedback with your boss or peers — not to gossip or complain about it, but to get their opinion about how you handled things and how you can improve.

The odds are that they’ve gotten the same kind of feedback at some point in their careers. Listening to their experiences will help you grow — and will also reveal that getting criticism is normal (so you shouldn’t feel too bad about what that customer said!).

Reflecting helps you fix a problem before it becomes a trend. When you invest the time to think about how customers are responding to your product or service — you can start developing a tangible list of action items that are going to help you grow.

Step 4: Act

The best businesses are the ones that listen and adapt based on their customer’s needs and concerts. The greatest entrepreneurs have a spotlight on them at all times — and are criticized relentlessly. Knowing how to turn a negative piece of feedback into an opportunity for growth is a skill that directly correlates with success.

So, remember that everyone gets negative feedback sometimes — and if you know how to interact with it, that feedback can be a positive turning point in your career or entrepreneurial journey.

The last step in these situations is always to act. Take time to improve based on feedback and move forward with confidence and integrity.  

There will always be negative feedback. But if each complaint is different than the last… you’re going in the right direction!