The Official Website of Dan Peña - The Trillion Dollar Man

PENAISMS

Penaisms 24

We must all remember life doesn't have to be fair for us to succeed, if we take change and become masters and creators of our own destiny!
The older you get, the less you are surprised.

Penaisms 23

Get ruthless about trying something different.
Motivation is your "fire in the belly". But unless it's fueled it goes out.
I have no more mountains left to climb - but myself!
Don't focus on mistakes; focus on the positive say "next time"!
Progress often masquerades as trouble.

Penaisms 22

Don't set time limits for achieving goals. They should transcend time.
Set goals you cannot achieve in your lifetime.
Business should not run smoothly while you're making your Quantum Leap. Chaos is normal. The business on quiet waters is still in the harbor.
Life is what happens while you're making other plans.
The road to success is always under construction.

Penaisms 21

Being all you can be is possible for anyone, but…
… super success is not for everyone. Period.
Fear of failure is caused by lack of self-esteem and confidence. Dealing with fear is the key to super success.
Don't take high performance advice from your peers, family or friends unless they are high performance people themselves.
You cannot grow exponentially by yourself. You need the support of others.

Penaisms 20

The only things in this life that you'll really regret are the risks - and adventures - you didn't take.
"Hell" can be the video of your life if only you had taken the actions to become super successful.
Nothing you'll ever be in business is a matter of life or death. In the cosmos of time, any decision you make is a fart in the wind.
You cannot make a Quantum Leap if you don't share the wealth with your Dream Team and employees - be it cash, equity, options or warrants that are tangible rewards for performance and loyalty.
Never, ever share your doubts with anyone but your mentor.

Penaisms 19

Find your passion and wrap your career around it.
Live your life on purpose!
You'll be motivated by inspiration… or desperation. It's your choice.
People with low self-esteem protect themselves by not taking risks. High self-esteem gives you the power of confidence to take chances.
Give yourself permission to make mistakes. It's called learning.

Penaisms 18

A guarantor is a fool with a pen.
No matter how tempting, never accept short-term solutions to long-term problems.
Too many companies try to patch when they should amputate. 'Let's reorganize and save this mess' is a clarion call to disaster. Cut your losses, kick the cuttings out of your way, and move on.
If you want to travel above and beyond the herd, don't try to be better. Try to be different. Or better yet, be first!
Your doubts are not the product of accurate thinking, but habitual thinking.

Penaisms 17

I may be wrong - but I'm never in doubt!
Don't hire credentials. Hire attitude.
Surprise your associates - and your enemies.
Structure follows strategy. If you base your strategy on your existing structure, you limit your potential to what you've already done.
Watch your peaks and troughs. As long as your lows are higher than before, your Quantum Leap Action War Plan is working.

Penaisms 16

Logic can be a logical process which leads to a wrong conclusion.
It isn't a case of taking a big chance. It's a matter of giving yourself a big chance.
The more self-esteem you give others, the more you have. And the more you have, the easier it is to give away.
Most successful people do it poorly until they do it well. Just keep blundering along. You can't wait until it's exactly right. The product of your quest for perfection is… paralysis.
High performance people get paid for performing their hobbies.

Penaisms 15

Everyone knows how to manage success. But no one ever asks, 'How do we manage failure?'
Regret for the past is a waste of the spirit - and makes no money!
Minutia never makes money. It only makes manure.
Super successful people are macro managers who know that less control means more control.
Always respect the individual on the other side of the deal. He is not as stupid as you may think. And you're not as smart as you think.

Penaisms 14

You are paid in life not for what you know, but what you can do. Or get others to do.
Ideas are a dime a dozen. The person who puts them into action is priceless.
You've known all along it's tough to be successful. But you'd rather hear the fairy tales.
Half-truths and misinformation sell easier - and return harder.
Excuses are the crutches of the untalented and unambitious.

Penaisms 13

Whoever said money can't buy you happiness doesn't know where to shop.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
More of the same usually just gives you more of the same.
It doesn't matter what morons say.
Give potential associates and partners the "Doofus Test". Place them under stress to see how they react to pressure as a high performance person.

Penaisms 12

It costs nothing to aim high - but if you aim at nothing, you'll hit anything.
FEAR is… False Expectations Appearing Real.
"Thinking it over" is for people who can't take action.
Quantum Growth eliminates clear sailing. So you'd better learn to navigate troubled waters.
From chaos comes order. In chaos is opportunity - Chaordic!

Penaisms 11

I never met a super successful, high performance person who wasn't enthusiastic.
The best way to predict the future is to create it yourself.
A deal is either hot - or it's not.
You don't have to know how you're going to get there. But you do need to know where you want to go.
If you have no destination, wherever you end up will be acceptable.

Penaisms 10

Your greatest idea, born out of revolutionary thinking and passion, will die of indifference, apathy and the cancer of low expectations.
Conventional wisdom is almost always wrong.
Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Just because something has never been done doesn't mean it can't be done. The fact you have never seen or heard something is not proof that it doesn't exist.
Every worthy dream has a "pay-price-to-action". That means you have to give up something to get something. You can't have it all.
The old Kenny Rogers song, "The Gambler" has a message for CEOs. "You've got to know when to hold 'em, and know when to fold 'em." As a CEO you'll get more advice from your staff than you know what to do with. But it's up to you to know when to "hold 'em" and when to "fold 'em". Listen to your staff. Listen to your gut. Make your decision and move on.

Penaisms 9

You always need a reason to overlook the obvious.
Never underestimate how wrong you can be. Even the most careful planning can be overtaken by external events and circumstances.
Always maintain your personal relationships on the same plane upon which they were formed. True friends will rejoice in your professional successes. Allow them to enjoy them with you. Never reassess their personal and professional lives in terms of your own.
Your most valuable natural asset is your own gut instinct. Don't be afraid of it. Your instinct has more power than all of the conventional wisdom in the world.
Business opportunities abound - but formidable barriers exist. And the biggest barrier is psychological. It is you.

Penaisms 8

You can't win at poker or business with scared money. It gives off a stench that is repugnant to the other side. If you're going to play, leave your money at home and play with OPM - Other People's Money.
The fulfillment of your dream is directly proportional to your desire to succeed… and how much you're willing to sacrifice. If you are not prepared to die, then you are not prepared to live.
When you get rid of someone, never give them a "hook" with which to get back in. Always make a clean, definable and irrevocable break.
Quantum Leap success means fishing with nets, not just with lines.
To achieve "hyper-growth", avert avoidable mistakes, and let your successes run their course. Do more of what you're doing right - and less of what you're doing wrong.

Penaisms 7

Ignorance is a steep hill with jagged rocks at the bottom.
The only difference between a champ and a chump is "U".
To succeed in business you must do more than take a step in the right direction. You have to take a Quantum Leap.
A good plan executed today is better than a great plan executed next week.
In order to really succeed in business, you must have outside advisors. These must be trusted advisors, professionals at your accounting and law firms with whom you have a very special relationship. These advisors become your moles within their own organization, more loyal to you than their employer… motivated, aggressive, ambitious and bright enough - but not as bright as he or she thinks.

Penaisms 6

The business world is divided into people with great ideas, and people who take action on those ideas.
If you want things to change, first you have to change.
A man who dwells on his past, robs his future.
There's a big difference between playing to win and playing not to lose.
The difference between a failure and a high performance individual is how each deals with fear. We are all afraid. A high performance person uses his fear to galvanize his actions.

Penaisms 5

Management performance sins will always be forgiven during periods of rapidly increasing revenues.
Learn to play bad golf well.
Become more disciplined. The pain of discipline hurts less than the pain of regret.
Hunger makes beasts of men, and demons of beasts.
Everybody else is worried about life after death. My concern is about life before death.

Penaisms 4

You won't always have all the answers. Only take seriously the advice of others whom you greatly respect.
The consequences of a misguided decision are insignificant in the cosmos of eternity.
Always shoot for the moon. Even if you don't hit the bulls-eye, you'll at least get 80%
Always, always, always pay yourself - and your employees - first! Through all economic cycles.
Plan for success. With no back-up plans, no ripcords, no fail-safes - or you will fail.

Penaisms 3

A deal has to sound good before it is good.
During Quantum growth, any problem you solve will be replaced immediately by a larger, more complicated problem.
Every party to every negotiation has a comfort zone. The effective negotiator is the one who can define the boundaries of the other party's comfort zone, then place the deal inside the boundary of that zone nearest his own interests.
Stick to your knitting. To maximize the return on invested capital, deploy your assets, resources and capabilities in those areas wherein lie your expertise and experience.
Man plans; God laughs.

Penaisms 2

Dream big... and dare to fail!
The more you investigate, the less you have to invest.
Never, ever second-guess yourself.
Cash only prolongs death. It doesn't avoid it.
I've never seen a "part-time" super successful, high performance person.

Penaisms 1

Tough times don't last. Tough people do.
Don't waste time on things you can't change.
When you deal with the opinionated or egotistical, always give credit where it isn't due.
Business deals start and end with people - the interaction of flesh and blood, bone and sinew, heart and mind, emotion and soul.
Dream big. Think big. Be big.

DISCLAIMER

The contents within this Web site, the content of video clips, extracts from books, QLA Products and other communications are not intended to convey legal, accounting, tax, appraisal other professional or investment advice which is expressly disclaimed. All situations vary and the advice given and implemented has to be tailored to each particular case. Be sure you evaluate all professional and business advice with your lawyers and advisors based on the facts that apply to you. Remember: "Investigate Before You Invest!" I can't do that for you! No presentation or communication shall expressly or impliedly bind any person or entity to any contract, agreement or course of conduct, or waive any part of this disclaimer and no one should rely on unverified claims that I am part of any venture, and all such reliance is expressly disclaimed.

"Truth is often best revealed when inhibitions about language are temporarily put aside. QLA therefore presents controversial issues punctuated with expressive, rough, and often distasteful words and remarks. All have a wide basis in literature and/or contemporary usage. All are intended to stimulate an uninhibited interchange of ideas. But QLA unequivocally rejects hatred against any person or group. Nothing said, shown or implied is intended to be threatening, insulting or abusive, or to stir up hatred against any person or group. If you feel that robust discussions might incite you to violent action or hatred against others, you should avoid this website and its contents."

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

PRIVACY POLICY & GDPR COMPLIANCE

Copyright © 2008-2024
All Rights Reserved