For the background of this list – see my original post from 2-10-12.

The #11 Rap Lyric That Shaped My Leadership Style comes from Kool Moe Dee and was inspired on his song Death Blow from his 1991 album Funke, Funke Wisdom,  by none other than LL Cool J – who Kool Moe Dee had a long running Rap Feud.  Kool Moe Dee was the first rapper to ever perform at the Grammy Awards, but this album was probably his worst and signaled and end to his rap career.  With all of that – it still had some great lyrics, including this one on his song Death Blow:

“You’re young and dumb and quick with the tongue.”

One thing I’ve learned to appreciate over the past 20 years of my career – is patients.   At one time I was very young, dumb and way to quick with my thoughts.  I’ve had a handful of really great mentors over my career and they all had one very important trait that I’ve worked to learn from – the ability to listen, take in information, process it carefully and then, react appropriately.  Even when what they were being told – wasn’t something they wanted to hear or even agree with.

In every organization, as a leader, you are going to be put into positions that you will struggle to support fully.  Usually, if you have patience, you’ll be able to work through that gap between what the organization is requiring of you and how you can support it and truly believe in “it” as well.    The nice thing about being young, dumb and quick with the tongue – is that you grow up being able to recognize this trait in others!  So, I get plenty of reminders of how to keep this in check, slow down to go fast and react in a way that will eventually help the organization and keep me satisfied as a leader.