Although my given name is George Tobin Stansell, my mom decided to call me “Toby.” That moniker has stuck universally with family and friends over the years, but also with business associates and the civic leaders I have been fortunate enough to work with through the Greenville Chamber’s Minority Business Accelerator and other educational, economic development, and healthcare initiatives in which I have been involved. I believe that people who are naturally humorous bring “lightness” into a room in a way that breaks down barriers and enables people to connect with each other more quickly and more transparently. Although my way of expressing myself seemed completely normal and natural to me, it was brought to my attention more than once that I sometimes have a unique way of getting a point across that is uniquely “Southern” and speaks to where I grew up and the long history of storytellers … “raconteurs” … who have been sprinkled throughout my extended family. Colleagues from business and community endeavors began labeling some of the sayings that I would repeat from time-to-time as “Tobyisms.” That was always a little embarrassing to me, as I had always thought of these “repeatable” philosophical sayings as “mantras for excellence.” I’ve come to see them as guideposts that can convey important ideas about leadership and work and life in simple, memorable ways. That was the language I used when I wrote the book The Winding Road to Excellence. The thing is… the way these mantras came about is actually a funny story in its own right.

Back in 2002, I was working as vice president of sales for a software company in Austin, Texas when I was issued my first smartphone. It was a silver flip phone Palm Treo 300, and it had a raised keypad. It was very elementary compared to the phones we all carry today. A unique thing about that phone, and maybe all Palm 300s of that era as far as I know, because I ended up owning and using a number of them, is that they all had a hinge spring with a limited lifespan that would break about every 300th time (maybe that’s why it was called a Palm 300!) I’d open the phone. When the spring broke, and it invariably did, its top would shoot across the room at about Mach 2, risking life and limb for everyone within shouting distance. But it was a smartphone, a device I could carry with me and into which I could key important points that I wanted … needed … to remember. I began to use the Notes application on the phone to record these short, but salient principles and perspectives that were impressed upon me through circumstances that I encountered. Each entry usually took the form of a “one-liner” that captured a “learning experience” in which I had willingly participated or grudgingly endured.

What I didn’t know at first was that the notes I took on that phone were syncing with Microsoft Outlook. Even when I had to replace my phone because of a failed hinge and a missing top, it just never dawned on me that the “Notes” on my phone were syncing with a software application on my laptop or a server somewhere. Remember this is 2002 … not 2022. I don’t remember why or when I decided to open the Notes application on my computer, but when I did, I got a real shock. I found that I had captured almost eleven pages of these one-liner lessons! I was surprised at how many one-liners I had recorded without me paying much attention! After perusing a few and recalling the situations that spawned the “Aha!” moments that prompted me to record what I had learned, it dawned on me that, individually and collectively, that I had formed a “framework” for how to think about and deal with personal and professional situations that we all encounter on a regular basis. That’s when I, internally and informally, began to refer to these little principles and philosophies as “mantras for excellence.” At least in my own life, the collective framework for personal and business thought expressed by these “mantras” enabled me to perform as a human and a leader in a more predictable, consistent, and effective manner. They conveyed important foundational principles essential to being a person of character.

I began to segregate the mantras into logical categories like sales excellence, personal excellence, corporate excellence, spiritual excellence, and other classifications of a similar sort. Over time, whenever I was offered the opportunity to speak, I drew upon these notes, and eventually I used them to build the initial curriculum for some of the leadership courses that I teach. I was humbled that people with whom I shared the “mantras” found them relatable, easy to recall and apply, and effective, which is the ultimate test of worth for me. You might be able to find them helpful, as well. And if you continue to read this blog, you’ll certainly stumble upon some of the mantras I believe are most central to our lives and work demands. Some I will write about are my favorites. As for other peoples’ favorite Tobyisms … er … mantras, here’s a small sampling.