A message from the king queens: Amid the pandemic, one of the most expensive and difficult tickets to come by on Broadway became accessible to a general audience thanks to the magic of Disney+. From there, it was only a matter of time before we provided you an important summary of Hamilton quotes for work.
(Jenn VandeZande also contributed to this piece).
Hamilton quotes for work: I wanna be in the Teams where it happens vibes
- “Oh, am I talkin’ too loud? Sometimes I get over excited, shoot off at the mouth.” Trying to get a word in edgewise during a conference/Zoom/Skype/Teams/Hangout call.
- “What’d I miss?” When someone says your name, but you’ve been multitasking.
- “It’s hard to listen to you with a straight face.” When someone you can’t tolerate is speaking.
- “Why do you assume you’re the smartest in the room?” When someone (probably the someone from #3) won’t stop talking and no one else has a chance to share their thoughts.
- “I guess I better think of something to say. I’m already on my way. Let’s get to the bottom of this…” Leading a meeting you’re unprepared for, but winging it seems like a solid plan.
- “I wanna be in the room where it happens, the room where it happens, The room where it happens…” That moment when you’re invited to a Zoom, but clearly there have been many Zooms before the invite, leaving you out of important conversations which highly effect your team.
- “Talk Less. Smile More. Don’t let them know what you’re against or what you’re for.” Trying to be respectful when a senior leader explains an approach to a project you don’t agree with.
- “I’m just saying if you really loved me you would share him.” Desperately pleading for an additional headcount on your team.
- “We laugh and we cry, and we break and we make our mistakes.” Enjoying Happy Hour with your colleagues after a tough week.
That glass ceiling can’t hold forever: Eventually, you’ll see my ascendancy
- “I prob’ly shouldn’t brag, but dag, I amaze and astonish.” Despite everything going on, you’re (as always) getting through your deliverables and task lists like a boss.
- “He exhibits no restraint, He takes and he takes and he takes, And he keeps winning anyway.” Reflecting on that one person who repeatedly gets credit for your work and ideas.
- “The problem is I got a lot of brains but no polish. I gotta holler just to be heard. With every word, I drop knowledge!” Explaining to your mentor why you also need a sponsor.
- “And there’s a million things I haven’t done. But just you wait, just you, wait.” Showing off your crushed KPIs and expanding on how much more you could accomplish if promoted.
- “No one has more resilience, Or matches my practical tactical brilliance…” Detailing all the ways you’ve contributed and delivered wins for the company.
- “I’ll keep all my plans Close to my chest; I’ll wait here and see; Which way the wind will blow, I’m taking my time” When you’re not quite sure you can trust the person leading your team and think they might be gone after the upcoming organizational change or leadership shift.
- “And I know you will be satisfied. I will never be satisfied.” Explaining how your perfectionist tendencies are both your weakness and your strength…you’ve never been happy with work that’s just acceptable.
- “Immigrants. We get the job done.” Enough said.
Email replies you wish you could write: And another thing, Mr. Age of Enlightenment, Don’t lecture me about the war, you didn’t fight in it
- “If you repeat yourself again I’m gonna—Scream” Upon receiving a message that starts with “Per my last email…” but the last email didn’t address any of the red flags you pointed out.
- “Lord, show me how to say no to this, I don’t know how to say no to this.” When asked to head up an assignment that you’ve no interest in or time for, but you’re usually the “yes” person.
- “You’ll be back, Time will tell, You’ll remember that I served you well.” You’re unexpectedly rolled off a project that you did most of the work on, and know they’ll struggle without you.
- “Why do you write like you’re running out of time?” You asked for a succinct summary and receive a three page email.
- “I’m looking for a mind at work. I’m looking for a mind at work” Message you want to send to the DL when it seems there’s way too many people on a team whose jobs are unidentifiable, and you’re trying to figure out who actually does the work.
- “Can I be real a second? For just a millisecond? Let down my guard and tell the people how I feel a second?” Attempting to explain how a project steered way off course and desperately needs to get back on track.
- “Any hope of success is fleeting. How can I keep leading when the people I’m Leading keep retreating?” Your team has high turnover and you’re still trying to manage the given deadline for an assignment.
- “We are outgunned. Outmanned. Outnumbered. Outplanned.” Explaining to your boss why your competitor with the time, money, and resources that you don’t have is still ahead of your organization.
- “I remember that night I just might regret that night for the rest of my days.” Reliving that one conference when you didn’t make the wisest decisions about what you were consuming, and ended up missing [fill in the blank] the next day.
- “Raise a glass to freedom, Something they can never take away” The email signature you want to leave in your out of office response while you’re on vacation.
You gotta rise up: Hamilton quotes for work, leadership version
- “Look at where you are, Look at where you started, The fact that you’re alive is a miracle, Just stay alive, that would be enough” Conversations with yourself as another re-org is about to rolled out.
- “Let me tell you what I wish I’d known, When I was young and dreamed of glory: You have no control, who lives, who dies, who tells your story…” Your motivational speech to new hires.
- “If I throw away my shot, is this how you’ll remember me?” Knowing that getting outside of your comfort zone is required for advancement, but wondering if you actually have the skills to pull it off, or if you’ll be going down in a blaze of glory.
- “If you stand for nothing, what do you fall for?” Explaining why purpose must be part of any business today.
- “I will not equivocate on my opinion, I have always worn it on my sleeve.” Fighting for what you believe is 100% right, even though it might be difficult feedback for your leaders to hear.
- “And when my prayers to God were met with indifference, I picked up a pen, I wrote my own deliverance.” Writing a personal email or post to inspire your employees during hard times.
- “To the union! To the revolution! And the hope that you provide” Greeting the employees joining your organization after an acquisition.
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“I know that greatness lies in you But remember from here on in, History has its eyes on you” Upon promoting someone into the c-suite.
- “Oceans rise. Empires fall. It’s much harder when it’s all your call.” Leadership isn’t all smiles – it’s making the tough decisions, over and over and over again.
- “Legacy, what is a legacy? It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.” Understanding that when you’ve been entrusted with power, the true test of it is considering what good you’ll have delivered to future generations.
