Seeing clearly. Thinking broadly. Feeling deeply.
“The benefits of good, well-trained leaders are very difficult to quantify. All you know is that it's big… You can never, ever overeducate your workforce, whether it is frontline associates or anyone else. Education is mother's milk to an organization.”
(Jack Rooney, President & CEO of U.S. Cellular, in “There Are No Happy Losers,” by Tony Bingham and Pat Galagan. T+D: May 2007. Vol.61, Iss. 5; pg. 42)
"I don't think we have internalized the extent of the global competitiveness issue. It's almost like we take our position in the world for granted."
(Paul Otellini, CEO of Intel, in “Business: CEOs Find Lack of Political Leadership on Trade,” by Alan Murray. Wall Street Journal: June 13, 2007. pg. A.2)
"The ingredients are there. You are the only one who can put them together into that unique pattern that will be your life. Let it be a life that has dignity and meaning for you. If it does, then the particular balance of success or failure as the world measures success or failure is of less account."
(Jon Huntsman, Sr., Chairman of Huntsman Chemical, in “Deans' Column: Patrick Harker of Wharton on Jon Huntsman,” by Patrick Harker. FT.com. London: May 14, 2007. pg. 1)
“We assess our talent twice a year. I ask all my senior people to do 40 hours of personal development annually, including myself. I ask all the senior people to have two ready-now candidates to succeed them. Every time I meet with them we talk about, what are you doing to develop them?”
(James A. Skinner, CEO of McDonald’s, in “Boss Talk: How Jim Skinner Flipped McDonald's; Big Chain's CEO Focused On Getting Better, Not Bigger; 'We Have To Provide Choices',” by Janet Adamy. Wall Street Journal: January 5, 2007. pg. B.1)
“We have an inspirational leadership program that is highly individualized for handpicked managers. They're nominated by business leaders or functional leaders, and I pick them. A big chunk of it is about personal development.”
(A.G. Lafley, CEO of Procter & Gamble, in “Q & A: On The Hot Seat,” by Geoff Colvin. Fortune. New York: December 11, 2006. Vol.154, Iss. 12; pg. 75)
“In whatever adverse situations you are, always look at the bright side. Hardships and trials come and go. They don't exist just to make you fail, but to prepare you for bigger and more important tasks later. If you are positive, you'll find a solution or you'll come across someone who helps you solve the problem.”
(Jong Soo Lee, CEO of Hyundai Engineering & Construction, in “Lee Maps Hyundai Engineering's Long, Hard Road to Success,” by In-Soo Nam. Wall Street Journal: June 11, 2007. pg. B.3)
"It's best to concentrate on what you know... We're not going to do something outside of our DNA. There's no reason.”
(Bernard Fornas, CEO of Cartier, in “'Concentrate on What You Know:' Cartier CEO Interview,” Financial Times. London: June 8, 2007. pg. 9)
"Even in the early stages, I always had this great curiosity about what was going on in the world. Once you have that, it doesn't go away…
“We're in a world that's changing so dynamically. If you don't experiment with that world, you are going to get left behind very quickly."
(Roger Ogden, President and CEO of Gannett Broadcasting, in “Roger Ogden: Mile-High Winner,” by Paige Albiniak. Broadcasting & Cable. New York: April 9, 2007. Vol.137, Iss. 15; pg. 28)
"Invention is by its very nature a disorderly process... You can't put a Six Sigma process into that area and say, well, I'm getting behind on invention, so I'm going to schedule myself for three good ideas on Wednesday and two on Friday. That's not how creativity works…
"You cannot create in that atmosphere of confinement or sameness. Perhaps one of the mistakes that we made as a company – it's one of the dangers of Six Sigma – is that when you value sameness more than you value creativity, I think you potentially undermine the heart and soul of a company like 3M."
(George Buckley, CEO of 3M, in “At 3M, A Struggle Between Efficiency and Creativity: How CEO George Buckley is Managing the Yin and Yang of Discipline and Imagination,” by Brian Hindo. Business Week: June 11, 2007. Iss. 4038; pg. 8)
“I think of most things in life as either a Bob Dylan or a Beatles song.”
(Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, in “D: All Things Digital: 'Two of the Luckiest Guys on the Planet'; Steve Jobs and Bill Gates Trade Memories, Not Barbs, In Rare Joint Appearance,” by Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher. Wall Street Journal: June 1, 2007. pg. B.1)
“One of the biggest challenges we see is in the area of talent management. Look at the Baby Boomers we're losing. The transfer of knowledge from that group is very difficult to bring down to the masses.
“Traditional ways of on-boarding an employee have to change. They want more meaningful work sooner, they want to make a difference in their organization and they want a balance.
"People interpret work-life balance as focusing on things outside of work. But it's important to note that part of the balance comes from the rewarding work you do. Is it challenging? Is it meaningful? Is it something you can get inspired to do? Do you feel like you're making a difference?
"If you can balance rewarding work and a rewarding life, you've got the keys to the kingdom.”
(Mike Sabbatis, President of CCH Tax and Accounting, US, in “CCH's Sabbatis Understands Customers,” by Alexandra DeFelice. Accounting Technology. Boston: Apr 2007. Vol.23, Iss. 3; pg. 45)
“We encourage people to be entrepreneurial. We encourage people that it is okay to make a mistake, but when you make a mistake, correct it and move on. And if you make mistakes all of the time, you should go work for our competitor. We tell people not to take shortcuts, because that is a mistake.”
(Sandy Weill, former chairman and CEO of Citigroup, in “Wisdom From Weill,” Chief Executive. New York: Jan/Feb 2007., Iss. 223; pg. 10)
"The day you feel like you've won, you need to drive out of the parking lot and not come back."
(Mark Hurd, HP CEO, in “The UnCarly; How Mark Hurd, The Consummate Corporate Coach, Parlayed A Fixation On Efficiency Into A World Beating Revival At Hewlett-Packard,” by Quentin Hardy. Forbes. March 12, 2007; Volume 179 Issue 5; pg. 82)
“Any organization is a human endeavor, but in the pursuit of efficiency, most big organizations work hard to dehumanize, depersonalize it. We think you can do both: run a successful and growing company that depends on the unpredictability and ingenuity of its employees… Some of our best ideas have come from the people who are furthest removed from the CEO's office --those line-level employees who interact with our customers each and every day.”
(Brad Anderson, CEO of Best Buy, in “Brad Anderson,” by Matthew Boyle. Fortune: Apr 30, 2007. Vol.155, Iss. 8; pg. 66)
“I would characterize my management style as "dynamic involvement." I try to find a way to interact with people at every level within the organization in some form or fashion. To me, the best part of this business is being able to work with talented, committed people. I find ways to interact with a pumper or a lease analyst or a geologist. I try to find some way to be involved and to communicate at every level of the organization. It makes a world of difference.”
(Tony Best, CEO of St. Mary Land & Exploration Company, in “St. Mary's Best,” by Taryn Maxwell. Oil & Gas Investor. Denver: May 2007. Vol.27, Iss. 5; pg. 53)
Since you founded the UTC Scholar program, the company has spent more than $600 million paying for higher education for its employees. Has it been worth it?
“Categorically. Flatly. No argument. I think that's the best thing we ever did for employee benefits. Twenty-one thousand degrees have been earned, and 13,000 people are currently enrolled. It costs us $65 million a year. That's about 1% of UTC's operating income.
”Is it worth it? I guess I go back to my basic principle, which is education is definitely the most powerful force in life. Educated people are more thoughtful. They're more widely read. They're more alert to change. They're more confident.”
(George David, CEO of United Technologies, in “Boss Talk: Transformer in Transition; He Turned UTC Into Giant; Now, CEO George David Carefully Prepares Successor,” by J. Lynn Lunsford. Wall Street Journal: May 17, 2007. pg. B.1)
"I left Harvard with no real awareness of the awful inequalities in the world -- the appalling disparities of health and wealth and opportunity that condemn millions of people to lives of poverty, disease and despair… Humanity's greatest advances are not in its discoveries -- but in how those discoveries are applied to reduce inequity. Whether through democracy, strong public education, quality health care or broad economic opportunity -- reducing inequity is the highest human achievement."
(Bill Gates, Chairman of Microsoft Corporation and Co-Chairman of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in “The Speechmaker: How Bill Gates Got Ready for Harvard; Warren Buffett Offered Tips on Delivery and Tone; A Dropout Gets a Degree,” by Robert A. Guth. Wall Street Journal: Jun 8, 2007. pg. A.1)
“The tremendous success of Whole Foods Market has provided me with far more money than I ever dreamed I'd have and far more than is necessary for either my financial security or personal happiness... I am now 53 years old and I have reached a place in my life where I no longer want to work for money, but simply for the joy of the work itself and to better answer the call to service that I feel so clearly in my own heart. Beginning on January 1, 2007, my salary will be reduced to $1, and I will no longer take any other cash compensation... The intention of the board of directors is for Whole Foods Market to donate all of the future stock options I would be eligible to receive to our two company foundations.
“One other important item to communicate to you is, in light of my decision to forego any future [pay], our board of directors has decided that Whole Foods Market will contribute $100,000 annually to a new Global Team Member Emergency Fund. This money will be distributed to team members throughout the company based on need... The first $100,000 will be deposited on January 1, 2007, and requests will be considered after that date.
“With much love,
John Mackey”
(John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Markets, in “Final Word,” Fast Company. Boston: Feb 2007., Iss. 112; pg. 112)
"I'm not ruthless, but I am determined. I won't tolerate people who are dishonest, or who don't want to be part of a team. I'm a hard taskmaster because I'm never satisfied. But I'm just as hard on myself as I am on other people."
(Peter Scott, CEO of Engine Group, British advertising agency, in “The Engine Driver.” by John Tylee. Campaign. Teddington: Jan 19, 2007. pg. 22)
“Laughter is food for my soul, and I have a big soul that needs extra portions. So I smile and laugh a lot, and surround myself with positive-thinking people who also see laughter as an important ingredient in their lives.”
(Maria Martinez, President & CEO of Border FCU, in “Laughter Is Food For Her Soul,” Credit Union Magazine. Madison: Jan 2007.Vol.73, Iss. 1; pg. 14)
“We have enemies, but if you don’t allow them to build a base of popular frustration, common sense will prevail.”
(Gordon Stewart, President of the Insurance Information Institute, in “Stewart Saves Institute From 'Death Spiral',” by Sam Friedman. National Underwriter: P & C. Erlanger: Dec 18-Dec 25, 2006. Vol. 110, Iss. 48; p. 10)
"Mentoring too much is trying to make snowflakes match… I disagree with the concept."
(Carol Bartz, CEO of Autodesk, in “Carol Bartz -- By Focusing On Windows, Acquiring Related Software And-Above All-Teaming With The Channel, This CEO Made An Indelible Mark.” by Barbara Darrow. CRN. Jericho: Dec 11 2006., Iss. 1223; pg. 24)
“My mother encouraged me to walk up to people and ask them questions. But sometimes it's better just to stop, listen, and observe.”
(Abbe Raven, CEO of A&E Television Networks, in “Working On The Railroad,” interview by Devin Leonard. Fortune. New York: Dec 11, 2006.Vol.154, Iss. 12; pg. 45)
