Seeing clearly. Thinking broadly. Feeling deeply.
"One of the things I've always done is learn from each of the jobs I've taken on... I dig very deeply when I get involved with a company, because the most important thing I've got is my time.”
(Simon Davidmann, CEO of Imperas, in “The Art Of EDA Innovation,” by Ann Steffora Mutschler. Electronic Business: December 2006. Vol.32, Iss. 12; pg. 44)
“The most surprising thing for me when I came to Rite Aid was not knowing what I didn't know…
“So I spent my first months in the field just talking to associates in our stores and distribution centers, and built the best kind of network with everyone who deals with customers. I also spent time with suppliers. It didn't cost me money to do that, and I learned a lot of the things that helped me later.”
(Mary Sammons, CEO of Rite Aid, in “Women to Watch (A Special Report); View From the Top: Women executives talk about their careers, the importance of mentoring and work-life balance.” Wall Street Journal: November 19, 2007. pg. R.6)
“I hate PDAs. When I'm in a meeting with someone, I want to be with them. I get more insight if I'm engaged in the moment. I consciously use a phone that doesn't have a full keyboard on it.”
(Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO, in “Bringing Design to Blue Chips.” by Jessi Hempel. Fortune: November 12, 2007. Vol. 156, Iss. 10; pg. 32)
“Being effective is not so much about saving time as it is about staying focused. That requires frequent vacations, maybe every six weeks. I just came back from [one], and I find myself incredibly effective and enthusiastic about my work.”
(Ian Schrager, Chairman and CEO of Ian Schrager Co., in “The King of Cool.” by Eugenia Levenson. Fortune: November 26, 2007. Vol. 156, Iss. 11; pg. 44)
“I'm not going to have a legacy. Legacies are for dead people. I already told you, I have no intention of leaving! But I would like to be remembered -- it's hard for me to contemplate that -- primarily as a loving father and grandfather. I would also like to be remembered... for what I have done in building these two great companies, Viacom and CBS. As far as philanthropy goes... every dollar I have given away I've had to work for, which makes it all the sweeter to be able to do something for other people.”
(Sumner Redstone, Chairman of Viacom and CBS, in “Redstone: `Legacies Are For Dead People'; The chairman of Viacom and CBS on growth, succession, stock performance, his daughter Shari, and his plan to live forever.” by Maria Bartiromo. Business Week: August 06, 2007. , Iss. 4045; pg. 28)
"As any CEO will attest, the job of chief executive is all-consuming. Quite simply, I'm at a point in my life where I would like to take a step back and think about what I would like to do in the next stage of my life…
"It could be that I do nothing, travel, sit on boards, run another company, invest in another company. I don't know -- nor would I ever know if I didn't decide to take a break."
(Bruce Chizen, CEO of Adobe Systems Inc., in “Business Technology: Adobe's Chizen to Leave As CEO at Critical Time.” by Vauhini Vara. Wall Street Journal: November 13, 2007. pg. B.7)
“You have to commit to lifelong learning. I personally read five or six management books a year, and I read general business publications as well as healthcare ones. Be committed to the constant reinvention of yourself.”
(Gregory G. Repetti III, President and CEO of Vail Valley Medical Center, in “Becoming a Leader in the C-Suite: How to Develop the Necessary Skills.” by Jessica D Squazzo. Healthcare Executive: November / December 2007. Vol. 22, Iss. 6; pg. 17)
“I loved the library at the Royal College of Art because it didn't have a logical system, at least none I could figure. When looking for a book on Islamic decoration, you'd find it by one on seashells. And you'd find all sorts of things with it. That's the value of an accident. The more you encourage serendipity… the more you'll get rich answers.”
(Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO, in “Bringing Design to Blue Chips.” by Jessi Hempel. Fortune: November 12, 2007. Vol. 156, Iss. 10; pg. 32)
“There is no question that our company culture is fundamental to our success. We have deliberately invested in organizational development over the past four to five years to build a culture we are proud of.”
(Amy Tykeson, President and CEO of BendBroadband, in “Proving Cable Is a Service Industry,” by Allison J Waldman. TelevisionWeek: May 7, 2007. Vol.26, Iss. 19; pg. 62)
“What we try to do is to push as much autonomy down into the groups as humanly possible, giving them goals and objectives and holding them responsible for obtaining those. And that's not financial objectives as much as it's qualitative and safeguarding the creative product.”
(John Wren, CEO of Omnicom, in “John Wren: On the Spot.” by Alison Fahey. Adweek: January 2, 2006. Vol. 47, Iss. 1; pg. 8)
"What we do today won't be successful tomorrow. There will be new requirements to reinvent ourselves. I think about it in the context of positioning the institution to be here another 150 years and also to create the next generation of executives who will be here to confront challenges I can't even imagine."
(Ronald A. Williams, CEO and President of Aetna, in “The Turnaround King.” by Sonia Alleyne. Black Enterprise: September 2006. Vol. 37, Iss. 2; pg. 96)
"You have to trust your own instincts and do your own homework, especially when it's a new technology. In many ways, it's about how you create and shape a market and consumer demand, how you predict consumer behavior. It's impossible for conventional marketing research to give you a good answer."
(Fred Hassan, CEO of Schering-Plough, in “Being Fred Hassan.” by Joanna Breitstein. Pharmaceutical Executive: October 2007. Vol. 27, Iss. 10; pg. 73)
“Early in my career, my focus was on acquiring head knowledge – learning and understanding the business side… Today, my emphasis is on improving my interactions and relationships with those I lead and serve…
“The principle behind servant leadership is that effective leaders are first and foremost servants. It encourages managers and leaders to be courageous, to be authentic, to serve, to tell the truth, and to be guided by love in all their interactions while at the same time accomplishing the goals of the organization.”
(Christopher R. Mosley, CEO of Chesapeake Health, in “Interview with Christopher R. Mosley, CHE, chief executive officer, Chesapeake Health, Chesapeake, Virginia.” by Kyle L Grazier. Journal of Healthcare Management: March / April 2005. Vol. 50, Iss. 2; pg. 75)
