Seeing clearly. Thinking broadly. Feeling deeply.
“If everybody thought we were only here to make the most money for ourselves, who the hell would want to be on the other side of us?”
(Loyd Blankfain, CEO of Goldman Sachs, in “The Man Who Must Keep Goldman Growing.” by Bethany McLean. Fortune: March 17, 2008. Vol. 157, Iss. 5; pg. 130)
“Letting people go [is] the toughest thing you ever do in life. I try to tell people who are learning to do it that we're all going to be faced with it inevitably. Often it's because the business outgrows an employee, or their personal situation changes and makes them less motivated. You can justify why someone who's not performing ought to be moving on, that it's better for them. But more importantly, if you don't eliminate that one person, nine others will suffer... So you have to let them go without destroying their ego, but by actually telling them some of the reasons this is not working out, and try to help them financially as best you can.”
(James Hackett, CEO of Anadarko Petroleum, in “'Too Nice To Get Ahead'?; The CEO of Anadarko Petroleum proves otherwise.” by Richard M Smith. Newsweek: March 24, 2008. Vol. 151, Iss. 12)
"If all you want is to screw this company down tight and get double-digit earnings growth and nothing else, then I'm the wrong person. Companies today are bigger than many economies. We are little republics. We are engines of efficiency. If companies don't do [responsible] things, who is going to? Why not start making change now?"
(Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of Pepsico, in “The Pepsi Challenge.” by Betsy Morris. Fortune: March 3, 2008. Vol. 157, Iss. 4; pg. 54)
“I don't operate just on logic. I'm practical, but I also have enthusiasm, which is the side of me that's not practical. If you have that in addition to a strong will to achieve your goals, then you can overcome any adversity. For example, I used logic to rationally make the decision to quit HD DVD, but my enthusiasm allows me to move forward.”
(Atsutoshi Nishida, CEO of Toshiba, in “Boss Talk: Toshiba's Plan for Life After HD DVD; Nishida Says Firm Will Target Consumers With TVs, PCs and Standard Disc Players.” by Yukari Iwatani Kane. Wall Street Journal: March 3, 2008. pg. B.1)
“I know there are some people who have this sort of twisted concept that they can’t do it without me, but that would obviously be the worst legacy one could possibly leave.”
(Robert Ulrich, Chairman and CEO of Target, in “Target’s Inner Circle.” by Jennifer Reingold. Fortune. March 31, 2008. pg. 74)
“The toughest thing is to see your convictions fail. That's when you really have to deal with your personality and grow as a person. Those are the cases that are more important than the successes you have."
(Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of Daimler AG, in “Driving Lessons: Dieter Zetsche's Experiences behind the Wheel of Daimler-Chrysler and Beyond.” Knowledge@Wharton. March 19, 2008)
“The key is that if you can understand your abilities and be happy with what you've got, you are a winner. What leadership should be doing is providing more winners – not winning themselves, but making provision for more winners. Providing a platform for others.”
(Angad Paul, CEO of Caparo Group, in “Angad Paul.” by Richard Cree. Director: January 2008. Vol. 61, Iss. 6; pg. 40)
“Everyone is looking for a formula in business like E=MC². But it’s not a formula. It’s got to be emotional, spontaneous, and from the heart.”
(Herb Kelleher, founder of Southwest Airlines, in “Wheels Up.” Southwest Airlines Spirit magazine, by Joseph Guinto. June 2006)
“My three most important rules of business: Honesty -- what you see is what you get. A promise is a promise -- a handshake is a promise. And finally: Don't wallow in the past. It's nice to talk about it, but you've got to look to the future. Shake it off if you've made some mistakes. Don't look back.”
(Jack Wayman, founder of the International Consumer Electronics Show, in “What They're Thinking.” by Janet Pinkerton. Dealerscope: January 2008. Vol. 50, Iss. 1; pg. 34)
"I believe that in life, first and foremost, the only reason for your existence is if you are going to add value. Otherwise you are a waste of space."
(Angad Paul, CEO of Caparo Group, in “Angad Paul.” by Richard Cree. Director: January 2008. Vol. 61, Iss. 6; pg. 40)
"It's very easy to stop learning. It has to be a discipline."
(Michael Lee-Chin, Executive Chairman of AIC, Ltd., in “Michael's Eye.” by Alex Mlynek. Canadian Business: Winter 2007/2008. Vol. 80, Iss. 24; pg. 73)
"It's only by going through tough experiences that you can grow."
(Robert Polet, CEO of Gucci Group, in “Galvanizing Gucci.” by Peter Gumbel. Fortune: January 21, 2008. Vol. 157, Iss. 1; pg. 80)
"You are only limited by your imagination and your ability to execute.”
(Angad Paul, CEO of Caparo Group, in “Angad Paul.” by Richard Cree. Director: January 2008. Vol. 61, Iss. 6; pg. 40)
“There are some things that you can’t quantify — intangible things that are exceedingly valuable and that are, in some cases, more valuable than the tangibles. The difference being you can’t buy the intangibles.”
(Herb Kelleher, founder of Southwest Airlines, in “Wheels Up.” Southwest Airlines Spirit magazine, by Joseph Guinto. June 2006)
“People respect you if you have good ideas and bring something to the table... Each of us will succeed or fail based on the value we bring to the table.
“That said, relationships mean a lot, and activities like sports or charity work can really help people get to know you at a deeper level.”
(Marshall Lynn Bass, founder GasRock Capital, in “Meet Lynn Bass.” by Stephen Payne. Oil & Gas Investor: February 2008. Vol. 28, Iss. 2; pg. 110)
"I don't think of myself as a very clever person. I'm a basic blocker and tackler."
(Mark Donegan, CEO of Precision Castparts Corp., in “Zero Tolerance.” by Stephane Fitch. Forbes: January 28, 2008. Vol. 181, Iss. 2; p. 50)
