Real World Learning

“It was taken for granted that we would win. If you didn't get good results, you got bashed by managers and media. The results were disappointing. We kept on losing… [That] series of difficulties and challenges is something that I feel everyone should experience because, in a way, I acquired wisdom and creativity to get through that.”

(Takeo Fukui, CEO of Honda Motor Co., in “Boss Talk: Honda CEO Vies For Green Mantle; To Take On Toyota, Fukui Hones New Technologies.” by John Murphy. Wall Street Journal: June 16, 2008. pg. B.1)

Always Looking Forward

“When one has a set of aspirations, and you reach them, there's a huge opportunity to ask yourself what more you can do.”

(Ron Williams, CEO of Aetna, in “We all pay for the uninsured.” by Geoff Colvin. Fortune: May 12, 2008. Vol. 157, Iss. 10; pg. 105)

Doubt Not, Fear Not

“Even when we started Google, we thought, ‘Oh, we might fail,’ and we almost didn't do it. The reason we started is that Stanford said, ‘You guys can come back and finish your Ph.D.s if you don't succeed.’ Probably that one decision caused Google to be created. It's not clear we would have done it otherwise. We had all this internal risk we had just invented. It's not that we were going to starve or not get jobs or not have a good life or whatever, but you have this fear of failing and of doing something new, which is very natural. In order to do stuff that matters, you need to overcome that.”

(Larry Page, co-founder of Google, in “Larry Page on How to Change the World.” by Andy Serwer. Fortune: May 12, 2008. Vol. 157, Iss. 10; pg. 82)

Stop! Prioritize Listening & Learning

“Due to [time] constraints, I have to put down in priority things I like to do and that would be very interesting. I can't spend as much time as I'd like to at hospitals, talking with doctors and patients who use our products. This is where I hear and see so much and get so many ideas.”

(Daniel Vasella, CEO of Novartis, in “Crowded Calendars Rule Executives' Days.” by Carol Hymowitz. Wall Street Journal: June 16, 2008. pg. B.1)

Addicted to Continuous Change?

“If there's nothing to do, do nothing. But many CEOs can't do that. If you're an action junkie it's going to get you in trouble.”

(James Tisch, CEO of Loews Corp., in “The Game: Tisch Hews to the Prudent Approach; Loews's Chief, Sitting on $12.5 Billion, Bides His Time for Next Corporate Bargain.” by Dennis K. Berman. Wall Street Journal: June 17, 2008. pg. C.1)

I Double Dare You

“Obviously, the most important thing is to embrace failure, because if nobody dares to fail, you won't go anywhere. That's always easily said and not so easy to actually live by. But it's extremely important. In a time where things change so fast, I think that you have to embrace failure -- cost-effective failure.”

(Jonas Bonnier, CEO of Bonnier Group, in “Bonnier CEO: 'We Don't Want To Be Time Inc.'” by Nat Ives. Advertising Age: May 12, 2008. Vol. 79, Iss. 19; pg. 28)

Be Quiet: Anticipate The Unanticipated

“You have to have a set of necessary conditions for innovation to occur. To start with, you have to listen to people... Innovation comes from places that you don't expect.”

(Eric E. Schmidt, CEO of Google, in “How Google Fuels Its Idea Factory; CEO Eric Schmidt describes the simple principles driving the company's steady stream of innovations.” by Robert D Hof. Business Week: May 12, 2008. , Iss. 4083; pg. 54)

Authentic Intelligence

“The success or failure of DHL Express is not dependent solely on me or the members of the senior management team. A company is only as good as its people. If you want to get a public pulse, go and talk to the people who deal with the customers -- the frontliners, the couriers. If they see that you are sincere and are really concerned with what they have to say, they will tell you a lot of things you otherwise would not know.”

(John Mullen, CEO of DHL Express, in “Delivering on the promise.” by Natasha Nicholson. Communication World: May/Jun 2008. Vol. 25, Iss. 3; pg. 16)

Nothing, No Nothing

“I have learned that with a clear vision and the right motivation, one can get the right people, and with the right people, nothing is impossible. It is tough to find good people, and it takes time to convince people to share your vision, but once you win their buy-in and overcome the inertia, an unstoppable momentum is created within the organization.”

(A.J. Devanesan, CEO of Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings, in “The Interview: Managing in Asia: Growing a Tree-Friendly Paper Business.” by Tor Ching Li. Wall Street Journal: May 19, 2008. pg. B.5)

Real Value -- A Truly Distinctive Competence

“What really makes Kimpton unique is… we have a caring group of people that run our hotel operations who have a way of connecting with our customers in a very authentic and meaningful way.”

(Michael Depatie, President and CEO of Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, in “Q & A.” National Real Estate Investor: May 2008. Vol. 50, Iss. 5; pg. 15)

What Will Be Real

“It really comes down to our culture, which is very customer-focused, paying attention to what was going to be important to our customers and not focusing on things that might be fashionable at the time but that weren't going to add real customer value.”

(David Sandler, President and CEO of MSC Industrial Direct, in “Culture club.” by Brad Perriello. Industrial Distribution: June 2008. Vol. 97, Iss. 6; pg. 40)

Communication's Heart

“Based on my experience, if people already know and have heard rumors about a particular development -- and you know they always manage to know this somehow -- it is best to tell them quickly and completely. Withholding information or delaying its dissemination only serves to heighten the anxiety people already feel. I trust our employees enough to know that they are capable of making informed decisions on matters that we share with them.”

(John Mullen, CEO of DHL Express, in “Delivering on the promise.” by Natasha Nicholson. Communication World: May/Jun 2008. Vol. 25, Iss. 3; pg. 16)

A Voyage of Discovery

“I have found that you learn a lot in taking a chaotic situation and creating structure, process, and strategy.”

(Ron Williams, CEO of Aetna, in “"We all pay for the uninsured." by Geoff Colvin. Fortune: May 12, 2008. Vol. 157, Iss. 10; pg. 105)

More Than A Feeling

“My experience is that when people are trying to do ambitious things, they're all worried about failing when they start. But all sorts of interesting things spin out that are of huge economic value. Also, in these kinds of projects, you get to work with the best people and have a very interesting time. They're not really taking a risk, but they feel like they are.”

(Larry Page, co-founder of Google, in “Larry Page on How to Change the World.” by Andy Serwer. Fortune: May 12, 2008. Vol. 157, Iss. 10; pg. 82)

Embrace for Embrace

“Very early on we need to get the employees involved in the decision-making process. Only by doing so will they embrace and live the company policies. A person who feels that his or her ideas and opinions helped shape a policy or program will be less likely to resist it. In the long run, the person will learn to trust the company he or she works for and know that his or her welfare is always in the minds of the decision makers.”

(John Mullen, CEO of DHL Express, in “Delivering on the promise.” by Natasha Nicholson. Communication World: May/Jun 2008. Vol. 25, Iss. 3; pg. 16)

Horizontal & Unstructured

“When it comes to specific advice, the best was from a former boss, who told me, ‘Don't view your career as a linear progression.’ He advised me to take horizontal rather than vertical steps: to try out situations that are unstructured, to learn different ways of working, and to get outside of headquarters and experience different cultures. I've applied this advice many times-most notably, taking a decidedly unstructured job at IBM Japan and then joining the fledgling IBM services business. After those experiences, I had the confidence that I could manage pretty much anything.”

(Sam Palmisano, CEO of IBM, in “The Best Advice I Ever Got.” by Jon Birger, Clay Chandler, Jon Fortt, Barney Gimbel, et al. Fortune: May 12, 2008. Vol. 157, Iss. 10; pg. 70)

Hard Work

“Work hard and fast. Work closely with others and don't be late. I have always been able to get through a lot at speed and it's important to be able to juggle your workload. You can't do it all on your own either, collaboration is vital.”

(Rosemary Squire, co-founder and joint CEO of The Ambassador Theatre Group, in “My first job;Interview;Rosemary Squire.” edited by Laurie Stone. The Sun: May 22, 2008. pg. 53)

Get Moving

“When things start going south, communication should increase. Even if you think you're doing enough, you're not doing enough.”

(David Neeleman, founder of JetBlue and CEO of Azul, in “Lessons Of The Fall.” by Patricia Sellers. Fortune: June 9, 2008. Vol. 157, Iss. 12; pg. 70)

Great Authority

“Over the course of my IBM career I've observed many CEOs, heads of state, and others in positions of great authority. I've noticed that some of the most effective leaders don't make themselves the center of attention. They are respectful. They listen. This is an appealing personal quality, but it's also an effective leadership attribute. Their selflessness makes the people around them comfortable. People open up, speak up, contribute. They give those leaders their very best.”

(Sam Palmisano, CEO of IBM, in “The Best Advice I Ever Got.” by Jon Birger, Clay Chandler, Jon Fortt, Barney Gimbel, et al. Fortune: May 12, 2008. Vol. 157, Iss. 10; pg. 70)

Global Touch

“If you have to work and do something significant in a country, it's much easier if somehow you're connected to the country and you like the country and you respect the people and are curious about the culture. It makes a big difference because people in the country working around you may notice whether or not you are connected to the country and that you are happy to be there, that you're curious, that you're learning, that you're listening.

“Well, they will forgive you for a lot of things. If not, you will always be facing scrutiny from people who consider that maybe you don't get it, maybe you have preconceived ideas. Maybe you're not listening.”

(Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan and Renault, in “World: Interview - Carlos Ghosn, President and CEO of Nissan Motor Co Ltd and Renault S.A.” Thai News Service: May 26, 2008)

Reflections

“If you project a positive, upbeat image, you get back the same… In life, you always get back what you put in.”

(Irene M. Dorner, CEO of HSBC Bank Malaysia, in “Dorner's banking on positive attitude.” New Straits Times: May 1, 2008. pg. 2)