If We Always Remember

“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)

Potency in Leadership

“If you're in leadership, your job is to serve. The higher up the ladder of leadership you are, the more service is expected and required.”

(Umberto P. Fedeli, President and CEO of The Fedeli Group, in “Thoughts on running a business: Umberto P. Fedeli, President and CEO, The Fedeli Group.” by Kristy J. O'Hara. Smart Business Cleveland: December 1, 2006. pg. 14)

I Wonder...

"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)

My Greatest Asset

“In business, results are directly linked to how much you believe that you own the results that you're accountable for.”

(Eduardo Castro-Wright, CEO of Wal-Mart USA Stores, in “Boss Talk: Engineering a Change at Wal-Mart; U.S. Stores Chief Says Timely Overhaul Will Drive Sales After Economy Rebounds.” by Ann Zimmerman. Wall Street Journal: August 12, 2008. pg. B.1)

The (Messy) Heart of Creation

"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)

Up Close and Personal

“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)

Get Out There

"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: May 2007. pg. 53)

Light

“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: January 2007. pg. 14)

Listening and Learning Still

“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,” by Devin Leonard. Fortune: December 11, 2006. pg. 45)

Cutting Edge

"I'm obsessed with getting new insights. I recently read a book about Patton, and he was an obsessive reader. It's really the only way to learn."

(Douglas R. Conant, Chief Executive of Campbell Soup Co., in “Lighting A Fire Under Campbell.” by Adrienne Carter. Business Week: December 4, 2006. pg. 96)

Never An Island

“It doesn't matter who you are, you can always benefit from having someone to talk to, to bounce your ideas off, to give you feedback.”

(Sir John Sunderland, Chairman of Cadbury Schweppes, in “Leading in a global economy.” by Sue Mennell. Training Journal: May 2008. pg. 25)

Investments

“Fifteen years ago my son was in the track and field state finals. It was during our annual analyst meeting. I told everyone I was missing the final Q& A session, and if they had any questions they had to find me on the first day and a half, before I left. Everyone was stunned, but I never looked back.”

(Daniel Amos, Chairman and CEO of Aflac, in “The Three-Minute Manager.” by Jia Lynn Yang. Fortune: July 21, 2008. Vol. 158, Iss. 2; pg. 58)

Job One, Job Two, Everything Else

“If you have to worry about employees getting their work done, you haven't hired the right people, and you haven't created the right culture.”

(Kevin Roberts, CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi, in “The Three-Minute Manager.” by Jia Lynn Yang. Fortune: July 21, 2008. Vol. 158, Iss. 2; pg. 58)

Distinctive, Competent

“I'm a conservative in business, but I'm very radical in thought process.”

(Loyd Ivey, Chairman and CEO of Mitek Corp., in “Loyd Ivey.” by Janet Pinkerton. Dealerscope: July 2008. Vol. 50, Iss. 7; pg. 32)

Teachable Together

“In the end the culture saved us. Because we're not hierarchical, when you ask for help people step up to the plate and support you.”

(Anne Mulcahy, CEO of Xerox, in “The X-factor.” by J P Donlon. Chief Executive: June 2008. , Iss. 234; pg. 26)