Seeing clearly. Thinking broadly. Feeling deeply.
“I start my workday early, at about 6:30 a.m., not only to think but to quiet my mind and my spirit. It is during those few hours that solutions that are less harsh come to me.”
(Koh Poh Tiong, CEO of Asia Pacific Breweries, in “Singapore’s Tiger Beer Chief Draws Lessons from Zoology, Nixon,” Wall Street Journal: July 9, 2007. pg. B.3)
“My father was a very kind and gentle guy -- tough, but still gentle in the way he was tough.”
(Charles Geschke, co-founder and co-chairman of Adobe Systems, in “Driving Adobe: Co-founder Charles Geschke on Challenges, Change and Values.” Knowledge@Wharton: September 3, 2008)
"People are often faced with difficult choices -- for instance, 'Do I want to be the high-quality, high-cost supplier or the low-quality, low-cost supplier?' We're trained to examine the pros and cons of such alternatives and then pick one of them.
"But really successful businesspeople look at choices like these and say, 'I don't like either one.' They don't accept that it's an 'either-or’."
(Bob Young, cofounder and former CEO of Red Hat, in ”How Successful Leaders Think,” by Roger Martin. Harvard Business Review: June 2007. Vol. 85, Iss. 6; p. 60)
“If not this business, I would probably look to some type of service industry that touches people's lives; something that at the end of the day allows you to reflect and say that what you're doing makes a difference. That's important long-term and it's what motivates and drives me.”
(Dean Liollio, President and CEO of EnergySouth, in “Dean Liollio found his calling in natural gas industry.” by Jeff Share. Pipeline & Gas Journal: August 1, 2007. pg. 22)
“I get a big kick out of watching leaders and CEOs who try to manage results. You can't manage results unless you manage the things that go into making the results.”
(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)
“Deliver bad news early and personally. Own your plan, and quickly, proactively act on variances. Attack the issue, not the person, and assume positive intent.”
(Ronald A. Williams, CEO of Aetna, in “The Turnaround King.” by Sonia Alleyne. Black Enterprise: September 1, 2006. pg. 96)
“When a company is doing poorly, people are more likely to dig in together if they understand the situation. In every case of bankruptcy I've been aware of, the employees had no idea what was happening. If they'd known, I don't think they would have let it happen. I never see a downside to sharing information totally.”
(Robert Meggy, President and CEO of Great Little Box Company, Ltd., in “Packing the perfect HR punch.” by Robert Colman. CMA Management: March 1, 2007. pg. 40)
“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)
“The one thing I would do differently is I would have done things faster, which is counterintuitive.
“When you think about changing a big organization rooted in its history, you think the changes should be gradual. I think that the faster you move, the faster you make the tough calls and the better off you're going to be. You don't want to have organizations in what some people think of as a liquid state.
“I'm an engineer by training so my physics comes back. An organization is something very solid and when you apply a lot of heat to change it, it becomes fluid. You want to make sure that you don't keep it fluid too long, because liquids move in many directions that you might not have intended.”
(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)
“Don't analyze things too much. There's a certain level of analysis that has to happen, and then you have to act decisively. Have the confidence and certainty to go forward and make a commitment along those lines. You have to do it, and if you make mistakes, you've got to adjust.”
(Ted Ford, President and CEO of TechColumbus, in “Thoughts on running a business: Ted Ford, President and CEO, TechColumbus.” by Abby Cymerman. Smart Business Columbus. May 1, 2007. pg. 9)
"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)
“It's hard. You need to have the strength of your convictions, and you need to be able to modify things as you go. No strategy should be in stone.”
(Gary Smith, CEO of Ciena Corp., in “CEO Interview - Long-Distance Runner.” by Justin Schack. Institutional Investor: February 2008)
“I always advise young people to find a great company to work for and not to worry too much about the perfect role or how much money they'll make early on. If you work with good people and learn how good companies do things, you'll be better for it for the rest of your career.”
(Barry E. Davis, President and CEO of Crosstex Energy, in “Crosstex Energy CEO blends people and financial skills.” by Lew Bullion. Pipeline & Gas Journal: October 1, 2006. pg. 96)
"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: May 14, 2007. pg. 1)
“We want our presidents and general managers to accomplish four things: employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, community involvement and market leadership.”
(Tony March, Co-CEO of March/Hodge Automotive, in “Dealer believes managers should be owners.” by Arlena Sawyers. Automotive News: March 12, 2007. pg. 24)
“No matter how smart you think you are, ultimately you are deep into what you're doing, and you don't have the perspective that somebody from the outside can bring.”
(Ted Ford, President and CEO of TechColumbus, in “Thoughts on running a business: Ted Ford, President and CEO, TechColumbus.” by Abby Cymerman. Smart Business Columbus. May 1, 2007. pg. 9)
“I ask all my senior people to do 40 hours of personal development annually, including myself.”
(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)
“There was some point in my life, but I can't tell you exactly what it was that I realized that I could be more courageous. I was chicken and would never have gone to Europe by myself... At some point along the way, I thought, you know you can do that, and I guess I've not been afraid ever since then to try new things.”
(Deborah Johnson, CEO of Rick Johnson & Company, in “One-On-One with Deborah Johnson; At A Glance.” by Autumn Gray. Albuquerque Journal: August 7, 2008. pg. 3)
