Management must take the lead in making obsolete its own products and services rather than waiting for a competitor to do so.
The new always looks so puny-so unpromising-next to the reality of the massive, ongoing business.
We can ill afford to have activities conducted as “non-profit,” that is, as activities that devour capital rather than form it, if they can be organized as activities that form capital, as activities that make a profit.
The healthier a new venture and the faster it grows, the more financial feeding it requires.
If you have more than five goals, you have none.
As a manager you’re paid to be uncomfortable. If you’re comfortable, it’s a sure sign you’re doing things wrong.
The essence of management is to make knowledge productive.
The ultimate resource in economic development is people. It is people, not capital or raw materials that develop an economy.
Working with people is difficult, but not impossible.
Tomorrow always arrives. It is always different. And even the mightiest company is in trouble if it has not worked on the future. Being surprised by what happens is a risk that even the largest and richest company cannot afford, and even the smallest business need not run.
There is no perfect strategic decision. One always has to pay a price. One always has to balance conflicting objectives, conflicting opinions, and conflicting priorities. The best strategic decision is only an approximation – and a risk.
It is commonly believed that innovations create changes – but few ever do. Successful innovations exploit changes that have already happened.
An organization which just perpetuates today’s level of vision, excellence, and accomplishment has lost the capacity to adapt.
Unless strategy evaluation is performed seriously and systematically, and unless strategists are willing to act on the results, energy will be used up defending yesterday.
Successful people know they need to get many things done-and done effectively. Therefore, they concentrate their time and energy on doing one thing at a time-and on doing first things firs.
People who need certainty are unlikely to make good entrepreneurs.
Work is a process, and any process needs to be controlled. To make work productive, therefore, requires building the appropriate controls into the process of work.
An employer has no business with a man’s personality. The task is not to change personality, but to enable a person to achieve and to perform.
There is one qualification the manager cannot acquire but must bring to the task. It is not genius; it is character.
Strong people have strong weaknesses.