“The chief strategist of an organization has to be the leader – the CEO.”

If your goal is anything but profitability – if it’s to be big, or to grow fast, or to become a technology leader – you’ll hit problems.

Without a goal analytics is aimless and worthless.

A strategy delineates a territory in which a company seeks to be unique.

The ability to change constantly and effectively is made easier by high-level continuity.

A target should go with every goal. A target is the value that defines success.

Change brings opportunities. On the other hand, change can be confusing.

Companies operating in urban communities have a tremendous ripple effect.

Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs; it’s about deliberately choosing to be different.

Strategy is about setting yourself apart from the competition. It’s not a matter of being better at what you do – it’s a matter of being different at what you do.

Billions are wasted on ineffective philanthropy. Philanthropy is decades behind business in applying rigorous thinking to the use of money.

I teach in the medical school, the School of Public Health, the Kennedy School of Government, and the Business School. And it’s the best perch… because most of my work crosses boundaries.

You can’t be all things to all people.

There’s a fundamental distinction between strategy and operational effectiveness.

The U.S. is facing a structural competitiveness problem that is leading to the weakest economy we have seen in generations.

The underlying principles of strategy are enduring, regardless of technology or the pace of change.

The best CEOs I know are teachers, and at the core of what they teach is strategy.

A leader is a dealer in hope.

Painful the grounds for resentment, the easier it is for a Fascist leader to gain followers by dangling the prospect of renewal or by vowing to take back what has been stolen.

A leader does not deserve the name unless he is willing occasionally to stand alone.

Leadership cannot just go along to get along. Leadership must meet the moral challenge of the day.

Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.

A sense of humor is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done.

Time is neutral and does not change things. With courage and initiative, leaders change things.

There is no one else to blame. The leader must acknowledge mistakes and admit failures, take ownership of them, and develop a plan to win.