“Is this still worth doing? And if it isn’t, he gets rid of it so as to be able to concentrate on the few tasks that, if done with excellence, will really make a difference in the results of his own job and in the performance of his organization.”

The problem in my life and other people’s lives is not the absence of knowing what to do but the absence of doing it.

It takes far more energy and work to improve from incompetence to mediocrity than it takes to improve from first-rate performance to excellence.

Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes.

A man should never be appointed to a managerial position if his vision focuses on people’s weaknesses rather than on their strengths. The man who always knows exactly what people cannot do, but never sees anything they can do, will undermine the spirit of his organization.

No one learns as much about a subject as one who is forced to teach it.

Results are obtained by exploiting opportunities, not by solving problems.

Like so many brilliant people, he believes that ideas move mountains. But bulldozers move mountains; ideas show where the bulldozers should go to work.

When a subject becomes totally obsolete we make it a required course.

There is no such thing as a good man. Good for what? is the question.

Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window.

Effective executives know that their subordinates are paid to perform and not to please their superiors.

Your first and foremost job as a leader is to take charge of your own energy and then help to orchestrate the energy of those around you.

Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.

So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work.

Managing yourself requires taking responsibility for relationships.

History has been written not by the most talented but by the most motivated.