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Take away my people, but leave my factories, and soon grass will grow on the factory floors. Take away my factories, but leave my people, and soon we will have a new and better factory.

Find a wide selection of interviews with business luminaries in our Interviews Section

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One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man.

Find a wide selection of interviews with business luminaries in our Interviews Section

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Everyone has an invisible sign hanging from their neck saying, "Make me feel important." Never forget this message when working with people.

Find a wide selection of interviews with business luminaries in our Interviews Section

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Far more people act themselves into a new way of thinking than think themselves into a new way of acting.

Find a wide selection of interviews with business luminaries in our Interviews Section

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Men and nations behave wisely, once they've exhausted all other alternatives.

Find a wide selection of interviews with business luminaries in our Interviews Section

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There aren't any great men. There are just great challenges that ordinary men like you and me are forced by circumstances to meet.

Find a wide selection of interviews with business luminaries in our Interviews Section

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We got it right when we said that we were in search of excellence. Not competitive advantage. Not economic growth. Not market dominance or strategic differentiation. Not maximized shareholder value. Excellence...Search of Excellence -- even the title -- is a reminder that business isn't dry, dreary, boring, or by the numbers.

Find a wide selection of interviews with business luminaries in our Interviews Section

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Most companies are operated in ways that downplay the importance of people. They have bureaucratic structures that optimize the value of financial capital, machinery, equipment, and natural resources, at the expense of talent development and the opportunity for people to use their skills. Work processes are designed with simplified, standardized jobs, and individuals are controlled through well-defined hierarchical reporting relationships, highly monitored bud­gets, and close supervision.

The contrast between what executives say about the importance of people and how they manage their organizations is unfortunate at best. At worst, it is a major contributor to poor organizational performance.