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81 " CEOs and senior leaders who are thinking about leaving a company have effectively already left, and the biggest favor they can do the organization is to get out of the way and allow the business to change and grow. "
― Jason Jennings , The Reinventors: How Extraordinary Companies Pursue Radical Continuous Change
82 " Having a good work ethic means taking the initiative to get the job done, delivering as agreed without excuses or blame, being willing to make personal sacrifice for the good of the organization, and being loyal to the company and people with whom you work. "
83 " A shared human condition is the desire to leave an organization on an even keel, with everyone sharing fond memories. Those desires are hardly the things that make risk taking, radical change, and reinvention possible. "
84 " When you hire someone with a strong work ethic, who shares your values and fits your culture, you don’t need a lot of rules or bureaucracy,” he says. “All the rules you find inside most companies are there for the two percent of all people who don’t do the right thing, and in the process of having rules for them they adversely affect the other ninety-eight percent of all people who don’t need rules. It’s a lot easier to not hire those two percent. "
85 " After twenty years of systematic observation I’ve decided the most common mistake is for one to get stuck on the “plains of hesitation.” The plains of hesitation are a metaphorical place where the best laid plans and good intentions expire. "
86 " Pope’s favorite phrase is, “You need to be present to win, "
87 " Here are nine reasons I’ve seen and heard most often as I search to understand why we hesitate: Why people hesitate to act Gotten too comfortable Study things to death Lack of confidence Think the big deal will fly in the window Think it’s already too late for them Fear of losing what they have Afraid nobody will pitch in Family pressures to not take the risk Lack of financial safety net "
88 " any mountain climber will tell you it’s not about reaching the top: It’s about the journey, overcoming doubts, bravely going into the unknown. It’s about accepting your constraints without letting them overcome your goals. "
89 " Don’t be naive, though. As great as it sounds in theory, many people really don’t like journeys without a final destination. "
90 " Today, every business, including yours, is being observed and studied by others who want your revenues. The world operates with such speed that as soon as potential competitors sniff out the fact that another business is doing well and they believe there’s a buck to be made they’ll be all over it like a cheap suit "
91 " Companies that are committed to nonstop change and growth have no place for people who aren’t able to imagine and see the possibility of better results tomorrow despite the problems and challenges of the moment. "
92 " Executives at Walmart did just as Welch had suggested, disciplining themselves and their suppliers to work on “price-based costing” instead of “cost-based pricing.” By ruthlessly rethinking, reengineering, and reinventing every little decision in every link of their supply chain, Sam Walton and his team created innovative new business models that delivered customers a much better deal. "
93 " The only guarantee in business is if you do nothing, nothing will happen. Also, as the school of hard knocks teaches, most good strategy is made by doing. "
94 " You can’t expect people to think and act like owners,” he said, “unless they understand how what they do creates economic value. And when people are taught how they not only create economic value but that it’s constantly measured and evaluated and that they stand to share in the profits, then thinking and acting like the owner becomes very easy. "
95 " Realizing that their best opportunities existed in wholesale distribution, the leaders proved themselves adept time and again at letting go and discarding companies and business units that no longer fit the strategic direction of the firm. "
96 " The refrain we constantly heard from the entrepreneurs and leaders during our research was to never bet the ranch but to make lots of small bets, learn from them, and then scale. "
97 " Companies with long histories of successfully embracing change and reinvention have a shared disdain for waste and indulgence, which probably comes from the fact that during their formative years they had to count on ingenuity instead of cash to maintain momentum and keep on creating better tomorrows for all the stakeholders. "
98 " The lesson is clear: Having too much money or too many resources can actually get in the way of successful reinvention. "
99 " The main job of the leader is to be a destination expert, to let everybody know where the company is going and make certain that everyone understands and is willing to embrace constant change in order to get there. "
100 " When companies haphazardly throw money at what they perceive their problems, challenges, and opportunities to be, the real answers that could solve the real problems or allow them to embrace radical change and take advantage of the real opportunities are seldom found. "