“The people who work within these industries or public services know that there are basic flaws. But they are almost forced to ignore them and to concentrate instead on patching here, improving there, fighting the fire or caulking that crack. They are thus unable to take the innovation seriously, let alone to try to compete with it. They do not, as a rule, even notice it until it has grown so big as to encroach on their industry or service, by which time it has become irreversible. In the meantime, the innovators have the field to themselves.”

“To be sure, the fundamental task of management remains the same: to make people capable of joint performance through common goals, common values, the right structure, and the training and development they need to perform and to respond to change.”

“The really important things are said over cocktails and are never done.”

“There are an enormous number of managers who have retired on the job.”

“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”

“Until we can manage time, we can manage nothing else.”

“What's measured improves”

“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”

“Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes; but no plans.”

“People who don't take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year. People who do take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year.”

“Strategy is a commodity, execution is an art.”