Quotes from Business Giants We Interviewed

"If you are looking for a cause to join versus just a company to work for, then we have got something that will set you afire."
Colleen Barrett, President, Southwest Airlines

"Medtronic is not in the business of maximizing shareholder value. We are in the business of maximizing value to the patients we serve."
Art Collins, Chairman and CEO, Medtronic

"Fast decisions are usually the best decisions. Furthermore, if I make a mistake, I can always correct it fast."
Bob Inman, Former Chairman and CEO, MCC

"You have to have the service mentality in the sense that you subjugate your own ego, and you subjugate a large part of your own life to really helping other people, being successful on their behalf."
Herb Kelleher, Chairman, Southwest Airlines

"Leadership is the activity of influencing people to cooperate toward some goal which they come to find desirable over the long haul."
Neal Kocurek, CEO, St. David's Health Care System

"Think backward while moving forward."
George Kozmetsky, Co-founder, Teledyne

"Ask only what you can contribute, but never the reward."
K.T. Li, Former Minister of Economics, Taiwan

"I am grateful for every day while I have it, and make the best use of it to do something worthwhile to make a difference."
Red McCombs, Chairman, McCombs Enterprises

"One of the greatest challenges of the younger generation is understanding the difference between possible and probable, and recognizing the need for discipline and focus."
Carl Rosendorf, CEO, SmartBargains.com

"No one can predict the future. Therefore one needs the discipline to think of a range of next things and needs to have a range of outcomes analyzed."
Paul Unruh, Vice Chairman, Bechtel

"I am an ordinary man who is true to his beliefs."
John Wooden, former basketball coach of UCLA Bruins"We have established a clear principle that we reap what we sow. Singaporeans in 10 years will still strive to be number 1."
Philip Yeo, Chairman, Economic Development Board and A*Star, Singapore

"You work here not just to make money for yourself or the company, but to restore people to full life."
Earl Bakken, Co-founder, Medtronic

"If we have 99% [market] share of Ford Company, the question to us is 'How do we improve the customer satisfaction in order to get that additional 1% share?"
Michael Dell, Chairman, Dell Inc.

"Think small and act small, and we will get bigger. Think big and act big, and we will get smaller."
Herb Kelleher, Chairman, Southwest Airlines

"One thing a leader does is to remove the stigma of mistakes."
Gordon Moore, Co-founder, Intel

"Failing to prepare is preparing to fail."
John Wooden, Former Coach, UCLA Bruins Basketball Team

"We dare to dream!"
Philip Yeo, Chairman, Economic Development Board and A*Star. Singapore