“They are the lions. I am the roar.” – Winston Churchill Many people credit Winston Churchill’s weekly fireside chats as the single most influential reason that Germany and its allies were defeated. A great orator, Winston Churchill understood that he needed to communicate hope and determination to keep the British people motivated and supportive of...

“Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work.” – Peter Drucker Peter Drucker, “The Father of Modern Management,” combined plainspoken common sense and genuine concern for the employee and the consumer in his myriad business philosophy books. He believed that management’s mandate was to free people to perform at the top...

“You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.” – Margaret Thatcher The Labour Party struggles of the 1970s in Great Britain presented Margaret Thatcher with an opportunity to make history. She rode the wave of public disapproval into the office of prime minister in 1979. Long a staunch conservative, she...

“You cannot generate heartfelt debate unless the participants believe that the outcome is not predetermined.” – Rudolph Giuliani Who in a company would consider it worthwhile to share his or her views or speak up at a meeting knowing that their opinion did not matter? How many times have you not bothered to express your...

“Adversity can strengthen you if you have the will to grind it out.” – Ray Kroc When a franchisee’s ineptitude resulted in the possibility of a detrimental lawsuit against the fast-food giant McDonald’s, founder Ray Kroc quickly hatched a plan to buy back the problematic properties, using loans from his suppliers. After the crisis passed,...

“There is nothing to compare with family if they happen to be competent, because you can trust family in a way you can never trust anyone else.” – Donald Trump The family dynamic can prove to be a powerful tool in successfully running your company. As Trump tells us in Trump: The Art of The...

“Your largest wealth-building asset is your income. When you tie up your income, you lose.” – Dave Ramsey Income represents money you can invest to make more money. If you tie up all your future income, you will always be living in the past. As Dave Ramsey tells his listeners every week, you can’t jump...

“Good leadership consists in showing average people how to do the work of superior people.” – John D. Rockefeller We all admire those individuals who have a high IQ. But how important is it to hire highly intelligent people, and is having them around directly proportional to the success of a company? As any boss...

“The terrible thing about pride in the business development process (and relationships in general) is that it squelches what could have been.” – John L. Evans Using a knowledgeable and confident approach with a prospective customer is paramount to closing the deal. But there is a fine line between conveying solid information about your product...

“A good reputation is more valuable than money.” – Publilius Syrus Publilius Syrus certainly knew the relative value of money and reputation. Brought to Italy as a slave, he started with neither. Nevertheless, his talent for inventing witty maxims and performing mimes bought his freedom and his education. The reputation he built performing in the...

“I’ve always found the speed of the boss is the speed of the team.” – Lee Iacocca If Lee Iacocca is setting the pace, you’d better have your running shoes on! This is the same executive who saved Chrysler Corporation in the 1980s by creating the minivan and bringing back the American convertible. Prior to...

“In life and business, there are two cardinal sins. The first is to act precipitously without thought and the second is to not act at all.” – Carl Icahn Billionaire Carl Icahn built his fortune on investing in other people’s undervalued companies. His first investment involved the Tappan Company. As a major shareholder, he wanted...