Ken Blanchard Quotes

I learned this early on in the variety business: You've got to give folks responsibility, you've got to trust them, and then you've got to check on them.

Delegating doesn't mean passing off work you don't enjoy, but letting your employees stretch their skills and judgment.

The great irony of management is that the higher up you go, the less actual control you have. When you are but a humble coder, you make the computer do exactly what you want; when you're a manager, you only hope that people understand what you want, and then trust/pray that they do it both correctly and in a timely manner.

I believe in delegating power.

I’ll take care of South America. Just leave it to me.

I don't sign every check anymore, but I have my checks, my balances. I like the people I work with very much, but I check on them.

My idea is bring in good people and then get out of their way.

Put the right people in the right places, and then you trust them to do the right stuff.

I let the coach do his job.

As a leader, you're probably not doing a good job unless your employees can do a good impression of you when you're not around.

Early on I realized that I had to hire people smarter and more qualified than I was in a number of different fields, and I had to let go of a lot of decision-making. I can't tell you how hard that is. But if you've imprinted your values on the people around you, you can dare to trust them to make the right moves.

Never delegate. Always empower.

I think that I've learned to relax, and trust in and hire very talented people, and trust in their abilities a little more.

If you're a quarterback, you want everything on your shoulders. You want to be the one to make the decisions.

The best executive is one who has sense enough to pick good people to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.

I love to be directed. They can trust me and go.

You've got to trust people. And because I am a control freak, sometimes that's difficult for me, because I want to micro-manage absolutely everything. I can't hand over. But I'm trying to do that more.

The idea of being in control for the sake of control is not really important to me. If everyone is sharp and doing what they're doing well, you don't really need to be in control all the time.

You have to enable and empower people to make decisions independent of you. As I've learned, each person on a team is an extension of your leadership; if they feel empowered by you they will magnify your power to lead.

Nobody is going to delegate a lot of power to a secretary that they can't control.

Hire the best people, and trust what you hired them to do.

I trust the people who are working with me. I delegate.

I am learning how to delegate and how to empower people.

Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don't interfere as long as the policy you've decided upon is being carried out.

I don't think I am that hands-on. I'm much more of a believer in finding a great team of people and trusting them to follow their instincts. They work better when they feel they have freedom and they are trusted.