Reid Hoffman Quotes

The most challenging part of being CEO is communicating to 200,000 people what you want done.

Take the situation of a scientist solving a problem, where he has certain data, which call for certain responses. Some of this set of data call for his applying such and such a law, while others call for another law.

Once an organization has a strong sense of mission, leaders can focus on trying new things.

You've got to have a vision. You've got to have a message.

Vision with action is a daydream; action without vision is a nightmare.

A president has an inescapable responsibility to provide direction: What are we trying to achieve? What are we trying to prevent? Why? To do that, he has to both analyze and reflect.

Data and data sets are not objective; they are creations of human design. We give numbers their voice, draw inferences from them, and define their meaning through our interpretations.

If the data do not prove that indexing wins, well, the data are wrong.

The very first task of leadership is to set the vision for the organization. If you don't set the vision, you're not the leader.

Data isn't information, any more than fifty tons of cement is a skyscraper.

The TV scientist who mutters sadly, "The experiment is a failure; we have failed to achieve what we had hoped for," is suffering mainly from a bad script writer. An experiment is never a failure solely because it fails to achieve predicted results. An experiment is a failure only when it also fails adequately to test the hypothesis in question, when the data it produces don't prove anything one way or another.

If you're to fulfill your vision for a better life, you must formulate a plan of action. Effective planning involves identifying and prioritizing those actions that will move you most efficiently toward your goal.

You've got to have a vision and an intention and that will guide what you do. I call it devotion. Ask yourself, "Is this not moving me toward where we need to be?" I believe that's helpful because a vision pulls you forward and it keeps you focused. A vision for the day, for the week, for the month and a lifelong vision - whatever works for you. And then you govern your activities and your behaviors accordingly.

Realize that agendas drive data, not the other way round

No theory ever benefited by the application of data, Amy. Data kills theories. A theory has no better time than when it's lying there naked, pure, unsullied by facts. Let's just keep it that way for a while." "So you don't really have a theory?" "Clueless." "You lying bag of fish heads." "I can fire you, you know. Even if Clay was the one that hired you, I'm not totally superfluous to this operation yet. I'm kind of in charge. I can fire you. Then how will you live?" "I'm not getting paid." "See, right there. Perfectly good concept ruined by the application of fact.

It's important to have a plan, a big picture. You can deviate from it or change it completely, but it gives you something to work for.

Why don't I talk about Big Data? Because I am focused on intelligent answers and not speeds and feeds. It doesn't matter if it is quick if it's the wrong answer.

You have to believe in the long term plan you have but you need the short term goals to motivate and inspire you.

Develop a clear vision for your organization. Where do you want to be in five years?

Success doesn't sneak up on us; it starts as a dream that we combine with a clear plan of action.

There is no substitute for a clear vision and a decisive direction.

My first act after being named head coach of the Bulls was to formulate a vision for the team. I had to take into account not only what I wanted to achieve, but how I was going to get there.

Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.

Observation, reason, and experiment make up what we call the scientific method.

If you torture the data long enough, it will confess.