James Grigg Quotes

I'm not quite that difficult, even though maybe I'm a little bit bossy. But you know, in order to get things done, you do have to be a little bit bossy sometimes or tell people what you really want. Otherwise, things just don't get done, do they?

There is one rule of action more important than all others. It consists in never doing anything that someone else can do for you.

In the discharge of the duties of this office, there is one rule of action more important than all others. It consists in never doing anything that someone else can do for you.

Never do things others can do and will do if there are things others cannot do or will not do.

Too many people are waiting for Jesus to come along and cut your grass. And Jesus isn't going to come along and cut your grass.

Serendipity is nice, but hoping for luck and the magic of happenstance shouldn't be an excuse for a lack of proactivity. I had to learn for myself that waiting isn't a life plan.

Get advice, then make your own decision.

I know what I want, and it's hard to delegate.

Just do your business and everything else will take care of itself.

Do not advise too much: do the job yourself. This is the only advice you can give to others. Do it and others will follow.

You can't always wait for the guys at the top. Every manager at every level in the organization has an opportunity, big or small, to do something. Every manager's got some sphere of autonomy. Don't pass the buck up the line.

Leaders receive and give assignments. This is an important part of the necessary principle of delegating. No one appreciates a willing volunteer more than I, but the total work cannot be done as the Lord wants it done merely by those doing the work who may be present at meetings.

If not me, who? And if not now, when?

Grown men do not need leaders.

I'm very much in favor of focused responsibility, and so in the main areas that I'm worried about, I try to have a single person who is basically the key person in that area.

David Bruce, I think, is one of the outstanding persons for whom I've ever worked. He had a sense of balance. He was interested in everything that went on in the Embassy. He delegated authority, but at the same time when you needed the Ambassador's help on anything, you could go to him, and he would immediately respond.

For good or ill, I'm a person of leadership. I do my best. I don't dodge responsibility.

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.

There's something magical about putting yourself into life. You've got to stand up and take responsibility for your own life and you cannot abandon that.

If you want someone else to do a task, don't do it yourself.

We will not spend four years blaming others, we will take responsibility.

You can listen to what everybody says, but the fact remains that you've got to get out there and do the thing yourself.

When there's no one you can point to, or when something goes wrong, it's your fault - that level of responsibility and accountability is pretty interesting.

You always hear about delegation, but people make the mistake of delegating and not following up. I give authority, but I stay in touch. Otherwise it doesn't work.

There is a wonderful feeling of power when you're a director, but I don't think I need that, and I'm OK without it.