Ingvar Kamprad Quotes

If there is such a thing as good leadership, it is to give a good example. I have to do so for all the Ikea employees.

Infosys was going to be a different type of company. It was going to be very ethically run, meritocratic, quality-conscious, transparent. People didn't confuse the personal with the corporate.

I have great admiration for the way the Americans do business. They drive a hard bargain, but once they do it, they stick to their contracts.

I work in a strange business, and 'trust' is a word that's not even in the vocabulary.

Branding jails corporate America, but honesty sets entrepreneurs free.

It is time for us to insist that we are accountable for the money that we are spending.

We design our own programmes; we take leadership. Of course the donors come in to support us, to complement our efforts. Our responsibility to the donors is about accountability: about how we use that money. If somebody gives you his money, definitely he will be interested in knowing how you spend the money.

If values matter in an organisation, you have to be prepared to act consistently.

The ethics of journalism are one thing. Another thing is the ethics of business.

Defense leaders should be searching for ways to reform out-of-date procurement processes, to collapse layers of Pentagon bureaucracy, and to restrain the growth in personnel and benefits costs. A critical first step in that process should be to conduct a full Pentagon audit to determine how DOD spends taxpayer dollars.

Business executives need to start by spelling out and communicating their values. Then they need to lead by example. This means getting rid of the bad apples and declining opportunities that bring instant wealth at the cost of selling one's soul.

Transparency, honesty, kindness, good stewardship, even humor, work in businesses at all times.

If you're going to say to all the people that you're working with, 'We want you to treat the customers honestly; don't lie and don't cheat,' it is somewhat hypocritical if you're not following the same rules.

Why - because as a oil and gas small business owner - I know if someone is not doing their job, they should not get paid. Again leadership by example.

A democratic government is the only one in which those who vote for a tax can escape the obligation to pay it.

I believe fundamental honesty is the keystone of business.

I never hurt anybody in this business, ever.

At a time when we're having to take such difficult decisions about how to cut back without damaging the things that matter the most, we should strain every sinew to cut error, waste and fraud.

The State of Virginia is similar to a great business corporation... and should be conducted with the same efficiency and economy as any private business.

Ethics or simple honesty is the building blocks upon which our whole society is based, and business is a part of our society, and it's integral to the practice of being able to conduct business, that you have a set of honest standards.

I don't like conflicts of interest; they should be eliminated or disclosed. I believe in transparency: that people have to really not just know but understand what they're buying and selling.

History has shown that one cannot legislate a culture of integrity. And yet, one of the paramount responsibilities and challenges of corporate leadership is to ensure such a culture.

Like many countries, Indonesia can transform its decision-making system to be more transparent and inclusive, particularly on resource allocation and use.

Public hangings are teaching moments. Every company has to do it. A teaching moment is worth a thousand CEO speeches. CEOs can talk and blab each day about culture, but the employees all know who the jerks are. They could name the jerks for you. It's just cultural. People just don't want to do it.

We have to raise the bar on corporate governance. Shareholders want ethical behavior and honesty.