Karen Hughes Quotes

Anytime you get nine people together, whether it's at a party or it's in the conference room of the Supreme Court, you do have to maintain some order, or it does kind of degenerate into squabbling pretty quickly.

A big part of the job of being a showrunner is, in my way of thinking, being a good communicator because there's really no other way to have hope for getting what you want, at the end of the day.

When team members openly and passionately share their opinions about a decision, they don't wonder whether anyone is holding back. Then, when the leader has to step in and make a decision because there is no easy consensus, team members will accept that decision because they know that their ideas were heard and considered.

The best kind of accountability on a team is peer-to-peer. Peer pressure is more efficient and effective than going to the leader, anonymously complaining, and having them stop what they are doing to intervene.

Great teams argue. Not in a mean-spirited or personal way, but they disagree when important decisions are made.

Each member of the team must feel important - everyone must make my life and choices difficult.

I think it's a requirement that the general manager and the coach are communicating with each other on a regular basis, and it's unacceptable if they're not.

Collaboration is just, really, a group of people getting in a room with their eye on a very similar prize and wanting to come out with the same show. The director, ultimately, is the guy in front of whom the buck stops. So, he has to have the courage to prevail. But, he has got to have a huge amount of respect for his collaborators.

Most bands don't work out. A small unit democracy is very, very difficult.

I'm learning more and more to share creativity with the crew and actors. A film crew is more powerful if you listen to them, but it does make my job more tough because I have to listen.

People say you can't go out and eat with your players. I say why not.

There is no better way to manage than by walking around. Autocracy doesn't work. Talk to people in their offices, find out what's on their minds.

If the players don't trust the coach, it is a problem, and vice versa.

Teams are often pretty clear about what they can do or are willing to do.

I'm always learning from experiences because each one is different and there are different players involved in the project at the time with their own way of doing things.

The only thing we don't do together is get in front of an actor and show any indecision at all about what we think. We don't always agree, so we meet privately, then one or the other will approach the actor.

With the White Sox, when we do stuff, everybody's opinion is asked for, is given and then decisions are made on just about everything.

I've played sports pretty much my whole life, and that teaches you how to work with anyone, whether you like that person or you don't, and whether you get along with them or you don't. The circumstances don't matter. Team work is part of life.

You can have the best people in the business, but if they're not collaborating - and they're butting heads - then it's all going to go south.

I need to build my team around my weaknesses.

The environment in a writer's room, I've really come to feel, should be some form of democracy.

During this period at the Department of Education, my working relationship with Judge Thomas was positive.

Ultimately, leadership is not about glorious crowning acts. It's about keeping your team focused on a goal and motivated to do their best to achieve it, especially when the stakes are high and the consequences really matter. It is about laying the groundwork for others' success, and then standing back and letting them shine.

One of the things I'm adamant about as a bandleader is not micromanaging. I'm an advocate for the concept of allowing everyone to be fully vested in what they're doing, so everyone contributes whatever they're inspired to contribute.

I can do whatever I want. They will tell me if what I am doing is stupid or a total waste of time. I may tell them that they are wrong, and we will come to an agreement.