Howard Lutnick Quotes

You can’t do leadership alone.

Basic philosophy, spirit and drive of an organization have far more to do with its relative achievements than do technological or economic resources, organizational structure, innovation and timing.

Obviously I've got a great team of people within the company. You can't operate all by yourself. We have a good board of directors and a big bench, and they can make decisions if I'm not around.

The reason I've been able to maintain my position of chairman of CBS in addition to all the Viacom stuff is my team.

Too many talk about a company's leadership, referring to the senior most executives in the organization. They are just that: senior executives. Leadership doesn't automatically happen when you reach a certain pay grade. Hopefully you find it there, but there are no guarantees.

I didn't build Auntie Anne's alone. That would have been impossible. From the very beginning, we had a team around us that was exceptional. Our company was successful because of the dedicated people who worked for us.

A company is a group organized to create a product or service, and it is only as good as its people and how excited they are about creating. I do want to recognize a ton of super-talented people. I just happen to be the face of the companies.

No business can succeed in any great degree without being properly organized.

Strategy is not really a solo sport - even If you're the CEO.

When I got to GM they were using a matrix method of management which means everybody has more than one boss. I first heard about that system many years ago. It's supposed to help with collaboration, but my assessment is that it's pretty hard to get geared for action that way.

I think that in any group activity - whether it be business, sports, or family - there has to be leadership or it won't be successful.

The problem with communicating without a coordinator is that everyone has to read everyone else's mind.

People here were willing to assume minor roles for the sake of a common enterprise. This spirit of teamwork must have been characteristic of the 19th century and was what made great industrial empires possible.]

Business is usually a team sport. There isn't one great person sitting there directing things. You can't run an effective business like that.

I would say that I'm blessed with a very, very good executive team that operates, reasonably autonomously, each of the companies.

One thing that we've invested a lot of in, that we all live by, is the power of the commissioner.

I cannot thank Don DeDonatis enough for his leadership of USSSA, his stewardship of our business initiatives, and his friendship to me over the years.

Any business or club has to have a hierarchy. Everybody needs to know and understand his role in the overall structure. Bayern Munich is no different.

Running a business is not the same as being president of the United States.

With respect to Committees as you would perceive I am very jealous of their formation. I mean working committees. I think business is always better done by few than by many.

As much as you need a strong personality to build a business from scratch, you also must understand the art of delegation.

The success of an organization will depend on the people you surround yourself with.

30% of all people will never believe you. Do not allow your colleagues and employees to work for you. Instead, let them work for a common goal.

Teamwork remains a sustainable competitive advantage that has been largely untapped because it is hard to measure (teamwork impacts the outcome of an organization in such comprehensive and invasive ways that it's virtually impossible to isolate it as a single variable) and because it is extremely hard to achieve (it requires levels of courage and discipline that few executives possess) - ironically, building a strong team is very simple (it doesn't require masterful insights or tactics).

It's not about money. It's about the people you have, how you're led, and how much you get it.