Louis V. Gerstner Jr. Quotes

The more control you have over your life, the more responsible you feel for your own success - or failure.

Scientists, freely making their own choice of problems and pursuing them in the light of their own personal judgment, are in fact co-operating as members of a closely knit organization. Such self-co-ordination of independent initiatives leads to a joint result which is unpremeditated by any of those who bring it about. Any attempt to organize the group ... under a single authority would eliminate their independent initiatives, and thus reduce their joint effectiveness to that of the single person directing them from the center. It would, in effect, paralyze their co-operation.

If you have the choice, it's far better to say, "That person has the job, and they really don't need that much of my oversight." Maybe they don't need any of it.

I see a free and independent kingdom delivering up that which all the world hath been fighting for, since the days of Nimrod, to wit, a power to manage their own affairs by themselves without the assistance and counsel of any other.

With no attempt there can be no failure; with no failure, no humiliation.

I've always acted alone. Americans like that immensely. Americans like the cowboy who leads the wagon train by riding ahead alone on his horse, the cowboy who rides all alone into the town, the village, with his horse and nothing else. Maybe even without a pistol, since he doesn't shoot. He acts, that's all, by being in the right place at the right time. In short, a Western. … This amazing, romantic character suits me precisely because to be alone has always been part of my style or, if you like, my technique

Don’t expect to succeed with most of your efforts. Ted Williams, the best baseball hitter of all time, in his best hear only hit 407. He did not succeed 60 percent of the time.

The country needs and, unless I mistake its temper, the country demands bold, persistent experimentation. It is common sense to take a method and try it: If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.

Vision without execution is hallucination.

When I served as Prime Minister last time, I failed to prioritize my agenda. I was eager to complete everything at once and ended my administration in failure.

The times demand not a man bearing promises of new things, but a man who can finish the things begun...

Leadership consists of nothing but taking responsibility for everything that goes wrong and giving your subordinates credit for everything that goes well.

Vision without execution is delusion.

One cannot advance without mistakes... It is necessary to make mistakes. The party cannot be educated without learning from mistakes. This has great significance.

When I'm in management meetings when we're deciding my future, those decisions are left up to me. I'm the one who has to go out and fulfill all these obligations, so I should be able to choose which ones I do or not. That's the part of my life where I feel most in control.

We're not a fragile people. We're not a frightful people. Our power doesn't come from some self-declared savior promising that he alone can restore order as long as we do things his way. We don't look to be ruled.

Those of us who submitted or surrendered our ideas and dreams and identities to the 'leaders' must take back our rights, our identities, our responsibilities.

The country doesn't need saving.

People buy into my agenda. I don't buy into anyone's agenda.

Once you have set the goal, give your staff the space to get there. If you micromanage, you will be able to do very little.

Everyone wants to lead when things are going well.

Only a fool manages himself.

We were the leaders of a company at the age of 15 with lawyers, tax advisers and managers around us, all on our payroll. A huge chunk of responsibility rested on our shoulders, which at the same time was a good thing since we hate superiors.

I don't follow nobody. If people want to follow me, it's because they see talent.

I'm not a great boss because I don't like to tell other people what to do.