Harold Geneen

"I'd hate to spend the rest of my life trying to outwit an eighteen-inch fish."

"It is better to take over and build upon an existing business than to start a new one."

"Every company has two organizational structures: the formal one is written on the charts; the other is the everyday living relationship of the men and women in the organization."

"The best way to inspire people to superior performance is to convince them by everything you do and by your everyday attitude that you are wholeheartedly supporting them."

"I don't believe in just ordering people to do things. You have to sort of grab an oar and row with them. My philosophy is to stay as close as possible to what's happening. If I can't solve something, …"

"Management manages by making decisions and by seeing that those decisions are implemented."

"You cannot run a business, or anything else, on a theory."

"A true leader has to have a genuine open-door policy so that his people are not afraid to approach him for any reason. A man should feel free to tell his chief executive to his face, 'I think you're d…"