Alfred P. Sloan

"The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority."

"Creativeness in business is not some long-hair concept. It's the most practical thing a business executive can employ."

"The greatest discoveries will be made by those who choose to make them."

"I have learned that the real difference between success and failure can often be traced to the attitude."

"The executive job is not to make clever decisions. It is to make sure that the organization is faithful to its purpose."

"Mistakes are the stepping stones to success."

"The organization which is to be most effective must be built on the principle of responsibility."

"We must go where the customer leads us. If the customer wants a certain type of car, we must build it."

"The real work of any executive is not to supervise but to organize and conduct the work that determines the success of the business."

"A business must have a simple, clearly stated purpose that can be understood by everyone in the organization."

"Change is the one constant in business. Success is the ability to manage change."

"You can't expect people to do a good job if they don't know what the job is."

"The corporation is one of humanity's greatest innovations."

"Wisdom is not gained in the study but in the application."

"The most important function of a business is its own growth."

"Morale is when your hands and feet keep on working when your head tells you to sit down."

"An organization should be built on the principle that the individual is important."

"The test of effective thinking is action."

"Centralized policy with decentralized execution is the key to good management."

"You must have high standards and good judgment to make a good decision."

"Fear is the greatest motivator or the greatest obstacle to success."

"Progress is made only when we dare to take risks."

"The only way to make a business work is to have people who are committed to its purpose."

"Self-criticism and willingness to change are the keys to growth."

"An organization is successful when each member understands its purpose and his role in it."

"There are three kinds of intelligence: one kind understands things for itself, the other appreciates what others have understood, the third understands neither for itself nor in appreciation of others."

"The future belongs to those who prepare for it."

"Leadership is the capacity and the will to rally men and women to a common purpose."

"Don't try to be a better businessman. Be a better man."

"The responsibility of the executive is to organize the elements of productive enterprise."