Great Quotes: Jeffrey Pfeffer (on leadership, execution and strategy)

Tanmay Vora
Posted on

Guy Kawasaki, over at his blog “How to change the world” interviews Jeffrey Pfeffer, the author of What Were They Thinking?: Unconventional Wisdom About Management

The interview makes it for a great read and here are a few excerpts that I really admired.

On leadership:

“In fact, sometimes, as the Grammy-award winning Orpheus Chamber orchestra shows, the best leadership is less leadership. No seed can grow if it is dug up and examined every week, and for people to innovate and get things done, sometimes they need some time and space and resources.”

On importance of execution and strategy:

“Doing the right thing is important, which is where strategy comes in. But doing that thing well—execution—is what sets companies apart. After all, every football play is designed to go for a huge gain. The reason it doesn’t is because of execution—people drop balls, miss blocks, go to the wrong place, and so forth. So, success depends on execution—on the ability to get things done.”

Some great thoughts to start a week with! Have a great week ahead!