Marvin Bower quotes

People should be judged on the basis of their performance, not nationality, personality, education, or personal traits and skills. (Marvin Bower)
A business of high principle attracts high-caliber people more easily, thereby gaining a basic competitive and profit edge. View quote
Marvin Bower
A business of high principle generates greater drive and effectiveness because people know that they can do the right thing decisively and with confidence. View quote
Marvin Bower
I believe that leaders and leadership teams working together in a proper design will run the business more effectively than by hierarchical, command-and-control managing. But I can't prove that. And there are no models. View quote
Marvin Bower
The difference between a leadership and a command company can be very great indeed, because in a hierarchical situation, people who have concerns about reactions against themselves would simply not put forward negative information. View quote
Marvin Bower
Decisions should be based on facts, objectively considered - what I call the fact-founded, thought-through approach to decision making. View quote
Marvin Bower
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. View quote
Marvin Bower
I believe that in a leadership company most people will like their work. But the company will be an even more enjoyable place to work if the culture is designed to make it that way. Leading fosters a working atmosphere that stimulates an open exchange of ideas and fosters dissent. People should show a genuine concern for one another and treat one another with fairness, as peers and friends. With such an atmosphere it should be a pleasure to come to work. View quote
Marvin Bower
The business with high ethical standards has three primary advantages over competitors whose standards are lower:. View quote
Marvin Bower
Fourteen basic and well-known managing processes make up the components from which a management system for any business can be fashioned. View quote
Marvin Bower
... for all the reasons we have discussed in these pages, judgments brought to the board by leaders are likely to be better than those coming to the board in a command company. Moreover, the effective working relationships between leaders and directors in a leadership company further ensures the exercise of sound judgments for such momentous decisions ... (Marvin Bower)
In large-scale organizations, the factual approach must be constantly nurtured by high-level executives. The more layers of authority through which facts must pass before they reach the decision maker, the greater the danger that they will be suppressed, modified, or softened, so as not to displease the "brass". For this reason, high-level executives must keep reaching for facts or soon they won't know what is going on. Unless they make visible efforts to seek and act on facts, major problems will not be brought to their attention, the quality of their decisions will decline, and the business will gradually get out of touch with its environment. View quote
Marvin Bower
The performance of business leaders during the next decade will play a major role in determining not only business but political and social trends for a long time to come. Here are some of the principal reasons: - Business leaders control the economic well-being of and stockholder. - The course of business shapes public opinion. - Business leaders shape public opinion. So, in addition to his or her prime responsibility of managing his or her enterprise at a profit, the business leader of today is faced with new and larger responsibilities. And, at the same time, the job of managing his or her enterprise at a profit is increasing in complexity. Consequently, the imposition of additional responsibilities makes the nation's task of developing an adequate number of properly equipped executive leaders a staggering one indeed. View quote
Marvin Bower
Convinced that behavior and conduct are every bit as important as skills and expertise, I sought to build the firm into an enduring, values-based institution. View quote
Marvin Bower
Decisions should be based on facts, objectively considered. View quote
Marvin Bower
The course of business shapes public opinion. View quote
Marvin Bower
Setting objectives: ... View quote
Marvin Bower
Developing a company philosophy: ... View quote
Marvin Bower
Providing personnel: ... View quote
Marvin Bower
Providing control information: ... View quote
Marvin Bower

Marvin Bower

Marvin Bower - Image
Photo: McKinsey & Company, CC BY-SA 3.0
Occupation: American Businessman
Born: August 1, 1903
Died: January 22, 2003
Quotes count: 20
Wikipedia: Marvin Bower

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