The ability to concentrate and to use time well is everything.
Lee IacoccaRead
In business, you're trying to make a buck. God was good to me and blessed me. I made some money and started this foundation years ago, and it has grown in size. With the foundation it's a lot different, because the bottom line isn't how you can make more money or get a better return, it's helping the projects that you feel strongly about move forward.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes that true success in business goes beyond profit, focusing on meaningful contributions.
Lee Iacocca reflects on his journey in business, highlighting that while making money is essential, the real fulfillment comes from using those resources to support and uplift causes he cares about. He suggests that a foundation's mission transcends financial gains, instead prioritizing positive impact and support for valuable projects.
In practice
During a charity event, someone could cite this quote to emphasize the importance of giving back.
The ability to concentrate and to use time well is everything.
I have found that being honest is the best technique I can use. Right up front, tell people what you're trying to accomplish and what you're willing to sacrifice to accomplish it.
No matter what you've done for yourself or for humanity, if you can't look back on having given love and attention to your own family, what have you really accomplished?
Listening can make the difference between a mediocre organization and a great one.
What is it that you like doing? If you don't like it, get out of it, because you'll be lousy at it. You don't have to stay with a job for the rest of your life, because if you don't like it you'll never be successful in it.
Here's what management is about: Pick good people and set the right priorities.
We used to think that everything started in the lab. Now we realize that everything spins off the consumer.
There is no value with just one restaurant or with one person. The brand has to be bigger than the person.
Virtually every company will be going out and empowering their workers with a certain set of tools, and the big difference in how much value is received from that will be how much the company steps back and really thinks through their business processes, thinking through how their business can change, how their project management, their customer feedback, their planning cycles can be quite different than they ever were before.
He that would run his company on visible figures alone will in time have neither company nor figures.
Creating a close connection to those you do business with has its many risks, rewards and consequences._x000D_ _x000D_ There are few things in business I have encountered that are more difficult than firing someone, particularly if that someone has always been, or has become a friend._x000D_ _x000D_ On the flip side, I have been rewarded with many friends.
I find it fascinating that a lot of business books that do well are from people who've never made any money in business.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.