Business

Businesses, or rather their leadership, is often saddled with a set of problems and daily issues that prevents them from taking an objective view of their realities…forget the trees, often there is too much leaf watching to notice they are in a forest.

BMW Chief Designer; Revolutionized Automotive Design Language in 2000s

What is the value of asking the right question to prompt the right answer? Since it is not a narrow discipline and one with great roots in cultivating subjective experiences the integration and contribution of design is often overlooked in a silo mentality.

BMW Chief Designer; Revolutionized Automotive Design Language in 2000s

I hesitate to respond bluntly but 'design' to many businesses is an invisible element somehow present without effort…like 'free wifi'. And, as my son says, to his generation, 'wifi is like air'––taken for granted and only notable when the quality is bad or (god forbid!) it is not there at all.

BMW Chief Designer; Revolutionized Automotive Design Language in 2000s

Other enterprises understand design for what it is, the backbone of their corporate culture as well as the summation of all experiences their clients will have with their services and products––and as such well worth the investment of time and resources.

BMW Chief Designer; Revolutionized Automotive Design Language in 2000s

Design is the great 're-configurer' of problems for business…for example design takes an engineering solution for transmitting signals called a phone and reconfigures it into a hyper complex problem of glass and metal shapes, etc.

BMW Chief Designer; Revolutionized Automotive Design Language in 2000s

They took a relative view of risk… They had an understanding of the risks of something going wrong, but balanced that against missing an opportunity. When that opportunity exceeded the risk of going wrong? That's when they jumped…

It was not wealth or fame that these people wanted… These individuals had, in their own minds, observed a particular customer need that wasn't being met. They were wired in such a way, that this need seemed obvious to them. Whether it led to a million or a billion? That was secondary.

These individuals were extremely well-read, very curious and very disciplined… In a world where so many of us multi-task, when we met with these individuals, they were very focussed on the interview, free of interruptions. That's very unusual nowadays.

80% of self-made billionaires we studied made their mark in mature, competitive markets. They weren't all 'exactly' new products that came out – they were maybe a variation of a business model or existing product that pleased the customer in a different way. Think of Howard Schulz with Starbucks, or Sara Blakeley with Spanx for example.

At Dyson our philosophy has always been to invest in the long term. To power our 25 year pipeline of technology we have just announced a further £1.5 billion investment into new research and development on top of our current spending of £3 million a week. You cannot create disruptive technology without investing heavily in the long term.

Inventor & Founder of Dyson Ltd, Bagless Vacuum Pioneer

I feel it is the duty for every human and company to do something to either make their community, their city, their state, their country or the world a better place to live. You don't have to contribute financially, but rather your time, smile and good wishes to start the ball rolling. Time is a very valuable thing, when you contribute your time to others- you've contributed something of great value

Co-Founder of Paul Mitchell Systems & The Patrón Spirits Company

One of the challenges in networking is everybody thinks it's making cold calls to strangers. Actually, it's the people who already have strong trust relationships with you, who know you're dedicated, smart, a team player, who can help you.

Co-Founder of LinkedIn & Venture Capitalist

there are no good musicians who do not have a good ear, no artists without a great imagination, no writers without an excellent command of the language. The same goes for our trade. It is not enough to know how to use a calculator or build sound financial models. You need to have vision. You should look at a business process as if it were a living thing; you need to sense its music. You know, a good chess player does not need to spend a great deal of time calculating – sometimes one look at the chessboard is enough to know if a combination is good or bad…

Russian Oligarch & Owner of Norilsk Nickel Mining Company

Winning is good, losing is bad! Do you want to be in the winner's locker room celebrating or in the losers with your head down and a towel around your neck? If you're winning, you can give back — to your family, institutions of your choice, and your local communities... If you're losing, your pockets are empty.

Former CEO of General Electric; Pioneered "Jack Welch Management" Techniques

Growth is like an elixir. It's exciting, it creates more and more growth, and it's a helluva lot of fun. Business is fun, it's a game. You're playing against others, and you want to win!

Former CEO of General Electric; Pioneered "Jack Welch Management" Techniques

You must surround yourself with great people, and as you grow, never forget the generosity gene. You must demonstrate that gene with encouragement, praise, recognition, and cash... Building a great team is what this business game is all about. The team with the best players working together wins.

Former CEO of General Electric; Pioneered "Jack Welch Management" Techniques