27+ Robert Townsend Quotes On Education, Government And Elizabeth

Robert Townsend was an American executive and entrepreneur. He was the founder and CEO of Avis Rent a Car System, Inc., and the author of the classic business book, Up the Organization. Townsend was also the first African-American to head a major public company in the United States. Following is our collection on famous quotes by Robert Townsend on leadership, education, government.

Top 10 Robert Townsend Quotes

1. A leader is not an administrator who loves to run others, but someone who carries water for his people so that they can get on with their jobs.
2. A good leader needs to have a compass in his head and a bar of steel in his heart.
3. Make every decision as if you owned the whole company.
4. If you shoot for the stars and hit the moon, it's OK. But you've got to shoot for something. A lot of people don't even shoot.
5. Consultants are people who borrow your watch and tell you what time it is, and then walk off with the watch.
6. Due to budget cutbacks, the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off.
7. True leadership must be for the benefit of the followers, not the enrichment of the leaders.
8. The artist must conceive with warmth yet execute with coolness.
9. If you don't do it excellently, don't do it at all. Because if it's not excellent, it won't be profitable or fun.
10. Don't hire a master to paint you a masterpiece and then assign a roomful of schoolboy artists to look over his shoulder and make suggestions.

Robert Townsend Short Quotes

• If you have to have a policy manual, publish the 'Ten Commandments.'
• Many ideas are good for a limited time -- not forever.
• Is what I'm doing or about to do getting us closer to our objective?
• An idea's worth is directly proportional to the opposition created.
• Getting there isn't half the fun - it's all the fun.

Robert Townsend Quotes About People

If people are coming to work excited. . . if they're making mistakes freely and fearlessly. . . if they're having fun. . . if they're concentrating on doing things rather than preparing reports and going to meetings-then somewhere you have leaders. — Robert Townsend

The world is divided into two classes of people: the few people who make good on their promises (even if they don't promise as much), and the many who don't. Get in Column A and stay there. You'll be very valuable wherever you are. — Robert Townsend

A good manager doesn't try to eliminate conflict; he tries to keep it from wasting the energies of his people. If you're the boss and your people fight you openly when they think that you are wrong -- that's healthy. — Robert Townsend

It's been my experience that the people who gain trust, loyalty, excitement, and energy fast are the ones who pass on the credit to the people who have really done the work. A leader doesnt need any credit... He's getting more credit than he deserves anyway. — Robert Townsend

When you get right down to it, one of the most important tasks of a leader is to eliminate his people's excuse for failure. — Robert Townsend

Robert Townsend Famous Quotes And Sayings

Managers must have the discipline not to keep pulling up the flowers to see if their roots are healthy. — Robert Townsend

"Top" management is supposed to be a tree full of owls-hooting when management heads into the wrong part of the forest. I'm still unpersuaded they even know where the forest is. — Robert Townsend

To keep an organization young and fit, don't hire anyone until everybody's so overworked they'll be glad to see the newcomer no matter where he sits. — Robert Townsend

It's a poor bureaucrat who can't stall a good idea until even its sponsor is relieved to see it dead and officially buried. — Robert Townsend

Compromise is usually bad. It should be a last resort. If two departments or divisions have a problem they can't solve and it comes up to you, listen to both sides and then pick one or the other. This places solid accountability on the winner to make it work. Condition your people to avoid compromise. — Robert Townsend

If you don't do it with excellence, don't do it at all! Because if it's not excellent, it won't be profitable or fun, and if you're not in business for fun or profit, what the hell are you doing there? — Robert Townsend

We know there is a problem with communication but we are not going to discuss it in front of the entire staff. — Robert Townsend

Life Lessons by Robert Townsend

1. Robert Townsend's work emphasizes the importance of taking risks and embracing change in order to achieve success. He also stresses the importance of understanding the dynamics of the marketplace and being able to adapt to changing conditions. Lastly, he emphasizes the importance of having a clear vision and staying focused on achieving it.