Harold S. Geneen Quotes

• It is much more difficult to measure nonperformance than performance.

  Harold S. Geneen

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Difficult

• It is an immutable law in business that words are words, explanations are explanations, promises are promises-but only performance is reality.

  Harold S. Geneen

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Reality

• Facts from paper are not the same as facts from people. The reliability of the people giving you the facts is as important as the facts themselves.

  Harold S. Geneen

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  Tags in Important

• It’s better to take over and build upon an existing business than to start a new one.

  Harold S. Geneen

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  Tags in Build

• You can know a person by the kind of desk he keeps. If the president of a company has a clean desk then it must be the executive vice president who is doing all the work.

  Harold S. Geneen

  Topics in Work

  Tags in Person

• The five essential entrepreneurial skills for success: Concentration, Discrimination, Organization, Innovation and Communication.

  Harold S. Geneen

  Topics in Success

  Tags in Skill

• Performance is your reality. Forget everything else.

  Harold S. Geneen

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Forget

• I don’t believe in just ordering people to do things. You have to sort of grab an oar and row with them.

  Harold S. Geneen

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Believe

• Every company has two organizational structures: The formal one is written on the charts; the other is the everyday relationship of the men and women in the organization.

  Harold S. Geneen

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Relationships

• In business, words are words; explanations are explanations, promises are promises, but only performance is reality.

  Harold S. Geneen

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Promise

• A true leader has to have a genuine open-door policy so that his people are not afraid to approach him for any reason.

  Harold S. Geneen

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in True

• Leadership cannot really be taught. It can only be learned.

  Harold S. Geneen

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Learned

• The worst disease which can afflict business executives in their work is not, as popularly supposed, alcoholism; it’s egotism.

  Harold S. Geneen

  Topics in Business, Work

  Tags in Worst

• He suffered from paralysis by analysis.

  Harold S. Geneen

  Topics in Suffering

• Management must manage!

  Harold S. Geneen

  Topics in Uncategorized

• Management manages by making decisions and by seeing that those decisions are implemented.

  Harold S. Geneen

  Topics in Decisions

• The best way to inspire people to superior performance is to convince them by everything you do and by your everyday attitude that you are wholeheartedly supporting them.

  Harold S. Geneen

  Topics in Attitude

• Uncertainty will always be part of the taking charge process.

  Harold S. Geneen

  Tags in Always, Process

• We must not be hampered by yesterday’s myths in concentrating on today’s needs.

  Harold S. Geneen

• You can’t run a business or anything else on a theory.

  Harold S. Geneen

  Topics in Business

Harold S. Geneen (24)

Birth:	22nd January, 1910
Death:	21st November, 1997
Nationality:	American
Profession:	Businessman

About

Harold "Hal" Sydney Geneen was born in Bournemouth, England. He was an American businessman most famous for serving as president of the ITT Corporation. He studied accounting at New York University. Between 1956–1959 he was senior vice president of Raytheon. From 1959–1977 he was the president and CEO of International Telephone and Telegraph Corp. He grew the company from a medium-sized business with $765 million sales in 1961 into multinational conglomerate with $17 billion sales in 1970. He extended its interests from manufacturing of telegraph equipment into insurance, hotels, real estate management and other areas.

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