John Harvey-Jones Quotes

• Planning is an unnatural process; it is much more fun to do something. The nicest thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise, rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression.

  John Harvey-Jones

  Depression, Fun, Business

  113 Copy quote

• If you are doing things the same way as two years ago, you are almost certainly doing them wrong.

  John Harvey-Jones

  Years, Two, Statistics

  56 Copy quote

• In order to solve problems, information has to be shared; and not only information, but doubts, fears and questions.

  John Harvey-Jones

  Leadership, Communication, Order

  50 Copy quote

• It is the responsibility of leadership and management to give opportunities and put demands on people which enable them to grow as human beings in their work environment.

  John Harvey-Jones

  Leadership, Responsibility, Opportunity

  47 Copy quote

• How do you know you have won? When the energy is coming the other way and when your people are visibly growing individually and as a group.

  John Harvey-Jones

  Leadership, Business, Winning

  63 Copy quote

• People who don't make mistakes are no bloody good to you at all.

  John Harvey-Jones

  Mistake, Failure, People

  33 Copy quote

• Everyone thinks I'm a smart arse who can solve any bloody problem. I'm not. I'm just a very old businessman and a very experienced businessman who made every mistake in the book and can recognise one when I see one.

  John Harvey-Jones

  Mistake, Smart, Book

  The Telegraph (UK), January 10, 2008.

  29 Copy quote

• Problems can only be solved by the people who have them. You have to try and coax them and love them into seeing ways in which they can help themselves.

  John Harvey-Jones

  People, Trying, And Love

  29 Copy quote

• Go for civil engineering, because civil engineering is the branch of engineering which teaches you the most about managing people. Managing people is a skill which is very, very useful and applies almost regardless of what you do.

  John Harvey-Jones

  Engineering, Skills, People

  39 Copy quote

• The only companies that innovate are those who believe that innovation is vital for their future.

  John Harvey-Jones

  Business, Believe, Innovation

  29 Copy quote

• The trouble is that all-encompassing though information technology may be, it will always convey facts and numbers ... what it does not convey is perception, belief and motivation.

  John Harvey-Jones

  Motivation, Technology, Numbers

  20 Copy quote

• The task of industry is continuously, year on year, to make more and better things, using less of the world's resources.

  John Harvey-Jones

  Years, Tasks, World

  15 Copy quote

• It horrifies me that ethics is only an optional extra at Harvard Business School.

  John Harvey-Jones

  Leadership, School, Ethics

  19 Copy quote

• There is practically no area of business where the difference between rhetoric and actuality is greater than in the handling of people.

  John Harvey-Jones

  Differences, People, Rhetoric

  15 Copy quote

• Good business should contain something for both parties.

  John Harvey-Jones

  Party, Good Business, Should

  17 Copy quote

• People are unlikely to know that they need a product which does not exist and the basis of market research in new and innovative products is limited in this regard.

  John Harvey-Jones

  Business, People, Doe

  19 Copy quote

• It is surprising, in the welter of questions that one gets at (AGMs), how few actually relate to the performance of the company, or the decisions taken by the board in particular areas.

  John Harvey-Jones

  Business, Taken, Decision

  7 Copy quote

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