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As a leader, it is often better to ask the right questions and listen than to have all the answers.
Robert S. Kaplan
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Robert S. Kaplan
Age: 84
Born: 1940
Born: May 2
Economist
Professor
University Teacher
New York City
New York
Robert Samuel Kaplan
Right
Questions
Listen
Leader
Answers
Often
Better
More quotes by Robert S. Kaplan
A mere 7% of employees today fully understand their company's business strategies and what's expected of them in order to help achieve company goals.
Robert S. Kaplan
You never do arrive at a destination. You have to work at it and take ownership of the process. What resonates at age 25 is likely to change by age 35 and 45. The process never ends. Realizing this has been a big breakthrough for me.
Robert S. Kaplan
Vision and priorities should precede actions. Actions should be judged through the prism of how the firm adds value and the key competencies it seeks to build.
Robert S. Kaplan
There are three main areas of focus: vision, priorities and alignment. It is critical to articulate a clear vision - how do we add value based on what key competences? Some leaders fail to be clear enough or fail to update the vision based on changes in their industry and in the world.
Robert S. Kaplan
One reason leaders don't delegate is they haven't been sufficiently clear with the team regarding their vision and key priorities - so that the team understands where the firm is going. If everyone is on the same page, it's a lot easier to delegate effectively.
Robert S. Kaplan
It bears repeating: you don't have to be good at everything.
Robert S. Kaplan
There's a step that leaders need to take they've got to understand themselves.
Robert S. Kaplan
If you're the smartest person in the room, it can sometimes be hard to learn to delegate - the person to whom you're delegating will do the task worse than you would - and it will annoy you!
Robert S. Kaplan
Consistent alignment of capabilities and internal processes with the customer value proposition is the core of any strategy execution.
Robert S. Kaplan
Leadership is a team sport - learning to work with others is a critical skill. This means articulating a clear vision, setting priorities, giving coaching, getting coaching and learning to seek advice from the team. All these activities
Robert S. Kaplan
Passion is the rocket fuel that helps you perform at your best. It helps you get through bad days, injustices, hardships and disappointments. It is hard to perform at a high level for a sustained period of time without passion for what you're doing.
Robert S. Kaplan
Reaching your potential is a disciplined process. Like losing weight or getting in shape - there is no final destination and it requires you to dust off atrophied muscles. You have to work at it. If you do, I think you will dramatically improve your leadership.
Robert S. Kaplan
Great companies create an environment in which employees act like owners. They do this through clear communication, articulation of clear vision and priorities, coaching and openness to debate/discussion. I would argue that this type of environment helps people to be at their best - and helps the company to be at its best.
Robert S. Kaplan
It bears repeating: you don't have to be good at everything.
Robert S. Kaplan
The vision must be realistic - it has to be based on clear distinctive competencies. Again, what would the world lose if you didn't exist? A vision is very powerful because it gives you a basis to judge every action you take. Every action should be viewed through the prism of whether it furthers the vision.
Robert S. Kaplan
There are multiple ways to solve a problem and add value. There are seldom right answers. So, you've got to use your abilities to diagnose a situation and use your best judgment on what to do and how to do it. You WILL make mistakes - when you do, admit them and go back and try to fix them. I don't know is often the right answer.
Robert S. Kaplan
Screening out peer pressure and conventional wisdom. It is so powerful, that most of us aren't even aware of how much it is influencing our decisions.
Robert S. Kaplan
The better strategy is to focus on strengths and surround yourself with people who can complement your skills. However, you have to first do the analysis.
Robert S. Kaplan
Authenticity is critical to leadership. That means trying to be yourself - this involves some self-disclosure, admitting what you don't know and being willing to ask questions.
Robert S. Kaplan
Rather than the word career, I prefer to discuss how you make a positive I pact on the world. This could mean raising your children, professional activities, non-profit work, or various other actions you take that impact others. I have found that, at all ages, people want to be needed and play a role in impacting the world.
Robert S. Kaplan
