Supply Chain Management Review

Robert A. Rudzki

Quotable Quotes – II
July 3, 2008

Core Values -- hype, or part of the foundation for a successful enterprise? Research confirms that an organization’s Core Values – combined with its Corporate Purpose – form an important part of the “first layer” foundation for long-term success. Classic stories such as Enron (on the negative side), and Johnson & Johnson (on the positive side) reinforce the important “make or break” role of Core Values.

Click here for a copy of a relevant research report on long-term organizational success.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes that relate to the essential “Beat the Odds” principle of Live and Defend your Core Values:

"It is easier to fight for one’s principles than to live up to them." -- Alfred Adler

"My basic principle is that you don’t make decisions because they are easy; you don’t make them because they are cheap; you don’t make them because they’re popular; you make them because they’re right." -- Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C., Former President, University of Notre Dame

"Leadership is basically a matter of how to be, not how to do it. Leaders need to lead by example, with clear, consistent messages, with values that are ‘moral compasses,’ and a sense of ethics that works full time." --Frances Hesselbein

"Know the difference between the principle of compromise and the compromise of principle." -- Author Unknown

"Who belittles sin, diminishes virtue." -- Jan Lemanski

"The path of least resistance is what makes rivers run crooked." -- Elbert Hubbard

"Nothing is politically right which is morally wrong." -- Thomas Jefferson

If you have your own favorite quote (or a story) on the theme of Core Values, please share it with the other readers of this column.

Posted by Robert A. Rudzki on July 3, 2008 | Comments (1)