Top Robert S. Kaplan Quotes

Robert S. Kaplan Biography

Robert Samuel Kaplan (born 1940) is an American accounting academic, and Emeritus Professor of Leadership Development at the Harvard Business School, known as co-creator, together with David P. Norton, of the Balanced Scorecard.

Read about Robert S. Kaplan in Wikipedia

Random Authors

Robert S. Kaplan Quotes

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.

Team, Priorities, Leader, Key, Leaders, Same

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.

Activities, Children, Mean, People, Various

Step one is to take ownership of figuring strengths ans weaknesses out. It starts with writing them down but, to take ownership, you have got to seek feedback of those who directly observe you - this is scary and uncomfortable for many people. It's no fun to hear negative feedback and most people don't want to stick their necks out to give it to you. So, you have to ask.

Fun, Hear, Ownership, People, Writing

Business education must constantly be changing and being updated to improve the quality of the student experience. On line courses will be a key part of supplementing course offerings and providing opportunities for life-long learning. Like any industry, business schools must continue to think and re-think how they add value to students and create thought leadership.

Add, Opportunity, School, Students, Thinking, Value

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.

Bad Day, Disappointment, Injustices, Passion, Perform

It bears repeating: you don't have to be good at everything.

Be Good, Bears, Everything, Good, Repeating

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

Mean, Priorities, Sport, Sports, Team

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.

Focus, People, Skills, Strategy, Strengths, Surround

Managing risk is very different from managing strategy. Risk management focuses on the negative-threats and failures rather than opportunities and successes.

Management, Negative, Opportunity, Risk, Strategy, Successes

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.

Admitting, Being Yourself, Involves, Mean, Questions, Trying

You're changing, the world is changing, and your hopes and aspirations are regularly being updated. That's why I say this is a life long struggle - for everybody.

Long, Regularly, Struggle, Updated, World

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.

Age, Breakthrough, Ends, Ownership, Realizing

Why do leaders fail? Isolation and inability to learn. They are afraid to express doubt, admit vulnerability or seek advice from subordinates. Leaders must actively work to seek feedback and a reality check. They must be open to asking questions and framing issues. As the world becomes more complex and global, the risk of isolation becomes greater. The need for leaders to be open to learning becomes greater. Great leaders will need to ask the right questions and balance inquiry with advocacy.

Reality, Leader, Advice, Learn, Risk, Global

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.

Action, Distinctive, Giving, Judging, Powerful, Realistic

We have all had injustice happen to us. It often shapes our failure narrative. For example, maybe you were fired and not you don't trust colleagues as easily in the future. You may not overcome injustice but you need to be aware of how it affects you today. You can't avoid injustice but that doesn't mean you need to be a prisoner of it.

Affects, Avoid, Mean, Overcoming, Prisoner, Today

Education has been critical. First at Kansas and then at Harvard Business School. It helped me build the confidence that I could go out and do things in the world. It taught me to put myself in the shoes of a decision maker and figure out what I would do if I were in his
her shoes. This is why I am a big believer in education as a foundation for reaching your unique potential.

Big, Business, Decision, Foundation, School, Unique

I like films about people who figured out what they believed and had the guts to act on it in a way that added value to others. So, there are lots of movies that have characters who did that. I'll pick an odd one - Stranger Than Fiction because I really liked the movie - particularly the offbeat cookie maker. You'll have to see the movie to see what I mean. The movie also reinforces that you can be the author of your own script.

Believed, Character, Figured, Mean, People, Value

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.

Aware, Decision, Peer, Peer Pressure, Powerful, Pressure

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.

Accomplishment, Business, Goals, Order, Strategies

Consistent alignment of capabilities and internal processes with the customer value proposition is the core of any strategy execution.

Alignment, Customer, Excellence, Execution, Strategy

››

Robert S. Kaplan Biography

Contact Us

About us