Thoughts on boardroom battles
In business, when two people always agree, one of them is irrelevant.
—William Wrigley
—William Wrigley
Scratch the surface in a typical boardroom and we are all just cavemen with briefcases, hungry for a wise person to tell us stories.
—Alan Kay
Where all think alike, no one thinks very much.
—Walter Lippmann
—Walter Lippmann
The aim of argument and of discussion should not be victory, but progress.
—Joseph Joubert
A man will fight harder for his interests than for his rights.
—Napoleon Bonaparte
—Napoleon Bonaparte
Conflict is inevitable, but combat is optional.
—Max Lucado
Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.
—Ronald Reagan
—Carl Icahn
Get me inside any boardroom, and I’ll get any decision I want.
—Tom Stoppard
A boardroom is a collection of individuals, and individuals have varying motives, egos, agendas and qualifications. Sometimes the dynamics can go off track.
—Carly Fiorina
The entrance strategy is actually more important than the exit strategy.
—Edward Lampert
—Richard Schaden
Image: William, Walter: Getty Images; Edward: Peter Morgan / Reuters; Napoleon: Deagostini / Getty Images; Carl: Reuters; Tom: Dylan Martinez / Reuters; Ronald: Mal Langsdon / Reuters; Carly: Mike Blake / Reuter
(This story appears in the 23 December, 2016 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)
