Rosabeth Moss Kanter

“When you fail at something, the best thing to do is think back to your successes, and try to replicate whatever you did to make them happen.”

“Confidence isn't optimism or pessimism, and it's not a character attribute. It's the expectation of a positive outcome.”

“I see the level of sophistication and knowledge about business growing dramatically. Several decades ago, only a few companies thought about international business.”

“To stay ahead, you must have your next idea waiting in the wings.”

“'No' is always an easier stand than 'Yes.'”

“I've found that small wins, small projects, small differences often make huge differences.”

“Mindless habitual behavior is the enemy of innovation.”

“Leaders must wake people out of inertia. They must get people excited about something they've never seen before, something that does not yet exist.”

“The goal of winning is not losing two times in a row.”

“Too many people let others stand in their way and don't go back for one more try.”

“Confidence is contagious, but so is failure. Even the Yankees will lose if you persuade them that they will.”

“Companies used to be able to function with autocratic bosses. We don't live in that world anymore.”

“We have a large pool of talented and educated women, and yet workplaces haven't necessarily changed to accommodate the reality of their lives.”

“Leaders must pick causes they won't abandon easily, remain committed despite setbacks, and communicate their big ideas over and over again in every encounter.”

“Change is disturbing when it is done to us, exhilarating when it is done by us.”

“Some social scientists say that in-group/out-group biases are hard-wired into the human brain. Even without overt prejudice, it is cognitively convenient for people to sort items into categories and respond based on what is usually associated with those categories: a form of statistical discrimination, playing the odds.”