“Management controls performance in people because it impacts skills; it’s a matter of monitoring, analyzing and directing.”

“Leadership creates performance in people because it impacts willingness; it’s a matter of modeling, inspiring, and reinforcing.”

“So this is (a manager's) dilemma: The manager must retain control and focus people on performance. But she is bound by her belief that she cannot force everyone to perform the same way. ... The solution is as elegant as it is efficient: Define the right outcomes and let each person find his own route toward these outcomes.”

“In the minds of great managers, consistent poor performance is not primarily a matter of weakness, stupidity, disobedience, or disrespect. It is a matter of miscasting.”

“It is how we respond to loss that matters. That response will largely determine the quality, the direction, and the impact of our lives.”

“History nowadays is not a matter of conviction.It’s a performance. It’s entertainment. And if it isn’t, make it so.”