Words To Make You Think

From time to time, when editing an article or listening to a conference presentation, the writer/speaker will say something that makes me stop and think, either because it applies to me personally or it might be thought-provoking for reliability and maintenance professionals.

A quote from author and pastor Andy Stanley that drives this month’s “Voice from the Field” professional really hits the mark for me. It also prompted me to look back through past articles and my conference notes for other notable quotes.

Here, beginning with the Andy Stanley quote, are selections from my collection that I read or heard. As you read each, I trust you’ll find one or two that have meaning for you.

Leaders who don’t listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing to say. — Andy Stanley

No matter how much money you throw at technology, at some point, you must capture the hearts and minds of people. — Ronald Lee

Reactive organizations do approximately twice as much work as their proactive counterparts. — Jeff Dudley

The biggest problem with communication is thinking it was successful. — Saul Cizek

Remember that it is the people who get things done. It doesn’t matter how good your systems are if your people don’t feel appreciated and part of the big picture. — Robert Bishop

Always be willing to learn something new and be a resource for others. — Clinton Davis

Is your reliability program on the wall or on the shop floor? — multiple people

With great data comes great liability. How much you know matters. — Jerry Kaplan

People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it. — Ryan Avery

Don’t let what you want to say get in the way of what you want to accomplish. — unknown

Does your company have a sustainable culture or do you just try to sell the buzz word? — Dale Stroud

Good people want to do jobs well and will create workarounds to do so. Workarounds cost money. — Missy Decker

What if I train people and they leave? What if you don’t and they stay? — Mary Jo Cherney

I hire people who are smarter than me and help them grow. I do not feel insecure because they know more than I. In fact, it has made me a better leader. — Mark Alan Csonka