Am I Being Too Subtle?: Straight Talk From a Business Rebel

I tell my kids and grandkids, “Your responsibility is to maximize the skills you were given. But whatever you decide to do, invest everything you have in it—excel. What I’ve done is not the example I wanted to set; it’s the way I’ve done it that I hope you emulate, through focus, effort, and commitment.

if you’re really good at what you do, you have the freedom to be who you really are

I often say I’m chairman of everything and the CEO of nothing. I stick to what I’m good at—vision, direction, strategy. That’s where I add the most value. I spend almost my entire day listening to other people. I ask questions, I probe, I raise possibilities

Opportunity is very often embedded in the imbalance between supply and demand. It could be rising demand against flat or diminishing supply, or flat demand against shrinking supply. When there’s an imbalance, I look at where the two lines will intersect and then determine whether it is cheaper to buy or to build. Usually the answer is in acquisiti

When you’re a repeat player, when your world is your business and your business is your world, it’s all about long-term relationships. In any negotiation I believe in leaving a little bit on the table. And in any relationship I believe in sharing the stakes.

there’s no substitute for limited competition. You can be a genius, but if there’s a lot of competition, it won’t matter.