Bob Nelson Quotes (19 Quotes)

You get the best effort from others not by lighting a fire beneath them, but by building a fire within.

We got off to a good start and built a good lead by halftime. (PR-B) wasn't hitting its shots in the first half, but they shot well late in the game to get back into it.

You can't command people to do their best; they can only command that of themselves.

We were busier this morning. People aren't looking at Katrina like they did at Charley but it's better to be safe than sorry.

Our belief is this shouldn't be a jobs program, it should be a career program.

An open-door policy doesn't do much for a closed mind.

People may take a job for more money, but they often leave it for more recognition.

Take time to appreciate employees and they will reciprocate in a thousand ways.

Communicate, communicate, and then communicate some more.

It is always easier - and usually far more effective - to focus on changing your behavior than on changing the behavior of others.

Just the act of listening means more than you can imagine to most employees.

Giving cash rewards is one of the least-effective means of motivating employees. While money may induce short-term involvement, it does not create motivation for the long term. Merchandise has a residual value over cash because the objects serve as reminders.

I think you need to study a piece of land and just take from what the land gives you. I think about how I can incorporate that hill over there, use a turn here, and on and on.

Take your work seriously and yourself lightly.

I was surprised to hear about the level of homelessness, ... My definition is of mentally unstable people living in alleys, but I learned (in Saratoga) a single mother with kids is more typical.

An employee's motivation is a direct result of the sum of interactions with his or her manager.

You get what you reward. Be clear about what you want to get and systematically reward it.

You've created an entitlement culture.

We've been working on this for at least three years now, and this is a pretty positive development, ... Unfortunately, it's not the end of the story, but it helps us getting it resolved.