"Now that you know your stuff, do you really care about the people you serve and do they believe you care?”
- Les Wexner
"I can't find a leader today who isn't curious, relentlessly determined to find out what people are thinking."
- Les Wexner
“Will what got us here get us there?”
- Les Wexner
“Nobody remembers who was the richest toga salesman in Rome.”
- Les Wexner
"Leaders lead."
- Les Wexner
"A Leader is teacher.
A Leader is pacesetter.
A Leader is not always a friend."
- Les Wexner
Leaders talk to themselves a little bit differently.
They ask, "Do I really like who I am?"
- Les Wexner
"Once when I thought I didn't get it right my dad said to me, "go home, draw the drapes, put a pillow over your head and worry."
"Or," he offered "take control and focus, think about how to get yourself back on track."
- Les Wexner
"I am really proud of the development of the people on my team as they grow in purpose; they like what they see in the mirror."
- Les Wexner
"Hindsight gives one insight."
- Les Wexner
"Leadership is about taking your team to a place where, but for your leadership, they would not go."
- Les Wexner
"You have to know what you know -
You have to know what you don't know."
- Les Wexner
"When all is said and done, more is said than done."
- Les Wexner
Leaders constantly wonder, "What makes you tick? Why do you care about the things you care about?"
- Les Wexner
"Ask yourself: What forms the decisions you make? What is it that gnaws at you? What are your crucible moments?"
- Les Wexner
"What are you running from? What are you running toward?"
- Les Wexner
"Do you listen for understanding or are you listening in judgment?"
- Les Wexner
"Most leaders have a pretty good "internal risk calculator."
- Les Wexner
"The quality of your leadership is determined and measured by the good decisions you make."
- Les Wexner
"Leaders are always dancing between business today and the five year plan. People who are successful get that balance right."
- Les Wexner
"Curiosity is a habit and creating a community where curiosity is part of the culture is very difficult."
- Les Wexner
"To go from notion to motion is very difficult."
- Les Wexner
"You have to have sensible fear of failure, but you can’t be paralyzed by it.”
- Les Wexner
“You’re not going to be a 1.000 hitter all the time. You’re going to be more wrong than right. You just have to correct your errors as quickly, as economically, as possible.”
- Les Wexner
“I remember my dad and I were in a Woolworth’s, and someone was giving a waitress a hard time. After this person left, my dad said, ‘That wasn’t right. The waitress was in a vulnerable position. If you pick on somebody, always pick on someone your own size.’ ”
- Les Wexner
It's not about them it's about you.
- Les Wexner
I'm still learning -- Michael Angelo
- Les Wexner
The most important person you can influence is yourself.
- Les Wexner
Leadership is a verb.
- Les Wexner
Leaders need to know what kind of leader they are. I would describe my leadership style as an “insurgent.” My mentality is “let’s go take that hill!”
- Les Wexner