A major reason capable people fail to advance is that they don't work well with their colleagues.

We at Chrysler borrow money the old-fashioned way. We pay it back.

Start with good people, lay out the rules, communicate with your employees, motivate them and reward them. If you do all those things effectively, you can't miss.

In a corporation, there can only be one guy in the end: the CEO.

The affections are like lightning: you cannot tell where they will strike till they have fallen.

From what I've seen, you either get grounded in that kind of positive thinking early on in life or you don't. Establishing priorities and using your time well aren't things you can pick up at the Harvard Business School. Formal learning can teach you a great deal, but many of the essential skills in life are the ones you have to develop on your own.

If I had to sum up in a word what makes a good manager, I'd say decisiveness. You can use the fanciest computers to gather the numbers, but in the end you have to set a timetable and act.