David Packard (September 7, 1912 – March 26, 1996) was a co- founder, with William Hewlett, of Hewlett-Packard (1939), serving as president (1947–1964), CEO (1964–1968), and Chairman of the Board (1964–1968, 1972–1993). He served as U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense from 1969–1971 during the Nixon administration. Packard served as President of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) from 1976 to 1981. He was also chairman of the Board of Regents from 1973 to 1982. Packard was the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1988 and is noted for many technological innovations and philanthropic endeavors. (Click here for full Wikipedia article)
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A company has a greater responsibility than making money for its stockholders. We have a responsibility to our employees to recognize their dignity as human beings.
A group of people get together and exist as an institution we call a company so they are able to accomplish something collectively that they could not accomplish separately- they make a contribution to society, a phrase which sounds trite but is fundamental.
I have observed that money left without special guidance is sometimes used well and sometimes not.
I think many people assume, wrongly, that a company exists solely to make money. Money is an important part of a company's existence, if the company is any good. But a result is not a cause. We have to go deeper and find the real reason for our being.
I think that we must find some way to get more common sense, more rationality, in our decisions and less emotion.
Marketing is too important to be left to the marketing department.
More companies die of indigestion than starvation.
Take risks. Ask big questions. Don't be afraid to make mistakes; if you don't make mistakes, you're not reaching far enough.
The betterment of society is not a job to be left to a few. It's a responsibility to be shared by all.
The most important question we have to deal with is a combination of population control and the control of our environment- how to utilize the world in as effective a way as we can for the future of mankind.
To remain static is to lose ground.
Unless you are tolerant of the people under you, you really can't do a good job of being a supervisor.
We must realize that supervision is not a job of giving orders; it is a job of providing the opportunity for people to use their capabilities efficiently and effectively.
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(September 7 is also the birthday of Edith Sitwell and Taylor Caldwell.)
Categories: David Packard, Quotes of the day
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