Top 15 Edward Whitacre, Jr. Quotes

I find people to be people everywhere. Everyone wants the same thing – be successful.

Be willing to step outside your comfort zone once in a while; take the risks in life that seem worth taking. The ride might not be as predictable if you‘d just planted your feet and stayed put, but it will be a heck of a lot more interesting.

This merger is a logical next step that creates substantial value for customers and stockholders of both AT&T and BellSouth. It will benefit customers through new services and expanded service capabilities.

I started at GM knowing very little about that particular business. Not being an expert means you have to learn everything, starting from the basics.

No partnership between two independent companies, no matter how well run, can match the speed, effectiveness, responsiveness and efficiency of a solely owned company.

AT&T will not block access to the public Internet or degrade service, period.

When I went into GM there was a lack of morale. The company had gone bankrupt and the people who worked there were embarrassed. Underneath all of, though, there was a will to show what they were capable of, but nobody knew exactly what to do.

I don’t know anything about cars. A business is a business, and I think I can learn about cars. I’m not that old, and I think the business principles are the same.

If someone wants to transmit a high-quality service with no interruptions and ‘guaranteed this, guaranteed that,’ they should be willing to pay for that.

Find your passion is in life, and do what you can to integrate that into your work life. That’s not to say you won‘t have occasional frustrations in your job – that just goes with the territory – but at least you’ll feel better inside, and that, over time, will mean more to you than you might think.

I am honored to be able to serve GM at this critical juncture and take part in its reinvention.

When I got to GM they were using a matrix method of management which means everybody has more than one boss. I first heard about that system many years ago. It’s supposed to help with collaboration, but my assessment is that it’s pretty hard to get geared for action that way.

I’m a pretty average guy and want to keep a low profile. I don’t want the world necessarily to know about me.

So long as TARP money is wrapped up in GM, the company will never shake its ‘Government Motors‘ image. That label, as competitors and GM employees are keenly aware, is code for one thing: ‘GM is a failure.’

My goal in coming to General Motors was to help restore profitability, build a strong market position and position this iconic company for success. We are clearly on that path.