Thursday, December 21, 2006
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
The Warren Buffett CEO 26: Jeff Comment
“Be a role model for your employees and your customers.”
“Be passionate about your business.”
“Stick to your core strengths and your business will flourish.”
Labels:
CEO,
Helzberg Diamonds,
Jeff Comment,
Warren Buffett
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
The Rise and Fall of the Dragon
1808 – China, ruled by Qing Dynasty (by Emperor Jia-Qing, a son of Qian-Long, who marked the peak of Qing Dynasty) then was a most prosperous nation in the world, with estimated 60% of the world GDP.
1908 – China, still ruled by Qing Dynasty then was a nation threatened by 8-Nations Alliance and sub-colonized by these nations, it’s the era marked with the fall of Dynasty Qing 3 years later when Pu-Yi was the last emperor.
2008 – Summer Olympics Games to be held in Beijing. Will the history repeat itself where 60% GDP of the world is from China, a nation with 1.3 billion population?
Labels:
Beijing,
china,
dragon,
Emperor Jia Qing,
GDP,
Olympics Games,
Pu-Yi,
Qian-Long,
Qing Dynasty
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
National Geographic Cameramen
“It’s never easy, you got to have passion, persistency to get a good shot.”
“to be a good wildlife cameraman, it’s not enough to equipped with good camera taking techniques, you got to be a naturalist – to know how the wildlife behaves, what they like and dislikes….etc.”
“During the process, you would face many challenges and frustrations. It’s not a chance you would face it, it’s a certainty of life. Only a man who could handle these will be success.”
“….it’s not a job, it’s a way of life.”
“to be a good wildlife cameraman, it’s not enough to equipped with good camera taking techniques, you got to be a naturalist – to know how the wildlife behaves, what they like and dislikes….etc.”
“During the process, you would face many challenges and frustrations. It’s not a chance you would face it, it’s a certainty of life. Only a man who could handle these will be success.”
“….it’s not a job, it’s a way of life.”
Friday, October 20, 2006
In Memory....
In the name of Mammy....
"You Raise Me Up" by Westlife, click here.
You Raise Me Up
When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up...
To more than I can be.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up...
To more than I can be.
There is no life - no life without its hunger;
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;
But when you come and I am filled with wonder,
Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up...
To more than I can be.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up...
To more than I can be.
You raise me up...
To more than I can be.
"You Raise Me Up" by Westlife, click here.
You Raise Me Up
When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up...
To more than I can be.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up...
To more than I can be.
There is no life - no life without its hunger;
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;
But when you come and I am filled with wonder,
Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up...
To more than I can be.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up...
To more than I can be.
You raise me up...
To more than I can be.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
The Warren Buffett CEO 24: Ralph Schey III
“The way you communicate with your employees is crucial. You should talk with them and hear their concerns rather than simply being a manager who tells them what to do. You want to inspire them so they want to accomplish something.”
“Entrepreneurial spirit is powerful. Even in large companies, you should let managers have some degree of ownership so, like entrepreneurs, they can develop and grow their parts of business.”
“Entrepreneurial spirit is powerful. Even in large companies, you should let managers have some degree of ownership so, like entrepreneurs, they can develop and grow their parts of business.”
Labels:
Campbell Hausfeld,
CEO,
Ralph Schey,
Warren Buffett
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
The Warren Buffett CEO 23: Ralph Schey II
Ralph Schey says that he measures his success by “the people who I’ve inspired to do something that makes them successful. And when somebody recognizes what I did to mentor them, to get them to do something that they may not have done, and they come back and say, ‘I appreciate it,’ I feel very good about that.”
“What drives an entrepreneur is to be in control of his destiny, and to do something better than anyone else can do it….The entrepreneurial opportunity is more than just making money and creating user satisfaction with a superior product of superior value. Opportunity is manifested in changing people’s lives and envisioned.”
Labels:
CEO,
Ralph Schey,
Warren Buffett,
World Book
Monday, October 16, 2006
The Warren Buffett CEO 22: Ralph Schey I
“When we were a public company, of the roughly 200 working days a year, we probably spent at least 50 of them outside of the company, talking to public relations people, investor relations people, investment people, and others like that. We don’t do that anymore, so we have more time to concentrate on growing the business.”
Warren Buffett when talk about Ralph Schey says, “The reasons for Ralph’s success are not complicated. Ben Graham taught me 45 years ago that in investing it is not necessary to do extraordinary things to get extraordinary results. In later life, I have been surprised to find that this statement holds true in business management as well. What a manager must do is handle the basics well and not get diverted. That’s precisely Ralph’s formula. He establishes the right goals and never forgets what he set out to do. On the personal side, Ralph is a joy to work with. He’s forthright about problems and is self-confident without being self-important.”
Warren Buffett when talk about Ralph Schey says, “The reasons for Ralph’s success are not complicated. Ben Graham taught me 45 years ago that in investing it is not necessary to do extraordinary things to get extraordinary results. In later life, I have been surprised to find that this statement holds true in business management as well. What a manager must do is handle the basics well and not get diverted. That’s precisely Ralph’s formula. He establishes the right goals and never forgets what he set out to do. On the personal side, Ralph is a joy to work with. He’s forthright about problems and is self-confident without being self-important.”
Labels:
Ben Graham,
CEO,
Ralph Schey,
Warren Buffett,
World Book
Saturday, October 14, 2006
The Warren Buffett CEO 21: Chuck Huggins
“Mandatory retirement is not a policy I endorse. As long as someone is healthy and interested in working, he or she should stay on the job. The intelligence and experience of older people can be a tremendous asset.”
“Pleasing the customer, no matter how ridiculous the issue, is important. When customers can count on something being the same over an extended period of time, they’re going to keep coming back to you.”
Labels:
CEO,
Chuck Huggins,
See's Candies,
Warren Buffett
Friday, October 13, 2006
The Warren Buffett CEO 20: Stan Lipsey
“Sometimes the smartest decision you can make is to do nothing. I don’t like being pioneer, and I won’t be one unless I see an opportunity where the first guy is going to benefit, and I watch that very closely.”
“Trust your managers and give them autonomy. My managers run their departments so effectively that we don’t have to set budgets.”
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Don't be a lemming
"You can lose a reputation that took 37 years to build in 37 seconds," Buffett told corporate leaders. "And it might take more than 37 years to build it back."
"Let's start with what is legal, but always go on to what we would feel comfortable about being printed on the front page of our local paper." – Warren Buffett, Memo to All Stars Managers, September 27th 2006.
Click here to see more....
"Let's start with what is legal, but always go on to what we would feel comfortable about being printed on the front page of our local paper." – Warren Buffett, Memo to All Stars Managers, September 27th 2006.
Click here to see more....
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
An Inconvenient Truth 2: CO2 Concentration
We have the power to shape our future. The question is, will we?
Click the links below to see more....
1) Click here
2) Click here
3) Click here
4) Click here
5) Click here
Monday, October 09, 2006
An Inconvenient Truth 1: Sea Level
Imagine The Day After Tomorrow:
1) The Netherlands no longer exist in the world map.
2) 40 million residents of Shanghai forced to evacuate into inner part of Mainland.
3) Rebuild of World Trade Center (WTC) in New York, showing a great success of Fight against Terrorism finally done. The visitors could visit the site – but with diving clothes because it is under the sea water level.
4) …..
Is Mother Nature Betrays Us or We Betray Our Only One Mother Nature?
Act now!! Before it’s too late, we have no more than 10 years to prevent this happen….
Watch Al Gore’s presentation here.
1) The Netherlands no longer exist in the world map.
2) 40 million residents of Shanghai forced to evacuate into inner part of Mainland.
3) Rebuild of World Trade Center (WTC) in New York, showing a great success of Fight against Terrorism finally done. The visitors could visit the site – but with diving clothes because it is under the sea water level.
4) …..
Is Mother Nature Betrays Us or We Betray Our Only One Mother Nature?
Act now!! Before it’s too late, we have no more than 10 years to prevent this happen….
Watch Al Gore’s presentation here.
Labels:
Al Gore,
An Inconvenient Truth,
Mother Nature,
Sea level
Sunday, October 08, 2006
The Warren Buffett CEO 19: Eliot and Barry Tatelman II
“We want to be the best, not the largest. That’s the most important thing. We’re not trying to own the world. I think the challenge for us is to do things in a different way than the people and see smiling faces on our employees and smiling faces on our customers.”
The way Eliot measures the company success—“with smiles. And, if that’s your motivation rather than just bottom line, then the bottom line comes anyway. It really does.”
Labels:
Barry Tatelman,
CEO,
Eliot Tatelman,
Jordan's Furniture,
Warren Buffett
Friday, October 06, 2006
The Warren Buffett CEO 18: Eliot and Barry Tatelman I
“There’s more than one way to skin a cat. You always think the way you do something is the best or the right way, but when we sat down and discussed how we all did things, we found out that even though other people might do things differently it can still be very successful.”
“Our biggest competitor right now is probably not in the furniture business, it’s companies that produce all kinds of consumer products.”
Labels:
Barry Tatelman,
CEO,
Eliot Tatelman,
Jordan's Furniture,
Warren Buffett
Thursday, October 05, 2006
The Warren Buffett CEO 17: Melvyn Wolff
“Growth to come from inside the company rather than through acquisitions.”
“One thing you don’t transport is culture. …..I wouldn’t want to tackle buying them and trying to convert their culture to ours. I would rather grow it internally and not have to make changes in someone else’s company.”
“As soon as you give up the customer to someone else, you give up control over the sale and over the after-sale service….if something doesn’t run perfectly, we have no one to blame but ourselves.”
“Be open to new ideas, but don’t abandon the learnings gained by experience.”
Labels:
CEO,
Melvyn Wolf,
Star Furniture,
Warren Buffett
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
The Warren Buffett CEO 16: Bill Child
“Integrity must be constant, in good times as well as bad. We must be honest and trustworthy with our employees, our customers, our suppliers and ourselves.”
“Provide more than what a customer expects. Added service or value is what keeps customers loyal.”
“Looking at the financials is important, but sometimes you have to go with your instincts when you’re making a business decision.”
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
The Warren Buffett CEO 15: Frank Rooney
“Not delegating is the single most common cause of business failures.”
“A number of key managers are paid a minimal four-figure annual salary, to which is added percentage of the company’s profits.”
“Management should keep simple.”
Labels:
CEO,
Frank Rooney,
H H Brown,
Warren Buffett
Monday, October 02, 2006
The Warren Buffett CEO 14: Irvin Blumkin
“First of all, knowing the business, and knowing what you know and what you don’t know. Second is working at a circle of competence and understanding it. And third is knowing what makes the business work.”
Errors that Blumkin thinks that lead to business failure are: “Becoming too big too fast, losing focus on what you do best, divesting from your core competency, and being overleveraged.”
Errors that Blumkin thinks that lead to business failure are: “Becoming too big too fast, losing focus on what you do best, divesting from your core competency, and being overleveraged.”
Labels:
CEO,
Irvin Blumkin,
Mrs. B,
Nebraska Furniture Mart,
NFM,
Warren Buffett
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Thursday, September 28, 2006
The Warren Buffett CEO 12: Rich Santulli III
Perhaps unconsciously following Andrew Carnegie’s dictate that “He who dies rich, dies disgraced,” Santulli says, “Everything that I have will be given away while I am alive, minus enough for my wife to live.”
Note: Rich Santulli set up a family foundation, RTS Family Foundation where he spends his time in charity works.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
The Warren Buffett CEO 11: Rich Santulli II
“My circle of competence is that I understand business very well. I understand people very well. I understand the aviation business. I don’t know how to make an airplane and I don’t know how to fly an airplane, but I know what customers—people—like in airplanes. I know that. And I know how to take that and turn it into something that works from an economic point of view.”
“Hire the best people and don’t be afraid they’re going to take over your job. After they show their abilities, empower them and delegate. You have to look long term, and hiring the best employee is one way to ensure your future success.”
Labels:
CEO,
NetJets,
Rich Santulli,
Warren Buffett
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
The Warren Buffett CEO 10: Rich Santulli I
“Because people who buy companies usually have huge egos and think they’re smarter than the people they bought the company from, One of the nicest things about being part of Berkshire is that if I said to Warren, ‘I am going to go buy $1 billion worth of airplanes,’ he would say, ‘Why are you asking me? Go do it.’”
“You have to love your business. You have to care about your people. You have to treat them with dignity and respect. And you have to communicate well with your people to let them know what is going on.”
“You have to love your business. You have to care about your people. You have to treat them with dignity and respect. And you have to communicate well with your people to let them know what is going on.”
Labels:
Berkshire Hathaway,
CEO,
NetJets,
Rich Santulli,
Warren Buffett
Monday, September 25, 2006
The Warren Buffett CEO 9: Interview with an author, Robert P. Miles III
“Charlie Munger was right when he said that the top 25 managers at Berkshire could all die at once and Berkshire would continue successfully. Berkshire by its very culture and structure is deeper than any other conglomerate because it doesn't exist with just one CEO. Berkshire is a holding company of CEOs all operating independently of one another. Unlike every other traditional corporation, none of the CEOs has a term limit. All the Buffett CEOs have designated a successor.”
Labels:
Berkshire Hathaway,
CEO,
Charlie Munger,
Robert P. Miles,
Warren Buffett
Saturday, September 23, 2006
The Warren Buffett CEO 8: Interview with an author, Robert P. Miles II
“Since Warren Buffett has never lost a CEO to another competing enterprise, all the managers reported complete satisfaction with their deal and ongoing relationship.”
“Warren asked that no interview transcripts be sent to him because he didn't want to influence the book in any way. No one asked for manuscript approval and no one asked for any changes in the book.”
“Warren asked that no interview transcripts be sent to him because he didn't want to influence the book in any way. No one asked for manuscript approval and no one asked for any changes in the book.”
Labels:
Berkshire Hathaway,
CEO,
Robert P. Miles,
Warren Buffett
Friday, September 22, 2006
The Warren Buffett CEO 7: Interview with an author, Robert P. Miles I
Excerpts from an interview with Robert P. Miles:
“It's totally up to each manager. Few meet with him in person. Most phone every few weeks if they need advice or want to report in. After the purchase of See's Candies, it was over 20 years before its CEO, Chuck Huggins, even visited Omaha.”
“….Bill Child of R.C. Willey Home Furnishings took a call from a dissatisfied customer right in the middle of our interview. He also lists his home phone on his business card. The Tatelman brothers of Jordan Furniture treat their employees like they are the customers. Executive Jet CEO Rich Santulli keeps his small corporate office near New York City while most of his employees and his operational center are in Columbus.”
Thursday, September 21, 2006
The Warren Buffett CEO 6: Al Ueltschi
“Before we became part of Berkshire, when we were on the New York Stock Exchange, I was constantly questioned about how much money we were going to make the next quarter and why we didn’t make more the last quarter. Now we run the company for the long term without worrying about the next quarter. That’s one of the best things about working with Warren.”
“Leadership is really what being a good manager is about, and the letters of the word represent the qualities that a good manager should have:
L – Loyalty
E – Enthusiasm
A – Attitude
D – Discipline
E – Example, a good Example
R – Respect
S – Scholarliness
H – Honesty
I – Integrity
P – Pride”
“Aim to be the leader in your field. Strive to be the benchmark against which your competitors measure their progress.”
Note: Ueltschi (pronounced Yule - chee)
Labels:
Al Ueltschi,
CEO,
FlightSafety International,
NYSE,
Warren Buffett
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Monday, September 18, 2006
The Warren Buffett CEO 4: Ajit Jain
“When you take risks, you have to accept that you have some losses. You can’t let this keep you at night. When we make a deal, we stick to it.”
“Avoid dumb mistake—do everything possible to anticipate the risks in a deal. The worst thing is when something you hadn’t even considered comes back to haunt you.”
“A good manager must quickly make a decision and move on. If you’re on the fence about a particular deal, then you probably should decline and move on to the next opportunity.”
Labels:
Ajit Jain,
CEO,
National Indemnity Company,
Warren Buffett
Sunday, September 17, 2006
The Warren Buffett CEO 3: Lou Simpson
5 basic principles for stock portfolio:
1) Think independently. “We try to be skeptical of conventional wisdom, and try to avoid the waves of irrational behavior and emotion that periodically engulf Wall Street.”
2) Invest in high-return businesses that are run for the shareholders. “Cash flow, which is more difficult to manipulate than reported earnings, is a useful additional yardstick.”
3) Pay only a reasonable price, even for an excellent business. “Even the world’s greatest business is not a good investment, if the price is too high.”
4) Invest for the long term. “Moving in and out of stocks frequently has two major disadvantages that will substantially diminish results: transaction costs and taxes. Capital will grow more rapidly if earnings compound with as few interruptions for commissions and tax bites as possible.”
5) Do not diversify excessively. “The more diversification, the more performance is likely to be average, at best.”
1) Think independently. “We try to be skeptical of conventional wisdom, and try to avoid the waves of irrational behavior and emotion that periodically engulf Wall Street.”
2) Invest in high-return businesses that are run for the shareholders. “Cash flow, which is more difficult to manipulate than reported earnings, is a useful additional yardstick.”
3) Pay only a reasonable price, even for an excellent business. “Even the world’s greatest business is not a good investment, if the price is too high.”
4) Invest for the long term. “Moving in and out of stocks frequently has two major disadvantages that will substantially diminish results: transaction costs and taxes. Capital will grow more rapidly if earnings compound with as few interruptions for commissions and tax bites as possible.”
5) Do not diversify excessively. “The more diversification, the more performance is likely to be average, at best.”
Saturday, September 16, 2006
The Warren Buffett CEO 2: Tony Nicely
“We don’t want only to be the fairest organization that we could possibly be; we also want to be perceived as the fairest organization possible. I think that’s an even higher standard.”
“Honesty and integrity have to be set at the top of the list. But it not only has to be there, there has to be a perception that it’s there.”
“Honesty and integrity have to be set at the top of the list. But it not only has to be there, there has to be a perception that it’s there.”
Friday, September 15, 2006
The Warren Buffett CEO 1
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Charlie Munger in Damn Right! 9
“It’s….necessary to accommodate a lot of failure, and because no matter how able you are, you’re going to have headwinds and troubles. The Sees who created this business had failed at least once, and had seriously failed. But if person just keeps going on the theory that the life is full of vicissitudes and just does the right thinking and follows the right values it should work out well in the end. So I would say, don’t be discouraged by a few reverses”
“One of Bernard Shaw’s characters explained professional defects as follow: ‘In the last analysis, every profession is a conspiracy against the laity.’”
“To a man with only a hammer, every problem tends to look pretty much like a nail.”
“One of Bernard Shaw’s characters explained professional defects as follow: ‘In the last analysis, every profession is a conspiracy against the laity.’”
“To a man with only a hammer, every problem tends to look pretty much like a nail.”
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Charlie Munger in Damn Right! 8
“First rate man should be willing to take at least some difficult jobs with a high chance of failure.”
“I’ve been in one aspect or another of investment management for what. 44 years or so, and trying not to disappoint anyone,” said Buffett. “And in the process of not disappointing anyone, one of the key factors is having them have the proper expectations and being knowledgeable about what they’re getting and what they’re not getting. Neither Mr. Munger nor I would function as effectively if we had tens of thousands of people who were in one way or another disappointed with us. That’s not Berkshire.”
“I’ve been in one aspect or another of investment management for what. 44 years or so, and trying not to disappoint anyone,” said Buffett. “And in the process of not disappointing anyone, one of the key factors is having them have the proper expectations and being knowledgeable about what they’re getting and what they’re not getting. Neither Mr. Munger nor I would function as effectively if we had tens of thousands of people who were in one way or another disappointed with us. That’s not Berkshire.”
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Charlie Munger in Damn Right! 7
“You want in a group of people someone who points out that the emperor has no clothes.”
“Smart, hard-working people aren’t exempted from professional disasters of overconfidence. Often, they just go aground in the more difficult voyages they choose, relying on their self-appraisal that they have superior talents and methods.”
“Smart, hard-working people aren’t exempted from professional disasters of overconfidence. Often, they just go aground in the more difficult voyages they choose, relying on their self-appraisal that they have superior talents and methods.”
Labels:
Charlie Munger,
Damn Right,
Jordan's Furniture
Monday, September 11, 2006
Charlie Munger in Damn Right! 6
“Charlie says as you get older you tolerate more and more in your old friends and less and less in your new friends.” – Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett scolded investment bankers for providing whatever advice would bring them the most income: “Don’t ask you barber whether you need a haircut,” he wrote in Berkshire’s 1982 annual report.
Warren Buffett scolded investment bankers for providing whatever advice would bring them the most income: “Don’t ask you barber whether you need a haircut,” he wrote in Berkshire’s 1982 annual report.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Charlie Munger in Damn Right! 5
“The game of investing is one of making better predictions about the future than other people. How are you going to do that? One way is to limit your tries to areas of competence. If you try to predict the future of everything, you attempt too much. You’re going to fail through lack of specialization.”
“We’re willing to forego short-term results for long-term gains.”
Labels:
Charlie Munger,
Damn Right,
Nebraska Furniture Mart,
NFM
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Charlie Munger in Damn Right! 4
“We have gotten by trying to be consistently not stupid, instead of trying to be very intelligent. There must be some wisdom in the folk saying, ‘It’s the strong swimmers who drown.’”
“You start with the accounting figures. But that’s only the start. If you try and make judgments just based on accounting figures, you will make one terrible error after another. We’ve got to understand the accounting and the implications of the accounting and understand it thoroughly and also ask a lot of intelligent questions to enable us to judge what is really going on.”
Friday, September 08, 2006
Charlie Munger in Damn Right! 3
“If you mix raisins with turds, they are still turds.”
“Being prepared, on a few occasions in a lifetime, to act promptly in scale, in doing some simple and logical things, will often dramatically improve the financial results of the lifetime. A few major opportunities clearly recognizable as such, will usually come to one who continuously searches and waits, with a curious mind, loving diagnosis involving multiple variables. And then all that required is a willingness to bet heavily when the odds are extremely favorable, using resources available as a result of prudence and patience in the past.”
Labels:
Charlie Munger,
Coca-cola,
Coke,
Damn Right
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