Kelley's Law:
An executive will always return to work from lunch early if no one takes him.
George Bernard Shaw's Conclusion:
If all the economists in the world were laid end to end, they still wouldn't reach a conclusion.
Robinson's Observation Regarding Consumption:
In this day and age of rampant consumption, we seem to be expending increasing amounts of energy in every form except "individual."
Dr. Samuelson's Reflection:
The real objective of a committee is not to reach a decision, but to avoid it.
Barton's Promotional Observation:
America's No. 1 problem is that Madison Avenue runs the wrong way.
Ancient Roman Advice:
Illegitimus non Carborundum (don't let the bastards grind you down).
Graham's Pronouncement, or The Basic Law of Budgets:
You can only spend it once.
Brien's First Law:
At some time in the life cycle of virtually every organization, its ability to succeed in spite of itself runs out.
Firestone's Principle of Investment Timing:
The best investment opportunities are encountered when you are broke.
Boss Pogue's Observation:
My men give their talent to our company and their genius to their expense accounts.
Turley's Lament:
The first loss is the easiest.
Litzler's Law of Competitive Bidding:
The bigger the specification, the lower the profit.
Allen's Observation:
A consultant may be defined as an unemployed practitioner.
Steiger's Law:
This is as bad as the situation can get - but don't bet on it.
The Product-Meets-These-Requirements Rule:
If Detroit makes it, it must be an automobile.
The Systems Paradox:
People in systems do not do what the systems say they are doing.
Mark Twain's Classic:
Put all your eggs in one basket and - WATCH THAT BASKET.
Sharp's Solid Thinking:
Crystal balls aren't really very productive.
Forde's Second Law:
You can't win them all, but you can sure lose them all.
Forde's Third Law:
The longer the letter, the less chance of its being read.
Launegayer's Observation:
Asking dumb questions is easier than correcting dumb mistakes.
Moch's Theories for Spreading Executive Responsibility:
Kesell's Cardinal Principles of Leadership:
Newberry's Observation:
The universal aptitude for ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle.
Somerset Maughan's Thought:
Only a mediocre person is always at his best.
A Jason Rainbow Thought:
Many of us believe that wrongs aren't wrong if it's done by nice people like ourselves.
Henderickson's Law:
If you have enough meetings over a long period of time, the meetings become more important than the problem the meetings were intended to solve.
Cohen's Law:
Everyone knows that the name of the game is what label you succeed in imposing on the facts.
Berkowitz's Postulate:
A clean desk gives a sense of relief and a plan for impending disaster.
The Truth of Management:
Organizations always have too many managers.
John's Law:
In planning any corporate design, the most important variable is the age of the president's son.
Fudge's Law:
If your answer and the prof's answer do not match, you have obviously left out the fudge factor.
Balfour's Declaration:
Nothing matters very much in life, and very few things matter at all.
Kirkland's Law:
The usefulness of any meeting is in inverse proportion to the attendance.
Quade's Law:
In human relations the easiest thing to achieve is a misunderstanding.
The Secret-of-Success Law:
Discover all unpredictable errors before they occur.
Mosher's Law:
It's better to retire too soon than too late.
Nef's Law:
There's a solution to every problem; the only difficulty is finding it.
The Numbers Maxim:
Figures rarely lie; liars frequently figure.
Doelger's Thoughts:
Weber's Law:
Too many decisions are measured with a micrometer, marked with chalk, and cut with an ax.
Beau Jacques's Theorem of Personnel Management:
Beware of the employee heralded as a man ahead of his time; on Wednesday he'll be wishing it was Friday.
Peter's Principle:
In every hierarchy, whether it be government or business, each employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence; every post tends to be filled by an employee incompetent to execute its duties.
Peter's Corollaries:
Senator James Hamilton Lewis's Observation:
One man plus courage is a majority.
Mrs. Truman's Corollary:
The amount of heat in the kitchen is directly proportional to the amount of fire in the attic.
The Fifty-Sixth Vice President's Thought:
Reform always comes from below. No man with four aces asks for a new deal.
Heller's Law:
The first myth of management is that it exists.
Bula's Basic Laws:
Hunt's Rumination:
The one sitting, contributing nothing, is a supervisor.
Post's Postulate:
Power, like virtue, is its own reward.
The Iron Law of Distribution:
Them that has gits.
The IBM Pollyanna Principle:
Machines should work. People should think.
McFadden's Truism:
A committee is a group that keeps minutes and wastes hours.
Steiner's Philosophical Observations:
Van Roy's Postulates:
Peter's Theorem:
Incompetence plus incompetence equals incompetence.
Johnson's Corollary to Heller's Law:
Nobody really knows what is going on anywhere within your organization.