Business Quote by Louis D. Brandeis
“Anyone who critically analyzes a business learns this: that the success or failure of an enterprise depends usually upon one man.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Public Lecture on Business, 1910
The fate of a company hinges on the influence of a single pivotal individual; leadership and vision are decisive.
In simple terms: One person can determine a business’s success.
Key Takeaway
Identify and empower key leaders.
Themes
leadership
responsibility
influence
Mood
analytical
pragmatic
Type
business
motivational
When to use this quote
- startup
- corporate restructuring
- team building
Key Concepts
Management theory
organizational behavior
Questions to Reflect On
- Who is the pivotal person in your organization?
- How can you distribute responsibility?
A Different Perspective
Overreliance on one person can create vulnerability.
![“[S]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once, for example, when I was just starting out in the food business, I was hired by the caper people to develop a lot of recipes using capers, and it was weeks of…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d79/nora-ephron-1217_business_s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-th_980.jpg)
![“If the State does not acquire supremacy over [vast private] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bad/bertrand-russell-69_acquire_if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy_1379.jpg)