--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Back to fundamental, IT is not the…" description: "\"“Back to fundamental, IT is not the weakest link in the organization, it’s people.”\" — Pearl Zhu" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35a/pearl-zhu-621_digital-it_back-to-fundamental-it-is-not-the-weakes_815048.jpg" --- # Back to fundamental, IT is not the weakest link in the… ![“Back to fundamental, IT is not the weakest link in the organization, it’s people.” quote by Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35a/pearl-zhu-621_digital-it_back-to-fundamental-it-is-not-the-weakes_815048.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35a/pearl-zhu-621_digital-it_back-to-fundamental-it-is-not-the-weakes_815048.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35a/pearl-zhu-621_digital-it_back-to-fundamental-it-is-not-the-weakes_815048.jpg) > ““Back to fundamental, IT is not the weakest link in the organization, it’s people.”” [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People are the core strength of an organization, not technology, emphasizing human capital. **In simple terms:** People are the real strength, not IT. Key Takeaway Invest in talent development and engagement. Themes leadership human resources technology Mood pragmatic motivational Type business inspirational When to use this quote - team building - IT project planning - change management - customer service Key Concepts Human capital organizational culture Questions to Reflect On - How do you prioritize people over tools? - What training boosts performance? A Different Perspective Tech can be a bottleneck if people are undertrained. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Digital-it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digital-it/) [It-management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/it-management/) [Organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organization/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Weakest link](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weakest-link/) ## Related quotes > [“Often old IT thinking cannot move fast enough in the age of the digitalization.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/often-old-it-thinking-cannot-move-fast-enough-in-the-age-of-the/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“IT can weave all crucial business elements such as people, process, and technology into organizational competencies for running a living and fluid digital organization.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/it-can-weave-all-crucial-business-elements-such-as-people-process-and/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“A responsive IT means a lot of things for the digital transformation: Speed, innovation, agility, integration, modernization, intelligence, value creation, and maturity, etc”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/a-responsive-it-means-a-lot-of-things-for-the-digital-transformation/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“IT has to provide both business and technological insight into how they bring success to the company as a whole transparently, holistically, and continually.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/it-has-to-provide-both-business-and-technological-insight-into-how/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [If I were to build a company, I would make every single person the biggest star possible because you are only as strong as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-kanellis/if-i-were-to-build-a-company-i-would-make-every-single-person-the/) [Maria Kanellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-kanellis/) > [There is no distinction, no echelon of actors within a company. A company is only as strong as its weakest link.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arden/there-is-no-distinction-no-echelon-of-actors-within-a-company-a/) [Michael Arden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-arden/) > [You're only as good as your weakest link in the ecosystem of sound, of audio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-iovine/you-re-only-as-good-as-your-weakest-link-in-the-ecosystem-of-sound-of/) [Jimmy Iovine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-iovine/) > [It's very easy to front 'The Weakest Link;' it takes 10 minutes to prepare. But it takes three months to prepare an hour-long history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-starkey/it-s-very-easy-to-front-the-weakest-link-it-takes-10-minutes-to/) [David Starkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-starkey/) > [Producers and directors think they have the power, but what they think of as the weakest link, the actor, is all-powerful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-stott/producers-and-directors-think-they-have-the-power-but-what-they-think/) [Ken Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-stott/) > [I always loved 'The Weakest Link' and how brutal Anne Robinson was on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lycett/i-always-loved-the-weakest-link-and-how-brutal-anne-robinson-was-on-it/) [Joe Lycett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lycett/) > [One of my previous incarnations is as a question writer, so I'd worked on shows like 'The Weakest Link' and a couple of very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-ryan/one-of-my-previous-incarnations-is-as-a-question-writer-so-i-d-worked/) [Jenny Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-ryan/) > [Companies spend millions of dollars on firewalls, encryption, and secure access devices and it's money wasted because none of these measures address the weakest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/companies-spend-millions-of-dollars-on-firewalls-encryption-and/) [Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) > [“A chain is as strong as its weakest link…... and a brain is as strong as its weakest think!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ankala-subbarao/a-chain-is-as-strong-as-its-weakest-link-and-a-brain-is-as-strong-as/) [Ankala Subbarao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ankala-subbarao/) > [Being a question on 'The Weakest Link,' that was quite a moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-jenkins/being-a-question-on-the-weakest-link-that-was-quite-a-moment/) [Katherine Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-jenkins/) > [The HMI (human-machine interface) function inside a Ferrari is probably the weakest link in the chain of technical know-how that's embodied in the car.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-marchionne/the-hmi-human-machine-interface-function-inside-a-ferrari-is-probably/) [Sergio Marchionne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-marchionne/) ## More by Pearl Zhu > [“By manifesting creativity from an individual endeavor to a team activity and a collective effort, the horizon of creativity is expanded.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/by-manifesting-creativity-from-an-individual-endeavor-to-a-team/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“We need to choose to continue to learn, grow, and empower people to learn and grow as well.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/we-need-to-choose-to-continue-to-learn-grow-and-empower-people-to/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“Be courageous to listen to what you don’t want to hear and have the guts to be innovative.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/be-courageous-to-listen-to-what-you-don-t-want-to-hear-and-have-the/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“The digital boards today should be informed on what benefit is being delivered by IT and aware of constraints and risks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/the-digital-boards-today-should-be-informed-on-what-benefit-is-being/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“Applying the right procedures and policies to asset management allows IT to create a realistic budget with few surprises, and keep best practices to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/applying-the-right-procedures-and-policies-to-asset-management-allows/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“Knowledge does not stand still; it flows into the company, and it flows out of it; it erodes, and it gets created again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/knowledge-does-not-stand-still-it-flows-into-the-company-and-it-flows/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“Running IT as a business, IT performance has to be clearly linked with the business performance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/running-it-as-a-business-it-performance-has-to-be-clearly-linked-with/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“The corporate board oversees the corporate strategy, and the business strategy is underpinned by business capabilities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/the-corporate-board-oversees-the-corporate-strategy-and-the-business/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“Outlier” CIOs have better capabilities to connect innovation dots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/outlier-cios-have-better-capabilities-to-connect-innovation-dots/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“The great communication is not to create more gaps but to bridge the difference and encourage creativity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/the-great-communication-is-not-to-create-more-gaps-but-to-bridge-the/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“Keep mindfully insatiable curiosity. It starts with your attitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/keep-mindfully-insatiable-curiosity-it-starts-with-your-attitude/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“The board’s oversight of information management agenda helps to highlight the strategic perspective of IT and improve its differentiated value.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/the-board-s-oversight-of-information-management-agenda-helps-to/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“Some problems seem irrational as they are caused by people’s emotional reaction to a set of circumstances or events.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/some-problems-seem-irrational-as-they-are-caused-by-people-s/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“Problem-solving is about seeing a problem and actually finding a solution to that problem.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/problem-solving-is-about-seeing-a-problem-and-actually-finding-a/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“Capability stands you out; capacity scales you up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/capability-stands-you-out-capacity-scales-you-up/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) [Explore all 442 Pearl Zhu quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) ## More Digital-it quotes > [“Only by putting all fresh views out there to provoke “diversity of thought,” can IT possibly enact or act as a catalyst for change.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/only-by-putting-all-fresh-views-out-there-to-provoke-diversity-of/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“The “artificial gap” between business and IT can be bridged via effective leadership, profound understanding, continuous learning, and improvement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/the-artificial-gap-between-business-and-it-can-be-bridged-via/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“CIOs may not be the subject matter expert of all IT domains, but they should understand technology enough to ensure they have a keen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/cios-may-not-be-the-subject-matter-expert-of-all-it-domains-but-they/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“Digital-savvy CIOs can envision the upcoming business trends and have both “sense and sensitivity” to understand people and lead effortlessly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/digital-savvy-cios-can-envision-the-upcoming-business-trends-and-have/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“A CIO needs to be better-rounded than to have a title of “logical” or “creative.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/a-cio-needs-to-be-better-rounded-than-to-have-a-title-of-logical-or/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“The quality check of IT management is to ensure IT is the enabler and even a game-changer of the digital transformation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/the-quality-check-of-it-management-is-to-ensure-it-is-the-enabler-and/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“The tough choice facing CIOs is not about only picking one identity as either being strategic or tactical, but about - when acting as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/the-tough-choice-facing-cios-is-not-about-only-picking-one-identity/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“IT has to provide both business and technological insight into how they bring success to the company as a whole transparently, holistically, and continually.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/it-has-to-provide-both-business-and-technological-insight-into-how/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“A bridge-like CIO has the mind to think via the multidimensional lens, the gut to innovate fearlessly; the strategy to lead wisely and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/a-bridge-like-cio-has-the-mind-to-think-via-the-multidimensional-lens/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“The CIO must now wear many hats, and see the forest through the trees.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/the-cio-must-now-wear-many-hats-and-see-the-forest-through-the-trees/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“A responsive IT means a lot of things for the digital transformation: Speed, innovation, agility, integration, modernization, intelligence, value creation, and maturity, etc”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/a-responsive-it-means-a-lot-of-things-for-the-digital-transformation/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“IT can weave all crucial business elements such as people, process, and technology into organizational competencies for running a living and fluid digital organization.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/it-can-weave-all-crucial-business-elements-such-as-people-process-and/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“Often old IT thinking cannot move fast enough in the age of the digitalization.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/often-old-it-thinking-cannot-move-fast-enough-in-the-age-of-the/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“Use social media for good and lift others up, not tear them down. Stay on the high road. 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