The Best Place to Work Quotes

“What do Shakespeare, Dickens, Tolstoy, Picasso, Monet, Bach, Mozart, Wagner, Schubert, Brahms, and Dostoyevsky all have in common? They all produced far more than their contemporaries. Importantly, not every one of their creations was a masterpiece. Today, in fact, they are remembered for a mere fraction of their complete body of work. Creative geniuses simply do not generate masterpieces on a regular basis. Yet the quality that distinguishes them would be impossible without the quantity of attempts.”
― Ron Friedman, The Best Place to Work: The Art and Science of Creating an Extraordinary Workplace

“Accepting failure doesn’t just make risk-taking easier. In a surprising number of instances, it’s the only reliable path to success.”
― Ron Friedman, The Best Place to Work: The Art and Science of Creating an Extraordinary Workplace

“Back in the days of the industrial economy, building a successful workplace meant finding efficiencies through eliminating errors, standardizing performance, and squeezing more out of workers. How employees felt while doing their job was of secondary interest, because it had limited impact on their performance. The main thing was that the work got done. Today things are different. Our work is infinitely more complex. We rarely need employees to simply do routine, repetitive tasks—we also need them to collaborate, plan, and innovate. Building a thriving organization in the current economy demands a great deal more than efficiency. It requires an environment that harnesses intelligence, creativity, and interpersonal skill.”
― Ron Friedman, The Best Place to Work: The Art and Science of Creating an Extraordinary Workplace

“It means that you possess limited control over outcomes in life. Either you have what it takes, or you don’t. No wonder hubristic pride leads to bombastic displays of self-promotion—it’s as if by convincing others of our virtues we hope to simultaneously diminish our own insecurity.”
― Ron Friedman, The Best Place to Work: The Art and Science of Creating an Extraordinary Workplace

“Conversely, when we view getting ahead as a matter of ability, we’re more likely to experience the less assured, hubristic pride.”
― Ron Friedman, The Best Place to Work: The Art and Science of Creating an Extraordinary Workplace

“The moment evading a negative outcome becomes the focus, our attention narrows and our thinking becomes more rigid. We have a hard time seeing the big picture and resist the mental exploration necessary for finding a solution. All of a sudden, insights become a lot more elusive.”
― Ron Friedman, The Best Place to Work: The Art and Science of Creating an Extraordinary Workplace

“We know that decorating your office can make you more productive, that going for a walk can lead to better decisions, and that embracing failure can actually help you succeed.”
― Ron Friedman, The Best Place to Work: The Art and Science of Creating an Extraordinary Workplace

“When avoiding failure is a primary focus, the work isn’t just more stressful; it’s a lot harder to do. And over the long run, that mental strain takes a toll, resulting in less innovation and the experience of burnout. Ironically, allowing for mistakes to happen can elevate the quality of our performance. It’s true even within roles that don’t require creativity.”
― Ron Friedman, The Best Place to Work: The Art and Science of Creating an Extraordinary Workplace

“The fight or flight response we experience when we’re told not to make a mistake is the same one that sent us running for our lives while being hunted by lion. Needless to say, finding creative insights is difficult when your body is responding as if you’re on the verge of becoming lunch.”
― Ron Friedman, The Best Place to Work: The Art and Science of Creating an Extraordinary Workplace