Quotes from David H. Maister

It is important to note that while goods are consumed, services are experienced. The professional service provider is (or should be) as much in the business of managing the client's experience with respect to professional services as in the business of executing technical tasks. Much

Warlord firms succeed when management keeps the big hitters happy and productive. The past and the future are not often items high on the agenda. Consequently, over time, the performance of extreme warlord firms often swings through peaks and valleys. Much management energy is expended in modulating the politically charged environment.

Members of the firm must feel that they have approved the leaders and that the leaders are accountable to them.

These goals are not unique to us. Our best competitors almost certainly have similar, if not identical goals. If we are to outperform them, we don't need a better vision, but a better approach to making it happen.

The firm exists to help its people succeed, not the other way round.

The minute you begin to cruise, to rely on skills learned last year, that's the moment you begin your decline.

Managers should be hassle absorbers, not hassle creators.

None of us should wait to be told what to do, or how to do it. Micromanagement kills initiative, judgment and creativity.

I have learned that we can live with a bad decision, but we are certain to be hurt by no decision.

Success, no matter how you define it, is attainable only by persuading another person-a boss, a client, a colleague, a subordinate, a friend or loved one-to give you what you want.

The most effective organizations are those that are held together by shared and enforced principles, values, and standards.

As yet infrequent in some professions (such as law), fixed-price contracts or bids are increasingly common in investment banking, medicine, consulting, and architecture.