Boardroom Strategist Mugs

"I didn't get where I am by trying to please."

"Do we want to just flip a coin, or hire expensive consultants so they can flip a coin?"

'Apparently many companies experience problems including: a lack of direction, poor accountability, lack of respect among members, pushing personal agendas, poor communication ...'

Thanks to compromise they were moving closer.

'Don't let it throw you - It's just a negotiating tactic.'

'Before you go any further, let me reiterate that I, for one, see nothing wrong with killing the messenger.'

'Legal says we should be fine - provided no one left a paper trail.'

"This month's business meeting is the same as last month's business meeting but with many more problems."

"There's a lot of uncertainty out there these days. Or not. Who knows?"

'I wanted to get your opinions before I go ahead and do what I want to do.'

'We are all accountable, but some are more accountable than others.'

One man thinking 'merger', the other thinking 'takeover'.

"A handshake is as good as a thirty-page contract, eh, Mr. Harrison?"

'I know the difference between right and wrong, but it hasn't held me back.'

"It's simple, really. Just figure out what the honorable thing to do is – and make it look like we did it."

'Ok, here's the meeting agenda ... it's gonna be a long one.'

"We were too busy ignoring the warning signs to pay attention to the projected disaster."

"Today's graphic is small and complicated to shield us from the truth a little while longer."

"Well, so far I'm managing to stay above the fray."

'Sure, a handshake is good enough for me, Hanson, if you don't mind my lawyer looking it over?'

'Don't bother me with facts. Tell me what I want to hear.'

'I move we go on record for fewer imports here and more imports there!'

"Just to get the negotiations off on the right foot, I don't intent to concede anything."

"It's not who you know that will help you succeed. It's what you know about who you know, that you can hold over their head."

"Well, we're all in agreement, therefore we must be overlooking something."

"Good, we're all agreed. I like it when we're all agreed."

'Our actual performance over the last quarter depends much on one's perspective. Take, for example, this perspective.'

'This is what happens when we give up our resistance to change.'

"They've agreed to the merger, the sticking point is who is swallowing who?"

'That's 3 votes for 'When Hell Freezes Over'...now, a show of hands for 'When Pigs Fly'.'

"You say it's a win-win, but what if you're wrong-wrong and it all goes bad-bad?"

'Well done! This works much better.'

'We have obligations to our stockholders, our employees and our community - Fortunately, Henderson in legal has found a loophole.'

'First, the Rules of Engagement for this meeting ...'

"He's in a foul mood today."