One CEO gains inspiration from quotes by business luminaries such as John Chambers, Jeff Bezos, Jack Dorsey and Howard Schultz With the new year quickly approaching, it is always nice to reflect a bit while looking forward to the year ahead. Given how technology continues to affect every element of our life, personal and professional, the following quotes are worth thinking about as we set our goals for the coming year. “I think frugality drives innovation, just like other constraints do. One of the only ways to get out of a tight box is to invent your way out.” –Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.comLesson: You don’t need millions to be innovative. “In the old world, you devoted 30 percent of your time to building a great service and 70 percent of your time to shouting about it. In the new world, that inverts.” –Jeff Bezos Lesson: Product, design and marketing are equal partners. “We don’t compete against competitors, we compete against market transitions.” –John Chambers, chairman and CEO of Cisco Systems Lesson: Leaders are market-driven. “You have to be very nimble and very open-minded. Your success is going to be very dependent on how you adapt.” —Jeremy Stoppelman, CEO of Yelp Lesson: Adapt or die. “The interesting products out on the Internet today are not building new technologies. They’re combining technologies. Instagram, for instance: photos plus geolocation plus filters. Foursquare: restaurant reviews plus check-ins plus geo.” –Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter, and founder and CEO of Square Lesson: The conventional and mobile Web are givens. What combinations will attract your customers? “When all is said and done, a lot more is said than done.” –Lou Holtz, retired American football coach Lesson: Stop talking and start doing. “Every step of the way, I made it a point to under-promise and over-deliver. In the long run, that’s the only way to ensure security in any job.” –Howard Schultz, chairman and CEO of Starbucks Lesson: Know the power of managing expectations and delivering on them. “By giving people the power to share, we’re making the world more transparent.” –Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Facebook Lesson: Transparency is paramount. “Expect the unexpected. And whenever possible, be the unexpected.” –Jack Dorsey Lesson: Be prepared and be bold. Best wishes for a magnificent 2014! Related content opinion The future of A.I. ethics is in our hands When so many of the world's smartest people warn us about 'killer robots' and other ethical issues inherent in artificial intelligence, we should heed their call to make sure A.I. is used for societal good By Michael Friedenberg Aug 31, 2015 2 mins Robotics opinion Beyond Moore's Law: Five technologies that will change the future IDG CEO Mike Friedenberg is watching the tech horizon and sees game-changing technologies in A.I., robotics, quantum computing and more. By Michael Friedenberg May 21, 2015 2 mins CIO 3D Printers Technology Industry opinion Security crashes the boardroom party Given the recent spate of headline-grabbing data breaches, CIOs need to be prepared to answer a lot of board questions about risk. By Michael Friedenberg Mar 30, 2015 2 mins Cybercrime Security opinion Are You Ready to Replace Yourself? CIOs rarely get to name their successors, and companies overall do a poor job of succession planning. CEO Michael Friedenberg says it's time to get serious about closing the succession gap. By Michael Friedenberg Jan 28, 2015 2 mins CIO Mentoring Careers Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe