“The human tendency is to while away time with
unimportant matters that do not require mental effort or energy. Since they can
be easily resolved, they give a false sense of accomplishment. The manager must
exert self-discipline to ensure that his energy is focused where it is truly
needed.”— Admiral Hyman Rickover (1900-1986), the “Father of the Nuclear Navy,”
in “Doing a Job,” speech at Columbia
University, Nov. 5, 1981
