Robert Townsend

Robert Townsend
Robert Townsendis an American actor, comedian, film director, and writer. He is best known for directing the films Hollywood Shuffle, Eddie Murphy Raw, The Meteor Man, and various other films and stand-up specials, especially his eponymous self-titled character as the starring role as Robert Peterson on The WB sitcom The Parent 'Hood, in which he created the series, as well as directing episodes...
ProfessionTV Actor
Date of Birth6 February 1957
CityChicago, IL
class two people
The world is divided into two classes of people: the few who make good on their promises and the many who don't; get in Column A and stay there. You'll be valuable wherever you go.
art artist coolness
The artist must conceive with warmth yet execute with coolness.
ideas poor sponsors
It's a poor bureaucrat who can't stall a good idea until even its sponsor is relieved to see it dead and officially buried.
fun half
Getting there isn't half the fun - it's all the fun.
priorities focus objectives
Is what I'm doing or about to do getting us closer to our objective?
leadership people important
When you get right down to it, one of the most important tasks of a leader is to eliminate his people's excuse for failure.
fighting thinking people
A good manager doesn't try to eliminate conflict; he tries to keep it from wasting the energies of his people. If you're the boss and your people fight you openly when they think that you are wrong - that's healthy.
heart leader bars
A good leader needs to have a compass in his head and a bar of steel in his heart.
mistake two people
Compromise is usually bad. It should be a last resort. If two departments or divisions have a problem they can't solve and it comes up to you, listen to both sides and then pick one or the other. This places solid accountability on the winner to make it work. Condition your people to avoid compromise.
top-management tree owl
"Top" management is supposed to be a tree full of owls-hooting when management heads into the wrong part of the forest. I'm still unpersuaded they even know where the forest is.
flower roots discipline
Managers must have the discipline not to keep pulling up the flowers to see if their roots are healthy.
business people watches
Consultants are people who borrow your watch and tell you what time it is, and then walk off with the watch.
decision company ifs
Make every decision as if you owned the company.
business communication management
We know there is a problem with communication but we are not going to discuss it in front of the entire staff.