What leaders say about Applied Wisdom

• Jim has had great success managing in large and small, for profit and non profit, domestic and global organizations. I have been a beneficiary of Jim’s wisdom as we worked together to get things done and this book makes that wisdom come alive for new and experienced leaders alike.

  Henry M. Paulson
  Chairman, The Paulson Institute; former Chief Executive, Goldman Sachs; former U.S. Treasury Secretary

• Jim Morgan used the ideas he brings to life in this book when he built Applied Materials from a tiny, struggling, near-bankrupt company into an innovative global leader. Managers of any size business or even non-profit organization will find solid advice for building agile and effective organizations in this book.

  Meg Whitman
  CEO, Hewlett Packard Enterprise; former CEO, eBay

• Jim is one of the icons of Silicon Valley and I can tell you 30 years running a high-tech company in a cyclical industry is not easy. I have seen Jim use the advice in Applied Wisdom with great success, most notably: looking for trouble out into the future as conditions change, and always showing respect for people. In partnerships, Jim notes that both parties have to be successful. That is why he was so successful, especially as the company expanded in Japan and Asia. A lot of young businesses have a very selfish attitude, but success often takes compromise. Applied Wisdom reinforces the importance of going beyond slogans and lip service and committing to basic, but very important values.

  Willem P. Roelandts
  Chairman of the Board, Applied Materials; former CEO, Xilinx; 30-year veteran of Hewlett-Packard

• Applied Wisdom is a treasure trove of useful insights from a true master of leadership in the business of technology about how to build the best, scalable decision-making process in a high-tech company. Rare is the leader who can successfully grow with a company from start-up to multi-billion dollar enterprise. Rarer still is one who openly discloses the secrets he learned along the way. Jim Morgan pioneered many of the business axioms that we take for granted today, such as the value of finding solutions over the simple offering of products and the importance of globalization into tough regions like Japan and China.

  G. Dan Hutcheson
  CEO and Chairman, VLSI Research; author of Maxims of Tech

• Jim’s wise managerial advice has been enormously valuable to me, and many others, at the Nature Conservancy over the years. It’s great to see him sharing his simple, practical ‘Morganisms’ in this excellent book. Applied Wisdom is a must-read for anyone who wants to have a more productive, focused and motivated team.

  Mark R. Tercek
  President and CEO, The Nature Conservancy

• I often tell young entrepreneurs that your homework is never done. There are many brilliant people with great ideas, yet very few who can successfully lead and scale up a high-impact company. It’s inspiring when an executive of Jim’s caliber says that he believes the vast majority of great managers are not born, they create that capacity by learning and changing. If you want to be a better manager follow his straightforward prescription and tips.

  Heidi Roizen
  Operating Partner, DFJ; Fenwick and West Entrepreneurship Educator, Stanford University