When something’s on fire, the smoke might be the most visible but the flames are the ones getting work done. These twelve productive quotes for business leaders are a motivational reminder that results matter, and hard work always pays off.

Smoke vs Fire – 12 Productive Quotes About Getting the Work Done for Today’s Business Leaders

Productivity is defined as:

• the quality, state, or fact of being able to generate, create, enhance, or bring forth goods and services (dictionary.com)
• A measure of the efficiency of a person, machine, factory, system, etc., in converting inputs into useful outputs (businessdictionary.com)

Other definitions include phrases like “fertility,” “output per unit,” “effectiveness,” and so on. It’s not about being busy, it’s about getting done what matters. In the workplace, the person who looks the busiest is not always the power behind the progress being made by the organization. As managers, it’s your responsibility to identify and cultivate those employees who demonstrate their value by getting work done. 

12 Quotes About Productivity for the Workplace

“The least productive people are usually the ones who are most in favor of holding meetings.” — Thomas Sowell

“Intelligence is the ability to avoid doing work, yet getting the work done.” — Linus Torvalds

“Colleagues are a wonderful thing – but mentors, that’s where the real work gets done.” — Junot Diaz

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” — Colin Powell

“In the business world, everyone is paid in two coins: cash and experience. Take the experience first; the cash will come later.” — Harold S. Geneen

“A company is only as good as the people it keeps.” — Mary Kay Ash

“I want to put a ding in the universe.” — Steve Jobs

“Just because something doesn’t do what you planned for it to do, doesn’t mean it was useless.” — Thomas A. Edison

“Sales are contingent upon the attitude of the salesman – not the attitude of the prospect.” — W. Clement Stone

“If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable.” — Lucius Annaeus Seneca

“Should you find yourself in a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is likely to be more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks.” — Warren Buffett

“Thunder is good, thunder is impressive; but it is lightning that does the work.” — Mark Twain