This presentationThis presentation contains some quotescontains some quotesfrom Robert Noycefrom Robert Noyce, co‐inventor of theco‐inventor of the 

integrated circuit andintegrated circuit and co‐founder of Intelco‐founder of Intel.

They are highlyThey are highlyrelevant for well arelevant for, well, a lot innovation andlot, innovation and 

leadership toleadership to mention a fewmention a few

thingsthings…

On his invention ofOn his invention of the integrated circuit:the integrated circuit:

“I don’t have anyI don t have any recollection of arecollection of a 

‘Boom!’ There it is!’Boom!  There it is!  light bulbs going off”light bulbs going off

Noyce insteadNoyce instead thought of thethought of the invention as ainvention as a 

continuous process:continuous process:

“Let’s see, if we could do this, we can do that. If we can do that, then we can do this. It was a logical sequence. If I hit a wall I’d back up and then find a path conceptually all thewall, I d back up and then find a path, conceptually, all the 

way through to the end. Once you have the path, conceptually, all the way through to the end you can come back and start refining, thinking in little steps that will take you there. Once you get to the point that you can see the top of the mountain, then you know you can get there.”p , y y g

“ l d bl“I was trying to solve a production problem. I wasn’t trying to make an integrated circuit.”

On leadership:

“If ’ l ki t l“If you’re looking at a long‐term research program interm research program, in general, the people that are 

doing it are in the best iti t l t it tposition to evaluate it, not the people that arethe people that are supervising it.”

“The people that are supervisingThe people that are supervising it are more dependent on their ability to judge people than they are dependent on their ability toare dependent on their ability to judge the work that is going on.”j g g g

“The job of the manager is an enabling not a directive jobenabling, not a directive job… coaching, and not direction, is the first quality of leadership 

now Get the barriers out of thenow. Get the barriers out of the way to let people do the things y p p g

they do well.”