A Japanese "Go" master should be an expert in business because he will understand the balance of offensive and defensive moves and positions. All pharmaceutical decision makers should learn this game to help them improve their skills in balancing offensive and defensive moves in their business moves.

Changing research directions or policies without a compelling rationale confuses staff and my lose their loyalty and dedication.

Seek a balance between having too many projects that slow each other and too few where a company risks its ability to survive on a few projects that may or may not succeed and achieve the company's goals.

Empower all employees and managers as much as possible to make decisions they are capable and qualified to make. It builds morale, teamwork and ownership of the business, which facilitates success.

If it's not written down it doesn't exist.

Instead of discussing the elephant in the room at meetings, are people discussing what the fleas on the elephant ate for dinner last night.

When general words like research, development, compliance, risk etc. are discussed at meetings, does everyone know which definition is being used? Each of these have many different definitions and the specific definition must be clarified so that everyone understands how the word is being used.

When you are unsure about a topic, ask the basic questions: who, what, where, when, how, why and how much.

Those on the cutting edge of science often get cut.

Some people excel at planning and seem to spend all their time at it, and many of them are resistant to implementing their own plans. Planning should never take the place of doing or be an excuse not to Do. Remember that those who can DO, and those who can't, plan, plan, plan.

Try to conduct only those studies that are "Need to have" and not those that are "Nice to have," unless you have sufficient resources and no sense of urgency. Those without a sense of urgency should not be in the pharmaceutical industry.

Just because you will not see the work completed does not mean you are free not to take it up.

Many professionals in industry are gung-ho at the start of a project but lose interest as it progresses, so ensure the leaders of projects have staying-power.

Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment.

Do not seek strategic clinical advice from academicians who believe they can become investigators on the trials they propose or endorse, because they have a serious conflict of interest.

The Executive Summary in a briefing package or other data/information sent to a regulatory agency must capture all of your key messages.