52 pages 1 hour read

Roger Connors, Tom Smith, Craig Hickman

The Oz Principle: Getting Results Through Individual and Organizational Accountability

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1994

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Important Quotes

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“Don’t get stuck on the yellow brick road; don’t blame others for your circumstances; don’t wait for wizards to wave their magic wands; and never expect all your problems to disappear.”


(Part 1, Chapter 1, Page 20)

This is the authors’ most direct summary of the major lessons they take from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its application to their primary concern, business consultation. This speaks directly to Staying “Above The Line” by Embracing Accountability and establishes the extended analogy.

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“When you pull back the curtains you discover the incontrovertible fact, as did Dorothy and her companions, that success springs not from some new-fangled fad, paradigm, process, or program but from the willingness of an organization’s people to embrace full accountability for the results they seek.”


(Part 1, Chapter 1, Page 24)

This is a continuation of the analysis of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as it applies to business success. Here, through their critique of the titular wizard, they imply their analysis of Effective Leadership Through the Application of the Oz Principle. The authors label their claim as “incontrovertible fact” to establish their authority.

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“The world’s societies suffer from the current cult of victimization because its subtle dogma holds that circumstances and other people prevent you from achieving your goals.”


(Part 1, Chapter 1, Page 27)

The authors’ critique of what they refer to as victim culture often expands beyond business consulting with the implication that it constitutes a global threat. Here they implicitly contrasting Staying “Above The Line” by Embracing Accountability with getting Stuck “Below The Line” in the Victim Cycle.