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A CEO's Guide to Setting Goals for 2014

One CEO gains inspiration from quotes by business luminaries such as John Chambers, Jeff Bezos, Jack Dorsey and Howard Schultz

With the new year quickly approaching, it is always nice to reflect a bit while looking forward to the year ahead. Given how technology continues to affect every element of our life, personal and professional, the following quotes are worth thinking about as we set our goals for the coming year.

"I think frugality drives innovation, just like other constraints do. One of the only ways to get out of a tight box is to invent your way out." --Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.comLesson: You don't need millions to be innovative.

"In the old world, you devoted 30 percent of your time to building a great service and 70 percent of your time to shouting about it. In the new world, that inverts." --Jeff BezosLesson: Product, design and marketing are equal partners.

"We don't compete against competitors, we compete against market transitions." --John Chambers, chairman and CEO of Cisco SystemsLesson: Leaders are market-driven.

"You have to be very nimble and very open-minded. Your success is going to be very dependent on how you adapt." --Jeremy Stoppelman, CEO of YelpLesson: Adapt or die.

"The interesting products out on the Internet today are not building new technologies. They're combining technologies. Instagram, for instance: photos plus geolocation plus filters. Foursquare: restaurant reviews plus check-ins plus geo." --Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter, and founder and CEO of SquareLesson: The conventional and mobile Web are givens. What combinations will attract your customers?

"When all is said and done, a lot more is said than done." --Lou Holtz, retired American football coachLesson: Stop talking and start doing.

"Every step of the way, I made it a point to under-promise and over-deliver. In the long run, that's the only way to ensure security in any job." --Howard Schultz, chairman and CEO of StarbucksLesson: Know the power of managing expectations and delivering on them.

"By giving people the power to share, we're making the world more transparent." --Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder, chairman and CEO of FacebookLesson: Transparency is paramount.

"Expect the unexpected. And whenever possible, be the unexpected." --Jack DorseyLesson: Be prepared and be bold.

Best wishes for a magnificent 2014!

Read more about leadership/management in CIO's Leadership/Management Drilldown.