You can't behave in a calm, rational manner; you've got to be out there on the lunatic fringe

The title of this post is supposedly a quote from former GE CEO Jack Welch who, according to a post by Tom Peters, said "You can't behave in a calm, rational manner; you've got to be out there on the lunatic fringe."

I half agree, but clearly you can't be out there on the fringe all of the time (like me). The ability to "visit" the lunatic fringe on a very regular basis is urgently important, provided that calm rationality is your "home base", as appears to be the case with both Tom Peters and Jack Welch, regardless of what they might say in public. In fact, it is precisely that solid home base of inner calm and rationality that empowers them to spend so much time out there on the lunatic fringe.

-- Jack Krupansky