LEADERSHIP QUOTES
quotations about leadership
Leadership is not a starring role. True leadership describes unified action of leaders and followers (stakeholders) working together to jointly achieve mutual goals. It is collaborative.
GILBERT W. FAIRHOLM
Leadership and the Culture of Trust
Perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it. Those who ... have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, and find to their own surprise that they wear it well.
J. K. ROWLING
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
To be a leader, you have to make people want to follow you, and nobody wants to follow someone who doesn't know where he is going.
JOE NAMATH
attributed, Friday Night Light: Inspiration for the Game of Life
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS
attributed, The Paradox of Power
Leadership consists of nothing but taking responsibility for everything that goes wrong and giving your subordinates credit for everything that goes well.
DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER
attributed, Stars: A Study in Military Character and Leadership
I like a leader who can, while pointing out a mistake, bring up the good things the other person has done. If you do that, then the person sees that you have a complete picture of him. There is nobody more dangerous than one who has been humiliated, even when you humiliate him rightly.
NELSON MANDELA
O: The Oprah Magazine, Apr. 2001
Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can accomplish.
SAM WALTON
attributed, The 101 Greatest Business Principles of All Time
Anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course.
JOHN C. MAXWELL
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership
Leadership is seeing the possibilities in a situation while others are seeing the limitations.
JOHN C. MAXWELL
Leadership Gold
Leadership is defined not by the position you hold but by the people who follow you.
CHARLENE LI
Open Leadership
Your choices as a leader can be the difference between a team that simply does what it is told and the volunteered commitment that leads to excellence.
RANDY PENNINGTON
"Leadership Choices for a Positive Future", Huffington Post, April 26, 2016
Great leaders genuinely care for and love the people they lead more than they love leading itself. Leadership without love degenerates into self-serving manipulation.
RICK WARREN
Ladies' Home Journal, Oct. 2008
Leaders have to learn to exercise power prudently, and to combine passion and compassion. Leadership is evolving due to the changes of the world, such as downturns in economy and technological advances. Organizations must continue to adhere to their values as leadership evolves -- considering ethics when promoting or creating leaders, as well as experience and competence.
JACOB MORGAN
"What Does Leadership Look Like In The Future Of Work?", Forbes, March 28, 2016
When we think we lead, we are most led.
LORD BYRON
The Two Foscari
Good leaders must know how to reward those who succeed and know when to retrain, move, or fire ineffective staff.
COLIN POWELL
"10 Leadership Tenets from Colin Powell", Stanford Graduate School of Business
Leadership is the willingness to put oneself at risk.
JOHN C. MAXWELL
Leadership Gold
Leaders are creatures of their environment, but unlike most creatures, they are also movers of it. As movers of and within the organization, they push it forward, at the same time shaping it as much as it shapes them.
JOHN BALDONI
Great Motivation Secrets of Great Leaders
Leaders touch a heart before they ask for a hand.
JOHN C. MAXWELL
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership
Great leaders inspire. They maintain a hopeful attitude, even in the face of discouraging setbacks, constant criticism and abundant opposition. People don't follow discouraged leaders. They follow those who persist with hope.
RICK WARREN
Ladies' Home Journal, Oct. 2008
A leader has the vision and conviction that a dream can be achieved. He inspires the power and energy to get it done.
RALPH LAUREN
attributed, Smart Things to Know About Brands & Branding