A boss has the title, a leader has the people. Simon Sinek Click to tweet
A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus. Martin Luther King Jr Click to tweet
No leader sets out to be a leader. People set out to live their lives, expressing themselves fully. When that expression is of value, they become leaders. So the point is not to become a leader. The point is to become yourself, to use yourself completely – all your skills, gifts and energies – in order to make your vision manifest. You must withhold nothing. You must, in sum, become the person you started out to be, and to enjoy the process of becoming. Warren Bennis Click to tweet
The art of leadership is saying no, not yes. It is very easy to say yes. Tony Blair Click to tweet
I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples. Mother Teresa Click to tweet
Lead from the back and let others believe they are in front. Nelson Mandela Click to tweet
The ability to learn is the most important quality a leader can have. Sheryl Sandberg Click to tweet
People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. Simon Sinek Click to tweet
Efficiency is doing the thing right. Effectiveness is doing the right thing. Peter F. Drucker Click to tweet
We cannot lead anyone farther than we have been ourselves. John C. Maxwell Click to tweet
See also: change quotes, wisdom quotes, success quotes
The Best Leadership Quotes
Anyone, anywhere, can make a positive difference. Mark Sanborn Click to tweet
Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them. John C. Maxwell
Do what is right, not what is easy. Unknown
Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality. Warren Bennis
Failing organizations are usually over-managed and under-led. Warren Bennis
Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flow charts. It is about one life influencing another. John C. Maxwell
Leading people is the most challenging and, therefore, the most gratifying undertaking of all human endeavors. Jocko Willink
In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders. Sheryl Sandberg
A leader is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind. Nelson Mandela
As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others. Bill Gates Click to tweet
A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd. Max Lucado Click to tweet
The secret of leadership is simple: Do what you believe in. Paint a picture of the future. Go there. People will follow. Seth Godin
Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results. George Patton
The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. William Arthur Ward
You have to be burning with an idea, or a problem, or a wrong that you want to right. If you’re not passionate enough from the start, you’ll never stick it out. Steve Jobs
Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision. Peter F. Drucker
The mark of a great man is one who knows when to set aside the important things in order to accomplish the vital ones. Brandon Sanderson
Be strong enough to stand alone, smart enough to know when you need help, and brave enough to ask for it. Unknown (Submitted by the Wisdom Quotes Community)
Don’t waste your energy trying to educate or change opinions; go over, under, through, and opinions will change organically when you’re the boss. Or they won’t. Who cares? Do your thing, and don’t care if they like it. Tina Fey
You don’t need a title to be a leader. Mark Sanborn Click to tweet
If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader. Dolly Parton
A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go but ought to be. Rosalynn Carter
I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions. Stephen R. Covey
Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower. Steve Jobs
Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself. It is precisely that simple and it is also that difficult. Warren Bennis (This is one of my favorite leadership quote. Leave a reply here and let me know what’s yours!)
What is Leadership?
Leadership is an action, not a position. Donald McGannon
Leadership is the art of giving people a platform for spreading ideas that work. Seth Godin
Management is doing things right. Leadership is doing the right things. Peter F. Drucker Click to tweet
Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence. Sheryl Sandberg (Facebook)
Leadership is like third grade: it means repeating the significant things. Max De Pree
Leadership is unlocking people’s potential to become better. Bill Bradley
See also: Why good leaders make you feel safe (Ted Talk video)
Part 2. Leadership Quotes That Are…
The Most Famous Leadership Quotes (Gandhi, Obama, Einstein, etc.)
A leader is a dealer in hope. Napoleon Bonaparte Click to tweet
If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the shoulder of giants. Isaac Newton
Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence. Albert Einstein
Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. Helen Keller
The only safe ship in a storm is leadership. Faye Wattleton
We need to think of the future and the planet we are going to leave to our children and their children. Kofi Annan
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. Barack Obama
Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago. Warren Buffett
Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. Lao Tzu
I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. Maya Angelou
To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart. Eleanor Roosevelt Click to tweet
We don’t build services to make money; we make money to build better services. Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook)
I have not failed. I’ve just found 10000 ways that won’t work. Thomas A. Edison
The only way to do great work is to love what you do. Steve Jobs
Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it. Buddha
Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. Leo Tolstoy
A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: We did it ourselves. Lao Tzu
Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. Napoleon Hill
Be willing to be uncomfortable. Be comfortable being uncomfortable. It may get tough, but it’s a small price to pay for living a dream. Peter McWilliams
Mountaintops inspire leaders but valleys mature them. Winston Churchill
Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value. Albert Einstein
Believe you can and you’re halfway there. Theodore Roosevelt
More famous quotes
See also: Buddha quotes
Short Leadership Quotes
One liners for your bio, social status, self-talk, motto, mantra, signs, posters, wallpapers, backgrounds, tattoos, SMS, Facebook, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Tumblr, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, etc.
To lead people, walk behind them. Lao Tzu Click to tweet
The price of greatness is responsibility. Winston Churchill
We rise by lifting others. Robert Ingersoll
All leaders are readers. Jim Rohn
Hire character. Train skill. Peter Schutz
The greatest deficiency of any CEO is also the most critical of skills: clarity. Kapil Gupta
Act or do not act, but do not hedge. Peter F. Drucker
What gets measured gets improved. Peter F. Drucker
Faster. Stronger. Smarter. More humble. Less ego. Jocko Willink
Discipline equals freedom. Jocko Willink
Ego clouds and disrupts everything. Jocko Willink
The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision. Theodore Hesburgh
Leadership distilled down to 3 words: Make a difference. Robin Sharma
Victims make excuses. Leaders deliver results. Robin Sharma
The cautious seldom err. Confucius Click to tweet
Leadership involves finding a parade and getting in front of it. John Naisbitt
Earn your leadership every day. Michael Jordan
My life didn’t please me, so I created my life. Coco Chanel
There is always room at the top. Daniel Webster
Leaders don’t inflict pain, they share pain. Max De Pree
Faith moves mountains, love transforms hearts. John Paul Warren
Don’t find fault, find a remedy. Henry Ford
A winner is a dreamer who never gives up. Nelson Mandela
Whatever you are, be a good one. Abraham Lincoln
A king is one who fears nothing. Seneca
Done is better than perfect. Sheryl Sandberg (Facebook)
Leaders live by choice, not by accident. Mark Gorman
The test of leadership is, is anything or anyone better because of you? Mark Sanborn
You manage things; you lead people. Rear Admiral Grace Hopper
Today a reader, tomorrow a leader. Margaret Fuller
Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm. Publilius Syrus
One voice can change a room. Barack Obama
What does your heart say? Jeff Bezos (Amazon)
More short quotes
You may also like: inspirational quotes motivational quotes happiness quotes love quoteslife quotes
Inspirational And Positive Leadership Quotes
Our destiny is not written for us, but by us. Barack Obama Click to tweet
Inventories can be managed, but people must be led. H. Ross Perot
As you enter positions of trust and power, dream a little before you think. Toni Morrison
Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great. John D. Rockefeller
If your objective is to be as good as you can be, then you’re going to want criticism. Ray Dalio
Make people feel like the hero of their journey and they will do more. Maxime Lagacé
The test of organization is not genius. It is its capacity to make common people achieve uncommon performance. Peter F. Drucker
Leadership is lifting a person’s vision to high sights, the raising of a person’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations. Peter F. Drucker
Leadership requires belief in the mission and unyielding perseverance to achieve victory. Jocko Willink
Stop researching every aspect of it and reading all about it and debating the pros and cons of it. Start doing it. Jocko Willink
To be more requires a man who is conceited enough to believe that the world really needs him and depends on his getting into power. Peter F. Drucker
A community is like a ship; everyone ought to be prepared to take the helm. Henrik Ibsen
Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate, and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand. Colin Powell
Time is neutral and does not change things. With courage and initiative, leaders change things. Jesse Jackson
Leadership is a mindset in action. So don’t wait for the title. Leadership isn’t something that anyone can give you – you have to earn it and claim it for yourself. Travis Bradberry
It’s not about money or connections – it’s the willingness to outwork and outlearn everyone. Mark Cuban
You can be a leader in your workplace, your neighborhood, or your family, all without having a title. Travis Bradberry
It is well to respect the leader. Learn from him. Observe him. Study him. But don’t worship him. Believe you can surpass. Believe you can go beyond. Those who harbor the second-best attitude are invariably second-best doers. David J. Schwartz
If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
The important thing is this: to be able to give up in any given moment all that we are for what we can become. DeSeaux
To the highest leadership among women it is given to hold steadily in one hand the sacred vessels that hold the ancient sanctities of life, and in the other a flaming torch to light the way for oncoming generations. Anna Garlin Spencer
The future belongs to those who prepare for it today. Malcolm X Click to tweet
Leaders are people who believe so passionately that they can seduce other people into sharing their dream. Warren Bennis
Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal. E. Joseph Cossman
A year from now you will wish you had started today. Karen Lamb
The task of the leader is to get their people from where they are to where they have not been. Henry Kissinger
It’s your unlimited power to create and to love that can make the biggest difference in the quality of your life. Tony Robbins
For me life is continuously being hungry. The meaning of life is not simply to exist, to survive, but to move ahead, to go up, to achieve, to conquer. Arnold Schwarzenegger
Throw yourself into some work you believe in with all your heart, live for it, die for it, and you will find the happiness that you had thought could never be yours. Dale Carnegie
Great masters neither want nor need your worship. Your greatest gift to them and yourself is to emulate their divinity by claiming it as your own. Alan Cohen
Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence. Vince Lombardi
When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it. Henry Ford
The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any. Alice Walker
We’re here for a reason. I believe a bit of the reason is to throw little torches out to lead people through the dark. Whoopi Goldberg
The value of achievement lies in the achieving. Albert Einstein
Leaders don’t force people to follow – they invite them on a journey. Charles S. Lauer
See also: quotes about strength
Funny And Surprising Leadership Quotes
Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off. Colin Powell Click to tweet
Only one man in a thousand is a leader of men – the other 999 follow women. Groucho Marx
People who enjoy meetings should not be in charge of anything. Thomas Sowell
You either run with lions or walk with sheep. Matshona Dhliwayo
People who don’t take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year. People who do take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year. Peter F. Drucker
In most cases being a good boss means hiring talented people and then getting out of their way. Tina Fey
South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu walked by a construction site on a temporary sidewalk the width of one person. A white man appeared at the other end, recognized Tutu, and said, ‘I don’t make way for gorillas.’ At which Tutu stepped aside, made a deep sweeping gesture, and said, ‘Ah, yes, but I do.’ Walter Wink
Lead me, follow me, or get the hell out of my way. George Patton Click to tweet
But the fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown. Carl Sagan
A man always has two reasons for doing anything: a good reason and the real reason. J.P. Morgan
If you make people think they’re thinking, they’ll love you. If you really make them think, they’ll hate you. Don Marquis
It’s hard to lead a cavalry charge if you think you look funny on a horse. Adlai Stevenson
The most effective way to do it, is to do it. Amelia Earhart
Don’t be so humble – you are not that great. Golda Meir
Deep Leadership Quotes
The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why. Warren Bennis Click to tweet
A leader operating in enemy territory should always project positivity and optimism. Naval Ravikant
A tyrant is always stirring up some war or other, in order that the people may require a leader. Plato
In times of change, learners inherit the Earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists. Eric Hoffer
Wisdom is knowing what to do next, skill is knowing how to do it, and virtue is doing it. David Star Jordan
You are judged in this world by how well you bring things to an end. A messy or incomplete conclusion can reverberate for years to come. Robert Greene
You take people as far as they will go, not as far as you would like them to go. Jeanette Rankin
Leaders shouldn’t attach moral significance to their ideas: Do that, and you can’t compromise. Peter F. Drucker
Being a leader is making the people you love hate you a little more each day. Patrick Ness
To do great things is difficult; but to command great things is more difficult. Friedrich Nietzsche
Leaders must encourage their organizations to dance to forms of music yet to be heard. Warren Bennis
Leadership should be more participative than directive, more enabling than performing. Mary D. Poole
I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion. Alexander the Great
Ninety percent of leadership is the ability to communicate something people want. Dianne Feinstein
I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination. Jimmy Dean
Show me the man you honor and I will know what kind of man you are. Thomas John Carlisle
If you are rich and powerful but unhappy, what’s the point of being rich and powerful? Thich Nhat Hanh
Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. Dalai Lama
More deep quotes
See also: The 9 Traits That Define Great Leadership
Wise Leadership Quotes (Words Of Wisdom)
The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it. Warren Bennis Click to tweet
There is nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency something that should not be done at all. Peter F. Drucker
It is not so much that man is a herd animal, said Freud, but that he is a horde animal led by a chief. Ernest Becker
Pity the leader caught between unloving critics and uncritical lovers. John Gardner
I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers. Ralph Nader
Leadership is not just about giving energy… it’s unleashing other people’s energy. Paul Polman
More leaders have been made by accident, circumstance, sheer grit, or will than have been made by all the leadership courses put together. Warren Bennis
Great leaders are not defined by the absence of weakness, but rather by the presence of clear strengths. John Zenger
Average leaders raise the bar on themselves; good leaders raise the bar for others; great leaders inspire others to raise their own bar. Orrin Woodward
Leadership is much more an art, a belief, a condition of the heart, than a set of things to do. Max De Pree
Leadership is liberating people to do what is required of them in the most effective and humane way possible. Max De Pree
If you spend your life trying to be good at everything, you will never be great at anything. Tom Rath
If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old. Peter F. Drucker Click to tweet
If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in port forever. Thomas Aquinas
To be happy we need something to solve. Happiness is therefore a form of action. Mark Manson
Doing the right thing is more important than doing the thing right. Peter F. Drucker
There are two ways of being creative. One can sing and dance. Or one can create an environment in which singers and dancers flourish. Warren Bennis
A leader is one who sees more than others see, who sees farther than others see, and who sees before others see. Leroy Eimes
Wise leaders generally have wise counselors because it takes a wise person themselves to distinguish them. Diogenes
When people are financially invested, they want a return. When people are emotionally invested, they want to contribute. Simon Sinek
A good leader is a person who takes a little more than his share of the blame and a little less than his share of the credit. John C. Maxwell
If our drive to get and maintain power drains us and strains our relationships, we never truly enjoy our professional or material success and it’s simply not worth it. Thich Nhat Hanh
You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete. Buckminster Fuller
If you really want the key to success, start by doing the opposite of what everyone else is doing. Brad Szollose
Leaders walk a fine line between self-confidence and humility. Stanley McChrystal
If a man knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favorable. Seneca
More wisdom quotes
Part 3. Leadership Quotes About…
Leadership Quotes About Serving Others (Servant Leadership), Helping Others
The highest of distinctions is service to others. King George VI Click to tweet
Don’t forget to do something for other people. Marc Benioff
One of the quickest ways to gain someone’s trust is to help that person. Justin Bariso
You’ve got to help others. Don’t just think about yourself. Help others. Arnold Schwarzenegger
The leaders who get the most out of their people are the leaders who care most about their people. Simon Sinek
Help your people grow and perform at their highest possible levels. Robert K. Greenleaf
See also: 7 Secrets of ‘Servant Leadership’ That Will Lead You to Success
Growing people and helping them to perform at high levels is a key strategy for long-term success. When employees grow, their productive capacity increases. When their productive capacity increases, the capacity of the organization increases–it can do things better, or it can do things it was not able to do before. Kent M. Keith
The servant-leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. Robert K. Greenleaf
It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed. Napoleon Hill
If you want to lead on the highest level, be willing to serve on the lowest. John C. Maxwell
Above all, leadership is a position of servanthood. Max De Pree
The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant. Max De Pree
The leader is the servant who removes the obstacles that prevent people from doing their jobs. Max De Pree
He who cannot be a good follower cannot be a good leader. Aristotle Click to tweet
We cannot ask others to do what we have not done ourselves. Christiana Figueres
Servant leadership pumps up the team with confidence, which leads to high-performance. Marcel Schwantes
When you’ve worked hard, and done well, and walked through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you. You reach back, and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed. Michelle Obama
I think leadership is service and there is power in that giving: to help people, to inspire and motivate them to reach their fullest potential. Denise Morrison
Employees of servant leaders are more helping and creative than those working with leaders who scored lower on servant leadership. Marcel Schwantes
You cannot be a leader, and ask other people to follow you, unless you know how to follow, too. Sam Rayburn
Shine your light and make a positive impact on the world; there is nothing so honorable as helping improve the lives of others. Roy T. Bennett
No matter what accomplishments you make, somebody helped you. Althea Gibson
Leadership Quotes About Education, Learning, Reading
The teacher who awakens and encourages in students a sense of possibility and responsibility is, to me, the ultimate leader. Stanley McChrystal Click to tweet
Knowledge is useless to executives unless it has been translated into deeds. Peter F. Drucker
Leaders are more powerful role models when they learn than when they teach. Rosabeth Moss Kantor
I am a man of fixed and unbending principles, the first of which is to be flexible at all times. Everett Dirksen
Are leaders born or made? This is a false dichotomy – leaders are neither born nor made. Leaders choose to be leaders. Stephen R. Covey
Taking charge of your own learning is a part of taking charge of your life, which is the sine qua non in becoming an integrated person. Warren Bennis
The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership. Harvey S. Firestone
Let the improvement of yourself keep you so busy that you have no time to criticize others. Roy T. Bennett
For everyone of us that succeeds, it’s because there’s somebody there to show you the way out. The light doesn’t always necessarily have to be in your family; for me it was teachers and school. Oprah Winfrey
It’s not the absence of leadership potential that inhibits the development of more leaders; it’s the persistence of the myth that leadership can’t be learned. This haunting myth is a far more powerful deterrent to leadership development than is the nature of the person or the basics of the leadership process. James Kouzes and Barry Posner
Part of company culture is path-dependent – it’s the lessons you learn along the way. Jeff Bezos (Amazon)
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Nelson Mandela Click to tweet
Mastery of reading and writing requires a master. Still more so life. Marcus Aurelius
Leaders know the importance of having someone in their lives who will unfailingly and fearlessly tell them the truth. Warren Bennis
The teacher who is attempting to teach without inspiring the pupil with a desire to learn is hammering on cold iron. Horace Mann
Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else. Sara Blakely
See also: education quotes
In a time of drastic change, it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists. Warren Bennis
People who cannot invent and reinvent themselves must be content with borrowed postures, secondhand ideas, fitting in instead of standing out. Warren Bennis
Being humble doesn’t mean that you lack self-confidence, or that you never stand up for your own opinions or principles. It does mean recognizing that you don’t know everything – and that you’re willing to learn from others. Justin Bariso
When you put together deep knowledge about a subject that intensely matters to you, charisma happens. You gain courage to share your passion, and when you do that, folks follow. Jerry Porras
Inexperience is an asset. Embrace it. Wendy Kopp
See also: 16 Leadership Lessons from a Four Star General
Leadership Quotes About Teamwork, Work, Business, Collaboration, Culture, Management
Teamwork makes the dream work. John C. Maxwell Click to tweet
It takes two flints to make a fire. Louisa May Alcott
The effective executive does not make staffing decisions to minimize weaknesses but to maximize strength. Peter F. Drucker
Large organization is loose organization. Nay, it would be almost as true to say that organization is always disorganization. G. K. Chesterton
In leadership writ large, mutually agreed upon purposes help people achieve consensus, assume responsibility, work for the common good, and build community. Joseph Rost
The most effective leaders aren’t extraverts or introverts. They’re ambiverts: people who strike a balance of talking and listening. Adam Grant
Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean. Ryunosuke Satoro
Leadership and management are not synonymous. Travis Bradberry
A great person attracts great people and knows how to hold them together. Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
Leaders come in two flavors, expanders and containers. The best leadership teams have a mix of both. Barbara Corcoran
The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it. Theodore Roosevelt
If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself. Henry Ford
If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants. Isaac Newton Click to tweet
My jobs as a leader is to make sure everybody in the company has great opportunities, and that they feel they’re having a meaningful impact. Larry Page (Google)
Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships. Michael Jordan
You have to learn the rules of the game. And then, you have to play it better than anyone else. Albert Einstein
Motivation comes from working on things we care about. Sheryl Sandberg (Facebook)
In your actions, don’t procrastinate. In your conversations, don’t confuse. In your thoughts, don’t wander. In your soul, don’t be passive or aggressive. In your life, don’t be all about business. Marcus Aurelius
Highly engaged employees make the customer experience. Disengaged employees break it. Timothy R. Clark
All employees have an innate desire to contribute to something bigger than themselves. Jag Randhawa
Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers. Stephen R. Covey
Everyone enjoys doing the kind of work for which he is best suited. Napoleon Hill
Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable. Kenyan Proverb Click to tweet
I know of no single formula for success. But over the years I have observed that some attributes of leadership are universal and are often about finding ways of encouraging people to combine their efforts, their talents, their insights, their enthusiasm and their inspiration to work together. Queen Elizabeth II
Culture is about performance, and making people feel good about how they contribute to the whole. Tracy Streckenbach
My job is not to be easy on people. My job is to take these great people we have and to push them and make them even better. Steve Jobs
See also: How To Be A Good Leader: The Complete Guide
Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilisation work. Vince Lombardi
The strength of the team is each member. The strength of each member is the team. Phil Jackson
Everyone talks about building a relationship with your customer. I think you build one with your employees first. Angela Ahrendts
The lightning spark of thought generated in the solitary mind awakens its likeness in another mind. Thomas Carlyle
No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it. H.E. Luccock
Many ideas grow better when transplanted into another mind than the one where they sprang up. Oliver Wendell Holmes
No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you’re playing a solo game, you’ll always lose out to a team. Reid Hoffman
Until all of us have made it, none of us have made it. Rosemary Brown
Leadership Quotes About Encouragement, Kindness, Listening, Communication
When people talk, listen completely. Ernest Hemingway Click to tweet
Communication is the most important skill any leader can possess. Richard Branson
So much of leadership ability is about how other people experience themselves in your presence. A great leader has a presence that makes other people bigger. Shane Parrish
I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people. Mahatma Gandhi
You who are journalists, writers, citizens, you have the right and duty to say to those you have elected that they must practice mindfulness, calm and deep listening, and loving speech. This is universal thing, taught by all religions. Thich Nhat Hanh
Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it. Marian Anderson
I have no methods. All I do is accept people as they are. Joan Rivers Click to tweet
Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them become what they are capable of being. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best. Epictetus
The art of communication is the language of leadership. James Humes
One of the toughest things for leaders to master is kindness. Kindness shares credit and offers enthusiastic praise for others’ work. It’s a balancing act between being genuinely kind and not looking weak. Travis Bradberry
Your number one customers are your people. Look after employees first and then customers last. Ian Hutchinson
Dispirited, unmotivated, unappreciated workers cannot compete in a highly competitive world. Francis Hesselbein
I consider my ability to arouse enthusiasm among men the greatest asset I possess. The way to develop the best that is in a man is by appreciation and encouragement. Charles Schwab
Trade your expectation for appreciation and the world changes instantly. Tony Robbins Click to tweet
Even in a crowded room, likable leaders make people feel like they’re having a one-on-one conversation, as if they’re the only person in the room that matters. And, for that moment, they are. Likable leaders communicate on a very personal, emotional level. Travis Bradberry
People want to know they matter and they want to be treated as people. That’s the new talent contract. Pamela Stroko
See also: The Best Kindness Quotes
Being a good leader requires remembering that you’re there for a reason, and the reason certainly isn’t to have your way. High-integrity leaders not only welcome questioning and criticism – they insist on it. Travis Bradberry
There are only three measurements that tell you nearly everything you need to know about your organization’s overall performance: employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and cash flow. Jack Welch
“Turned on” people figure out how to beat the competition, “Turned off” people only complain about being beaten by the competition. Ben Simonton
Connect the dots between individual roles and the goals of the organization. When people see that connection, they get a lot of energy out of work. They feel the importance, dignity, and meaning in their job. Ken Blanchard
The way your employees feel is the way your customers will feel. And if your employees don’t feel valued, neither will your customers. Sybil F. Stershic
Don’t blow off another’s candle for it won’t make yours shine brighter. Jaachynma N.E. Agu
You must unite your constituents around a common cause and connect with them as human beings. James Kouzes and Barry Posner
Power isn’t control at all–power is strength, and giving that strength to others. A leader isn’t someone who forces others to make him stronger; a leader is someone willing to give his strength to others that they may have the strength to stand on their own. Beth Revis
I have three precious things which I hold fast and prize. The first is gentleness; the second is frugality; the third is humility, which keeps me from putting myself before others. Be gentle and you can be bold; be frugal and you can be liberal; avoid putting yourself before others and you can become a leader among men.” Lao Tzu
Sharing emotions builds deeper relationships. Sheryl Sandberg (Facebook)
Everyone wants to be appreciated, so if you appreciate someone, don’t keep it a secret. Mary Kay Ash
When you stop expecting people to be perfect, you can like them for who they are. Donald Miller
Leadership Quotes About Change
Change before you have to. Jack Welch Click to tweet
Leadership is an ever-evolving position. Mike Krzyzewski
In the end, it is important to remember that we cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are. Max De Pree
Don’t seek for everything to happen as you wish it would, but rather wish that everything happens as it actually will – then your life will flow well. Epictetus
Success in management requires learning as fast as the world is changing. Warren Bennis
Leaders should always expect the very best of those around them. They know that people can change and grow. Warren Bennis
In life, change is inevitable. In business, change is vital. Warren Bennis Click to tweet
The higher you want to climb, the more you need leadership. The greater the impact you want to make, the greater your influence needs to be. John C. Maxwell
The things we fear most in organizations – fluctuations, disturbances, imbalances – are the primary sources of creativity. Margaret Wheatley
We cannot change what we are not aware of, and once we are aware, we cannot help but change. Sheryl Sandberg (Facebook)
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead
There’s nothing more demoralizing than a leader who can’t clearly articulate why we’re doing what we’re doing. James Kouzes and Barry Posner
The domain of leaders is the future. The leader’s unique legacy is the creation of valued institutions that survive over time. The most significant contribution leaders make is not simply to today’s bottom line; it is to the long-term development of people and institutions so they can adapt, change, prosper, and grow. James Kouzes and Barry Posner
It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. Charles Darwin
If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to. If you are not afraid of dying, there is nothing you cannot achieve. Lao Tzu
Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have. Margaret Mead
Leadership Quotes About Effectiveness, Doing The Right Thing
The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do. Michael Porter Click to tweet
The time is always right to do what is right. Martin Luther King Jr
Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out. Stephen R. Covey
The term ‘power’ comes from the Latin posse: to do, to be able, to change, to influence or effect. To have power is to possess the capacity to control or direct change. All forms of leadership must make use of power. The central issue of power in leadership is not Will it be used? But rather Will it be used wisely and well? Al Gini
Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest. Mark Twain
Now, here are some of the best quotes from Peter F. Drucker, the founder of modern management.
His most popular books are The Effective Executive and The Practice of Management.
Also, check out his award winning article What Makes an Effective Executive
Effectiveness is a habit. Peter F. Drucker
Effective executives do not make a great many decisions. They concentrate on what is important. Peter F. Drucker
Effective executives […] try to find the constants in a situation, to think through what is strategic and generic rather than to ‘solve problems’. Peter F. Drucker
Effective executives […] want impact rather than technique. And they want to be sound rather than clever. Peter F. Drucker
Effective executives do not start out with their tasks. They start out with their time. And they do not start out with planning. They start by finding out where their time actually goes. Peter F. Drucker
All one has to do is to learn to say “no” if an activity contributes nothing to one’s own organization, to oneself, or to the organization for whom it is to be performed. Peter F. Drucker
It is more productive to convert an opportunity into results than to solve a problem – which only restores the equilibrium of yesterday. Peter F. Drucker
Above all, effective executives treat change as an opportunity rather than a threat. They systematically look at changes, inside and outside the corporation, and ask, “How can we exploit this change as an opportunity for our enterprise?”. Peter F. Drucker
What we need is a way to identify the areas of effectiveness (of possible significant results), and a method for concentrating on them. Peter F. Drucker
What is the manager’s job? It is to direct the resources and the efforts of the business toward opportunities for economically significant results. Peter F. Drucker
Effective executives put their best people on opportunities rather than on problems. Peter F. Drucker Click to tweet
Every analysis of actual allocation of resources and efforts in business that I have ever seen or made showed clearly that the bulk of time, work, attention, and money first goes to problems rather than to opportunities, and, secondly, to areas where even extraordinarily successful performance will have minimal impact on results. Peter F. Drucker
An executive who makes many decisions is both lazy and ineffectual. Peter F. Drucker
Time is the scarcest resource, and unless it is managed, nothing else can be managed. Peter F. Drucker
I have never encountered an executive who remains effective while tackling more than two tasks at a time. Peter F. Drucker
Problem solving, however necessary, does not produce results. It prevents damage. Exploiting opportunities produces results. Peter F. Drucker
The focus on contribution is the key to effectiveness. Peter F. Drucker
The knowledge worker cannot be supervised closely or in detail. He can only be helped. But he must direct himself, and he must direct himself toward performance and contribution, that is, toward effectiveness. Peter F. Drucker
The focus on contribution by itself supplies the four basic requirements of effective human relations: communications; teamwork; self-development; and development of others. Peter F. Drucker
Effective executives do first things first and they do one thing at a time. Peter F. Drucker
There seems to be little correlation between a man’s effectiveness and his intelligence, his imagination or his knowledge. Peter F. Drucker
Working on the right things is what makes knowledge work effective. Peter F. Drucker
Effective executives do not race. They set an easy pace but keep going steadily. Peter F. Drucker Click to tweet
The less an organization has to do to produce results, the better it does its job. Peter F. Drucker
To be effective every knowledge worker, and especially every executive, therefore needs to be able to dispose of time in fairly large chunks. To have small dribs and drabs of time at his disposal will not be sufficient even if the total is an impressive number of hours. Peter F. Drucker
Without an action plan, the executive becomes a prisoner of events. And without check-ins to reexamine the plan as events unfold, the executive has no way of knowing which events really matter and which are only noise. Peter F. Drucker
The people who get nothing done often work a great deal harder. In the first place, they underestimate the time for any one task. They always expect that everything will go right. Yet, as every executive knows, nothing ever goes right. The unexpected always happens—the unexpected is indeed the only thing one can confidently expect. Peter F. Drucker
“Is this still worth doing?” And if it isn’t, he gets rid of it so as to be able to concentrate on the few tasks that, if done with excellence, will really make a difference in the results of his own job and in the performance of his organization. Peter F. Drucker
If there is any one “secret” of effectiveness, it is concentration. Peter F. Drucker
See also: focus quotes, Tim Ferriss quotes (On productivity, effectiveness, etc.)
Leadership Quotes About Bad Leadership (Leader vs Boss, Leader vs Manager)
A boss loves power; a leader loves people. Amit Kalantri Click to tweet
No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it. Andrew Carnegie
A leader is not an administrator who loves to run others, but someone who carries water for his people so that they can get on with their jobs. Robert Townsend
A good leader leads the people from above them. A great leader leads the people from within them. M. D. Arnold
There is a difference between being a leader and being a boss. Both are based on authority. A boss demands blind obedience; a leader earns his authority through understanding and trust. Klaus Balkenhol
I always believe that ultimately, if people are paying attention, then we get good government and good leadership. And when we get lazy, as a democracy and civically start taking shortcuts, then it results in bad government and politics. Barack Obama
I don’t think you lead by pessimism and cynicism. I think you lead by optimism and enthusiasm and energy. Patricia Ireland
A boss says “you do it”, a leader says “Let’s do it”. Amit Kalantri
Managers do things right. Leaders do the right thing. Warren Bennis Click to tweet
People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. The leader leads, and the boss drives. Theodore Roosevelt
Good leaders make people feel that they’re at the very heart of things, not at the periphery. Warren Bennis
You can’t sell it outside if you can’t sell it inside. Stan Slap
It is so easy to break down and destroy. The heroes are those who make peace and build. Nelson Mandela
A good leader can engage in a debate frankly and thoroughly, knowing that at the end he and the other side must be closer, and thus emerge stronger. You don’t have that idea when you are arrogant, superficial, and uninformed. Nelson Mandela
The cynics may be the loudest voices – but I promise you, they will accomplish the least. Barack Obama
Few things kill likeability as quickly as arrogance. Likable leaders don’t act as though they’re better than you because they don’t think that they’re better than you. Rather than being a source of prestige, they see their leadership position as bringing them additional accountability for serving those who follow them. Travis Bradberry
Kindness is weak when you use it in a self-serving manner. Self-serving kindness is thin – people can see right through it when a kind leader has an agenda. Travis Bradberry
If you want to be a leader whom people follow with absolute conviction, you have to be a likable leader. Tyrants and curmudgeons with brilliant vision can command a reluctant following for a time, but it never lasts. They burn people out before they ever get to see what anyone is truly capable of. Travis Bradberry
The manager has his eye on the bottom line; the leader has his eye on the horizon. Warren Bennis
The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective. Warren Bennis
Leadership Quotes About Being A True Leader, Giving The Example
What you do has far greater impact than what you say. Steven R. Covey Click to tweet
Good leaders see more in people than people see in themselves. Mark Sanborn
Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing. Albert Schweitzer
What you do is what matters, not what you think or say or plan. Jason Fried
That one can truly manage other people is by no means adequately proven. But one can always manage one’s self. Indeed, executives who do not manage themselves for effectiveness cannot possibly expect to manage their associates and subordinates. Management is largely by example. Peter F. Drucker
Disagreement, especially if forced to be reasoned, thought through, documented, is the most effective stimulus we know. Peter F. Drucker
The best way to lead people into the future is to connect with them deeply in the present. James Kouzes and Barry Posner
Real leadership is leaders recognizing that they serve the people that they lead. Pete Hoekstra
Inspiring conduct has so much more of an impact than coercing it. Thomas Friedman
A leader should have higher grit and tenacity, and be able to endure what the employees can’t. Jack Ma (alibaba.com)
It is much more powerful to get others to agree with you through your actions, without saying a word. Demonstrate, do not explicate. Robert Greene
Real leaders are ordinary people with extraordinary determinations. John Seaman Garns
Great Groups need to know that the person at the top will fight like a tiger for them. Warren Bennis
Courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own. Michelle Obama Click to tweet
Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions. Harold S. Geneen
It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts. John Wooden
All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership. John Kenneth Galbraith
True leadership lies in guiding others to success–in ensuring that everyone is performing at their best, doing the work they are pledged to do and doing it well. Bill Owens
If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain. Maya Angelou
See also: The Best Maya Angelou Quotes
If you would convince a man that he does wrong, do right. But do not care to convince him. Men will believe what they see. Let them see. Henry David Thoreau
It’s impossible to engage people when you’re not engaged yourself, and if you’re not engaged then why should they be. Gordon Tredgold
The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction and the will to carry on. Walter Lippmann
Identify your problems, but give your power and energy to solutions. Tony Robbins
To have long-term success as a coach or in any position of leadership, you have to be obsessed in some way. Pat Riley
True leaders don’t give consoling answers, they take constructive actions. Amit Kalantri
A true leader leads by empowering not by enslaving. Debasish Mridha
Leadership Quotes About Trust, Respect, Influence
I cannot trust a man to control others who cannot control himself. Robert E. Lee Click to tweet
When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everyone will respect you. Lao Tzu
Consistency is the true foundation of trust. Either keep your promises or do not make them. Roy T. Bennett
Trust is the lubrication that makes it possible for organizations to work. Warren Bennis
Remember, teamwork begins by building trust. And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability. Patrick Lencioni
If people believe you have a plan, that you know where you are going, they will follow you instinctively. Robert Greene
True leaders actually do very little leading. Instead, they create and maintain a framework that allows others to lead, create, and grow. Neil Strauss
Humans are ambitious and rational and proud. And we don’t fall in line with people who don’t respect us and who we don’t believe have our best interests at heart. We are willing to follow leaders, but only to the extent that we believe they call on our best, not our worst. Rachel Maddow
Leaders must always put their people before themselves. If you do that, your business will take care of itself. Sam Walton (Walmart)
Divorced from ethics, leadership is reduced to management and politics to mere technique. James MacGregor Burns
The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say ‘I.’ And that’s not because they have trained themselves not to say ‘I.’ They don’t think ‘I.’ They think ‘we’; they think ‘team.’ They understand their job to be to make the team function. They accept responsibility and don’t sidestep it, but ‘we’ gets the credit. This is what creates trust, what enables you to get the task done. Peter F. Drucker
It is the responsibility of intellectuals to speak the truth and expose lies. Noam Chomsky
A leader takes people where they would never go on their own. Hans Finzel Click to tweet
A man can only lead when others accept him as their leader, and he has only as much authority as his subjects give to him. All of the brilliant ideas in the world cannot save your kingdom if no one will listen to them. Brandon Sanderson
One of the best ways to influence people is to make them feel important. Roy T. Bennett
If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart. Nelson Mandela
In a battle between two ideas, the best one doesn’t necessarily win. No, the idea that wins is the one with the most fearless heretic behind it. Seth Godin
See also: respect quotes
I don’t see myself being special; I just see myself having more responsibilities than the next man. People look to me to do things for them, to have answers. Tupac Shakur
Leaders can conceive and articulate goals that lift people out of their petty preoccupations and unite them in pursuit of objectives worthy of their best efforts. John Gardner
It is not fair to ask of others what you are unwilling to do yourself. Eleanor Roosevelt
The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority. Kenneth Blanchard
Quotes About Leadership, Self-Confidence, Knowing Yourself, Integrity
Emotions are not a choice. Behavior is. Mark Manson Click to tweet
Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power. Lao Tzu
At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want. Lao Tzu
A strong leader avoids becoming over-confident to the point of impaired judgment. Daniel Lubetzky
The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born – that there is a genetic factor to leadership. This myth asserts that people simply either have certain charismatic qualities or not. That’s nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born. Warren Bennis
If I won’t be myself, who will? Alfred Hitchcock
Fear is a useless emotion. Don’t ever make decisions based on fear. Make decisions based on hope and possibility. Michelle Obama
Whether you come from a council estate or a country estate, your success will be determined by your own confidence and fortitude. Michelle Obama
Always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody else says distract you from your goals. Michelle Obama
It’s time you realized that you have something in you more powerful and miraculous than the things that affect you and make you dance like a puppet. Marcus Aurelius
Pursue one great decisive aim with force and determination. Carl von Clausewitz
The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves. Ray Kroc
Know your core competencies and focus on being great at them. Mark Cuban
The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me. Ayn Rand Click to tweet
Life is essentially an endless series of problems. The solution to one problem is merely the creation of another. Mark Manson
You and everyone you know are going to be dead soon. And in the short amount of time between here and there, you have a limited amount of fucks to give. Very few, in fact. And if you go around giving a fuck about everything and everyone without conscious thought or choice – well, then you’re going to get fucked. Mark Manson
To be authentic is literally to be your own author, to discover your own native energies and desires, and then to find your own way of acting on them. Warren Bennis
The most important quality in a leader is integrity: doing the right thing even when it’s hard. Mary Barry (GM)
Every leader has the responsibility to hone his or her integrity. Many times, there are integrity traps that have a tendency to catch well-meaning leaders off guard. Travis Bradberry
Being a leader requires being confident enough in your own decisions and those of your team to own them when they fail. The very best leaders take the blame but share the credit. Travis Bradberry
Everybody’s got a past. The past does not equal the future unless you live there. Tony Robbins
We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be. Kurt Vonnegut
When I hear about negative and false attacks, I really don’t invest any energy in them, because I know who I am. Michelle Obama
Just be true to yourself, don’t try to put on airs and graces or pretend to be something your not. Gordon Tredgold
People who succeed at the highest level are not lucky; they’re doing something differently than everyone else. Tony Robbins
When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier. Roy E. Disney
The most fulfilled and effective people I know – world-famous creatives, billionaires, thought leaders, and more – look at their life’s journey as perhaps 25 percent finding themselves and 75 percent creating themselves. Tim Ferriss
If you hear a voice within you say, ‘You cannot paint,’ then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced. Vincent Van Gogh
Don’t you dare underestimate the power of your own instinct. Barbara Corcoran
Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right. Henry Ford
Trust the still, small voice that says, ‘this might work and I’ll try it’. Diane Mariechild
More confidence quotes
Quotes About Leadership, Courage, Taking Risks, Tough Times, Never Giving Up
It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light. Aristotle Click to tweet
You get in life what you have the courage to ask for. Nancy D. Solomon
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King Jr
Scientists have shown that achievement depends less on ability in doing research than on the courage to go after opportunity. Peter F. Drucker
Move fast and break things. Unless you are breaking stuff, you are not moving fast enough. Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook)
Cautious, careful people, always casting about to preserve their reputation and social standing, never can bring about a reform. Those who are really in earnest must be willing to be anything or nothing in the world’s estimation, and publicly and privately, in season and out, avow their sympathy with despised and persecuted ideas and their advocates, and bear the consequences. Susan B. Anthony
But to practice leadership, you need to accept that you are in the business of generating chaos, confusion, and conflict. Ronald Heifetz
The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. Amelia Earhart
Life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent of how I react to it. Charles Swindoll
You get in life what you have the courage to ask for. Nancy D. Solomon
Not taking failures personally allows us to recover – and even to thrive. Sheryl Sandberg (Facebook)
You have to take opportunities and make an opportunity fit for you, rather than the other way around. Sheryl Sandberg
Nothing in life that’s worth anything is easy. Barack Obama Click to tweet
Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars. Kahlil Gibran
Who you are is defined by what you’re willing to struggle for. Mark Manson
Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits. Thomas Edison
Courage is the power of the mind to overcome fear. Martin Luther King Jr
I believe that the most important single thing, beyond discipline and creativity is daring to dare. Maya Angelou
A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new. Albert Einstein
Good things come to those who initiate. Susan RoAne
When it’s tough, will you give up, or will you be relentless? Jeff Bezos (Amazon)
Everything you want is on the other side of fear. Jack Canfield
See also: Marcus Aurelius quotes
I’m not the bravest or smartest person, but I’m courageous enough to dream big, challenge myself and take bold risks. Richard Branson
Progress will come in fits and starts. It’s not always a straight line. It’s not always a smooth path. Barack Obama
It is impossible to be a maverick or a true original if you’re too well behaved and don’t want to break the rules. You have to think outside the box. Arnold Schwarzenegger
You can’t be paralyzed by fear of failure or you will never push yourself. You keep pushing because you believe in yourself and in your vision and you know that it is the right thing to do, and success will come. So don’t be afraid to fail. Arnold Schwarzenegger
The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. Nelson Mandela
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King Jr
Wisdom equals knowledge plus courage. You have to not only know what to do and when to do it, but you have to also be brave enough to follow through. Jarod Kintz
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage. Anaïs Nin
Courage is grace under pressure. Ernest Hemingway
Quotes About Leadership, Loneliness, Expectations, Pressure
No pressure, no diamonds. Thomas Carlyle Click to tweet
All alone! Whether you like it or not, alone is something you’ll be quite a lot! Dr. Seuss
Remember: the time you feel lonely is the time you most need to be by yourself. Life’s cruelest irony. Douglas Coupland
You can’t base your life on other people’s expectations. Stevie Wonder
Do what you feel in your heart to be right, for you’ll be criticized anyway. Eleanor Roosevelt
If you’re lonely when you’re alone, you’re in bad company. Jean-Paul Sartre Click to tweet
Whoever is providing leadership needs to be as fresh and thoughtful and reflective as possible to make the very best fight. Faye Wattleton
Leaders should be able to stand alone, take the heat, bear the pain, tell the truth, and do what’s right. Max De Pree
A leader must have the courage to act against an expert’s advice. James Callaghan
I find my life is a lot easier the lower I keep my expectations. Bill Watterson
I do know one thing about me: I don’t measure myself by others’ expectations or let others define my worth. Sonia Sotomayor
Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be and he will become as he can and should be. Stephen R. Covey
Never idealize others. They will never live up to your expectations. Leo Buscaglia
Let your dreams outgrow the shoes of your expectations. Ryunosuke Satoro
Peace begins when expectation ends. Sri Chinmoy
One always expects something else. Erich Maria Remarque
We live as we dream – alone… Joseph Conrad
Being alone never felt right. sometimes it felt good, but it never felt right. Charles Bukowski
Great athletes perform better under pressure, so put pressure on me. Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
Don’t be afraid of pressure. Pressure is what transforms a lump of coal into a diamond. Nicky Gumbel
A diamond is a chunk of coal that is made good under pressure. Henry A. Kissinger
Your friends will believe in your potential, your enemies will make you live up to it. Tim Fargo
If you want to find the real competition, just look in the mirror. After awhile you’ll see your rivals scrambling for second place. Criss Jami
Don’t ever let the pressure exceed the pleasure. Joe Maddon Click to tweet
The only pressure I’m under is the pressure I’ve put on myself. Mark Messier
Pressure is what you feel when you don’t know what’s going on. Chuck Noll
You should have high expectations for yourself and others should come second. Florence Welch
There are no road signs to help navigate. And in fact, no one has yet determined which side of the road we’re supposed to be on. Steve Case
To free us from the expectations of others, to give us back to ourselves – there lies the great, singular power of self-respect. Joan Didion
I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine. Bruce Lee
My expectations of other people, I double them on myself. James Brown
Solitude is fine but you need someone to tell that solitude is fine. Honoré de Balzac
All great and precious things are lonely. John Steinbeck
One isn’t born one’s self. One is born with a mass of expectations, a mass of other people’s ideas – and you have to work through it all. V. S. Naipaul
See also: 21 Ways to Let Go and Free Yourself
A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent. Douglas MacArthur
Expectations are dangerous when they are both too high and unformed. Lionel Shriver
The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud. Coco Chanel
Be brave to stand for what you believe in even if you stand alone. Roy T. Bennett
Quotes About Leadership, Having A Vision, Innovation, Dreams, The Future
Your job is to create a world that lasts forever. Steven Spielberg Click to tweet
Control your own destiny or someone else will. Jack Welch
A leader or a man of action in a crisis almost always acts subconsciously and then thinks of the reasons for his action. Jawaharlal Nehru
The truly important events on the outside are not the trends. They are the changes in the trends. These determine ultimately the success or failure of an organization and its efforts. Peter F. Drucker
There’s a silly notion that failure’s not an option at NASA. Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough. Elon Musk
Most companies need a “Chief Simplification Officer” more than they need a “Chief Innovation Officer”. Dharmesh Shah (HubSpot)
Changes call for innovation, and innovation leads to progress. Li Keqiang
Leadership can be thought of as a capacity to define oneself to others in a way that clarifies and expands a vision of the future. Edwin H. Friedman
Great leaders always seem to embody two seemingly disparate qualities. They are both highly visionary and highly practical. John C. Maxwell
Confusion is a word we have invented for an order that is not yet understood. Henry Miller
Standing still = death. The only way to succeed is to be constantly experimenting and innovating. Peter Diamandis
Companies have too many experts who block innovation. True innovation comes from perpendicular thinking. Peter Diamandis
I believe you have to be willing to be misunderstood if you’re going to innovate. Jeff Bezos (Amazon)
Always work hard on something uncomfortably exciting. Larry Page (Google)
Any conversation I have about innovation starts with the ultimate goal. Sergey Brin (Google)
Our industry does not respect tradition. What it respects is innovation. Satya Nadella (Microsoft)
America would be a better place if leaders would do more long-term thinking. Wilma Mankiller
It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else. Erma Bombeck
Building a mission and building a business go hand-in-hand. Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook)
Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears. Les Brown
The greatest leaders mobilize others by coalescing people around a shared vision. Ken Blanchard
We did not come to fear the future. We came here to shape it. Barack Obama
If you’re not failing every now and again, it’s a sign you’re not doing anything very innovative. Woody Allen
The best way to predict the future is to invent it. Alan Kay Click to tweet
It seems like the world is crumbling out there, but it is actually a great time in your life to get a little crazy, follow your curiosity and be ambitious about it. Larry Page (Google)
We see the future not as something out of our control, but as something we can shape for the better through concerted and collective effort. Barack Obama
It is often easier to make progress on mega-ambitious dreams. Since no one else is crazy enough to do it, you have little competition. Larry Page
It may be that those who do most, dream most. Stephen Leacock
Don’t listen to the naysayers. Make sure that you’re working your butt off. Make sure that you have a very clear vision of where you want to go. Don’t shoot for lower goals – shoot for the stars.Arnold Schwarzenegger
You can have the best ship in the world, but if the captain doesn’t know where to go, he’s going to just drift around and is going to get lost. Arnold Schwarzenegger
Something burned inside me. I wanted to be different; I was determined to be unique. I was driven to think big and to dream big. Arnold Schwarzenegger
You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. Martin Luther King Jr
A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week. George Patton
Dreams are the touchstones of our characters. Henry David Thoreau
We aim above the mark to hit the mark. Ralph Waldo Emerson Click to tweet
If you want to build something great, you should focus on what the change is that you want to make in the world. Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook)
There’s an old Wayne Gretzky quote that I love. I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been. And we’ve always tried to do that at Apple. Since the very, very beginning. Steve Jobs
Some people dream of success, while other people get up every morning and make it happen. Wayne Huizenga
You can’t just sit there and wait for people to give you that golden dream. You’ve got to get out there and make it happen for yourself. Diana Ross
Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember that this whole thing was started with a dream and a mouse. Walt Disney
The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams. Oprah Winfrey
You’ll attract the employees you need if you can explain why your mission is compelling: not why it’s important in general, but why you’re doing something important that no one else is going to get done. Peter Thiel
Infuse your life with action. Don’t wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope. Bradley Whitford
Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion. Jack Welch
Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. Robert Louis Stevenson
Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs. Farrah Gray
Immerse yourself in the energy of what you desire. Hiro Boga
You have to believe that the dots will somehow connect in your future. Steve Jobs
Part 4. Quotes About Leadership From The Greatest Leaders (Actual And Historical)
Quotes About Leadership From The Greatest Women Leaders
I have had a lot of setbacks that I have learned from. Susan Wojcicki (Youtube) Click to tweet
Find the smartest people you can and surround yourself with them. Marissa Meyer (Google, Yahoo)
A truly equal world would be one where women ran half our countries and companies and men ran half our homes. Sheryl Sandberg (Facebook)
Leadership is the expectation that you can use your voice for good, that you can make the world a better place. Sheryl Sandberg
I am not in favour of quotas. Just put the best person into the job. It is not about gender; it is about experience, leadership and vision. Angela Ahrendts (Apple Retail Business)
To do what you wanna do, to leave a mark – in a way that you think is important and lasting – that’s a life well-lived. Laurene Powell Jobs (American businesswoman, widow of Steve Jobs)
We are responsible for each other. I am trying to convince doubters. There is still work to do. Angela Merkel (German politician)
It does not make sense that everybody should duplicate efforts when we could be working together. Theresa May (British politician)
A woman with a voice is by definition a strong woman. But the search to find that voice can be remarkably difficult. Melinda Gates (American philanthropist)
Connect deeply with others. Our humanity is the one thing that we all have in common. Melinda Gates
If you do every job like you’re going to do it for the rest of your life, that’s when you get noticed. Mary Barra (CEO of General Motors)
Even a small reduction in errors and rework can have a significant impact. Abigail Johnson (Fidelity Investments)
Forget about the fast lane. If you really want to fly, just harness your power to your passion. Oprah Winfrey (American media proprietor)
Turn your wounds into wisdom. Oprah Winfrey Click to tweet
To me, leadership is about encouraging people. It’s about stimulating them. It’s about enabling them to achieve what they can achieve – and to do that with a purpose. Christine Lagarde (International Monetary Fund)
The price of inaction is far greater than the cost of a mistake. Meg Whitman (American business executive)
It’s all to do with the training: you can do a lot if you’re properly trained. Queen Elizabeth II (Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand since 6 February 1952)
Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world. Hillary Clinton (American statesman)
As more and more women, men and young people raise their voices and become active in local government, and more local leaders take action for the safety of women and girls, change happens. Michelle Bachelet (Chile)
‘Never look back’ is my philosophy. Helen Clark (New Zealand)
We do not need magic to transform our world. We carry all of the power we need inside ourselves already. J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter)
There are still many causes worth sacrificing for, so much history yet to be made. Michelle Obama (ex first lady of United-States)
We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own ‘to do’ list. Michelle Obama
To achieve something meaningful, you need to know where you are heading and be willing to train hard to get there. Arianna Huffington (Greek American author)
I don’t want other people to decide who I am. I want to decide that for myself. Emma Watson (British actress, activist, Harry Potter)
A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle. Gloria Steinem (American feminist and activist)
Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning. Gloria Steinem
Greatness is consistency driven by a deep love of the work. Maria Popova Maria Popova (Bulgarian-born writer, brainpickings.org)
A leader who doesn’t hesitate before he sends his nation into battle is not fit to be a leader. Golda Meir (Israeli teacher)
Turbulence is the beginning of a fruitful process of transformation. Indra Nooyi (PepsiCo)
We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced. Malala Yousafzai (Pakistani activist, youngest Nobel Prize laureate)
Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person. Mother Teresa (Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary)
Quotes About Leadership From The Greatest Men Leaders
No one can grow if he does not accept his smallness. Pope Francis (266th Pope of the Catholic Church)
Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago. Warren Buffett (American business magnate, second-highest amount given to charity ($30.7 billion) among the greatest philanthropists)
Strength and wisdom are not opposing values. Bill Clinton (42nd President of the United States)
Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them. Dalai Lama (real name Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama)
If you can’t tolerate critics, don’t do anything new or interesting. Jeff Bezos (Amazon.com)
A leader should have higher grit and tenacity, and be able to endure what the employees can’t. Jack Ma (Alibaba)
It doesn’t matter how great your original product or idea is, if you can’t build a great company, then your product will not endure. Brian Chesky (Airbnb)
When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor. Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX)
Leadership should be focused on extending the ladder of opportunity for everyone. Justin Trudeau (23rd Prime Minister of Canada)
In order to remain relevant, you must establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry. Marc BenioffMarc Benioff (Salesforce)
The best cure for the body is a quiet mind. Napoleon Bonaparte (French statesman and military leader)
The truest wisdom is a resolute determination. Napoleon Bonaparte Click to tweet
The hardest thing about being a leader is demonstrating or showing vulnerability… When the leader demonstrates vulnerability and sensibility and brings people together, the team wins. Howard Schultz (Starbucks)
I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what’s next. Steve Jobs (Apple)
The sidelines are not where you want to live your life. The world needs you in the arena. Tim Cook (Apple)
Abundance is not about providing everyone on this planet with a life of luxury—rather it’s about providing all with a life of possibility. Peter Diamandis (X Prize Foundation, Greek American engineer)
Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power. Abraham Lincoln (16th President of the United States)
My country is the world, and my religion is to do good. Thomas Paine (English-born American political activist)
You have as much laughter as you have faith. Martin Luther (German professor of theology, composer, priest, and monk) Click to tweet
The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it. Albert Einstein (German-born theoretical physicist)
You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty. Mahatma Gandhi (Indian activist, leader of the Indian independence movement against British rule)
Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Buddha (sage, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded)
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. Plato (Greek philosopher)
It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop. Confucius (Chinese teacher)
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. Benjamin Franklin (polymath and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States)
What worries you, masters you. John Locke (English philosopher and physician)
Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories. Sun Tzu (Chinese general, military strategist)
I am the captain of my soul. Nelson Mandela (South African anti-apartheid revolutionary)
Quotes About Leadership From Presidents And Prime Ministers
Making your mark on the world is hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. But it’s not. It takes patience, it takes commitment and it comes with plenty of failure along the way. Barack Obama (44th President of the United States from 2009 to 2017)
If you work hard and meet your responsibilities, you can get ahead, no matter where you come from, what you look like or who you love. Barack Obama
It is absolutely necessary… for me to have persons that can think for me, as well as execute orders. George Washington (first President of the United States from 1789 to 1797)
Old minds are like old horses; you must exercise them if you wish to keep them in working order. John Adams (second President of the United States from 1797-1801)
Whenever you do a thing, act as if all the world were watching. Thomas Jefferson (third President of the United States from 1801 to 1809)
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. John Quincy Adams (sixth President of the United States from 1825 to 1829)
Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough. Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd President of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945)
You do not lead by hitting people over the head – that’s assault, not leadership. Dwight D. Eisenhower (34th President of the United States from 1953 to 1961)
The supreme quality of leadership is integrity. Dwight D. Eisenhower
Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it. Dwight D. Eisenhower
Pull the string, and it will follow wherever you wish. Push it, and it will go nowhere at all. Dwight D. Eisenhower
Things do not happen. Things are made to happen. John F. Kennedy (35th President of the United States from January 1961 until his assassination in November 1963)
Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly. John F. Kennedy Click to tweet
The greater our knowledge increases, the more our ignorance unfolds. John F. Kennedy
Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate. John F. Kennedy
There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long-range risks of comfortable inaction. John F. Kennedy
The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining. John F. Kennedy
Victory has a hundred fathers and defeat is an orphan. John F. Kennedy
As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. John F. Kennedy
Man is still the most extraordinary computer of all. John F. Kennedy
Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future. John F. Kennedy
Doing what is right isn’t the problem. It is knowing what is right. Lyndon B Johnson (36th President of the United States from 1963 to 1969)
The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things. Ronald Reagan (40th President of the United States from 1981 to 1989)
You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand. Woodrow Wilson (28th President of the United States from 1913 to 1921)
Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential. Winston Churchill (Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955)
Don’t follow the crowd, let the crowd follow you. Margaret Thatcher (Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990)
Part 5. Quotes About Leadership For Kids, Students And The Next Generation
Good leaders must first become good servants. Robert Greenleaf Click to tweet
Part 1. Our society is founded on a very limited definition of power, namely wealth, professional success, fame, physical strength, military might, and political control. Thich Nhat Hanh
Part 2. My dear friends, I suggest that there is another kind of power, a greater power: the power to be happy right in the present moment, free from addiction, fear, despair, discrimination, anger and ignorance. Thich Nhat Hanh
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 (Wal-Mart)
I never thought in terms of being a leader. I thought very simply in terms of helping people. John Hume
Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other. John F. Kennedy
The less you talk, the more people think about your words. Unknown
If you knew how much work went into it, you wouldn’t call it genius. Michelangelo
A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops. Henry Adams
If we did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves. Thomas Edison Click to tweet
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind. Dr. Seuss
Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. Thomas Edison
If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them. Henry David Thoreau
All our dreams can come true – if we have the courage to pursue them. Walt Disney
See also: 18 Tips To Be a More Successful Young Leader
Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Leaders aren’t born they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And that’s the price we’ll have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal. Vince Lombardi
The challenge of leadership is to be strong but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not a bully; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly. Jim Rohn
I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure: which is: Try to please everybody. Herbert B. Swope
You don’t lead by pointing and telling people some place to go. You lead by going to that place and making a case. Ken Kesey
Successful leaders see the opportunities in every difficulty rather than the difficulty in every opportunity. Reed Markham
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. Eleanor Roosevelt
A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. John C. Maxwell
Part 6. Conclusion
People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision. John C. Maxwell Click to tweet
What is your favorite leadership quote? Would you like to add another one here? Please let me know in the comment section below!
Call to action: Read 5 Steps to Great Leadership
Table Of Contents
Part 1
Top 10 Images
Best Leadership Quotes
What Is Leadership?
Part 2
Leadership Quotes That ARE
Famous
Short
Inspirational
Funny
Deep
Wise
Part 3
Leadership Quotes ABOUT
Serving Others
Education
Teamwork
Encouragement
Change
Effectiveness
Bad Leadership
True Leaders
Trust
Self-Confidence
Courage
Loneliness
Vision
Part 4
Leadership Quotes FROM
Women Leaders
Men Leaders
Presidents
Part 5
For Kids And Students
Part 6
Conclusion
Very good information
Thanks!
This quote is straigth forward, simple yet deep. Everyone is born with something unique inside of him or her that differs from the rest of the world. But sadly too few are bold to STAND OUT. The vast majority ‘COPY AND PASTE’ others. That’s why the world has more permanent followers who never turn to be leaders.
Yes, that’s so true.
I think it’s easier (but less rewarding in the end) to copy and paste others’ behaviors.
The reason is that most of us want to fit in.
BUT, ALL of us have special gifts to we must share with the world.
Thanks for your comment,
Maxime
“What the mind can believe, the mind can achieve” – Dr. Norman Vincent Peale (a person favorite).
Yes, that’s a good one!
Thanks Michael for your comment.
Regards,
Maxime
These are inspiring quotes, please send me more inspiring quotes on leadership.
This is a great, inspiring article. Love your hard work. Really helpful quotes.
Thanks, I appreciate your encouragement.
Maxime
Great leadership quotes! Thanks for sharing this!
Glad you liked them!
Thank you,
Maxime
Hiii Maxime Lagacé,
The Loving part of your post is your bio,
it made me sad
Thanks for your message Francis.
Sadness, when used properly, can be a powerful motivator.
Regards,
Maxime