Quotes about Leadership

If you want to be a successful leader, learn to lead before you have a leadership position.

I have had to let go of my need to be right and focus on the greater need to do right.

People who think they're leading but have no one following them are only taking a walk.

How do the people around you react to the sparks of life? Are they fire lighters who blow things up, or firefighters who calm things down?

The leader's prayer written by Pauline H. Peters: "God, when I am wrong, make me willing to change. When I am right, make me easy to live with. So strengthen me that the power of my example will far exceed the authority of my rank.

In order to do anything new in life, we must be willing to leave our comfort zone. That involves taking risks, which can be frightening. However, each time we leave our comfort zone and conquer new territory, it not only expands our comfort zone but also enlarges us. If you want to grow as a leader, be prepared to be uncomfortable. But know this: the risks are well worth the rewards.

Plan ahead, chart your course, and if God is going to be your partner, make your plans large.

Good leaders never embrace a victim mentality. They recognize that who and where they are remain their responsibility—not that of their parents, their spouses, their children, the government, their bosses, or their coworkers.

People don't function like machines. They have feelings. They think. They have problems, hopes, and dreams. Though people can be managed, they would much rather be led. And when they are led, they perform at a much higher level.

One of the best applications of this idea is expressed in what I call the 101 percent principle: Find the one thing that you believe is the potential leader's greatest asset, and then give 101 percent encouragement in that area. Focusing on a person's strengths promotes positive growth, confidence, and success as a potential leader.

As a leader, my goal is to help people, not make them happy.

The attitude of the leader, coupled with a positive atmosphere in the organization, can encourage people to accomplish great things.