Leadership Quotes

Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself. It is precisely that simple, and it is also that difficult. - Warren Bennis 1925-, American Psychologist, Management Educator, and Consultant Things are managed, people are led. 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. JK Galbraith 1908-, American Economist The leader should be in the midst of his army, in touch with it, sharing good and bad with the masses he leads. This alone makes him equal to the heavy demands made upon him. He needs also the recognition of the ruler. The decorations he receives are justified, because there is no question of personal preferment here: the whole army, whose center he is, is honored in his person. The I-Ching Wilhelm Baynes translation Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes time. Vision with action can change the world. A true leader must first see an idea as opportunity, then choose to act upon it. Joel Barker (American Businessman, Consultant, Author) True fellowship among men must be based upon a concern that is universal. It is not the private interests of the individual that create lasting fellowship among men, but rather the goals of humanity. That is why it is said that fellowship with men in the open succeeds. If unity of this kind prevails, even difficult and dangerous tasks, such as crossing the great water, can be accomplished. But in order to bring about this sort of fellowship, a persevering and enlightened leader is needed--a man with clear, convincing, and inspiring aims and the strength to carry them out. The I-Ching Wilhelm Baynes translation

Leadership Quotes Steve Banhegyi & Associates

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Until an African leader publicly acknowledges, honours and prays to an African God, we Africans will continue to be viewed as pathetic imitators of others, never having believed in ourselves. Molefi Kete Asante If our children continue to be taught that Columbus discovered America and that Blacks have no real history other than slavery, they will continue to grow up without a significant cultural connection strong enough to keep them from killing or harming people that look just like them. Paul Hamilton I suppose Leadership at one time meant muscles, but today it means getting along with people. Mahatma Gandhi Leadership is about creating a domain in which human beings continually deepen their understanding of reality and become more capable of participating in the unfolding of the world. Ultimately leadership is about creating new realities. Jaworski There are no people without traditions and traditions are the lifeblood of a people. A people who refuse to express its love and appreciation for its ancestors will die because in traditions, if you are not expressing your own, you are participating in and expressing faith in someone else's ancestors. No person is devoid of an attachment to some cultural fountain. Whose water are we drinking? Professor Molefi Kete Asante The world pushes the African around because we give the impression that we are weaklings, falling over ourselves to follow other people rather than our own traditions. Malcolm X Managers are people who do things right; leaders are people who do the right thing. - Warren Bennis 1925-, American Psychologist, Management Educator, and Consultant Leadership is the wise use of power. Power is the capacity to translate intention into reality and sustain it. - Warren Bennis 1925-, American Psychologist, Management Educator, and Consultant There are many elements to a campaign. Leadership is number one. Everything else is number two. - Bertolt Brecht 1898-1956, German Dramatist, Poet Tell a person they are brave and you help them become so. - Thomas Carlyle 1795-1881, Scottish Philosopher, Author Today a reader, tomorrow a leader. W. Fusselman Page 2

Leadership Quotes Steve Banhegyi & Associates

I was not the lion, but it fell to me to give the lion's roar. - Winston Churchill 1874-1965, British Statesman, Prime Minister Leadership is not magnetic personality--that can just as well be a glib tongue. It is not making friends and influencing people --that is flattery. Leadership is lifting a person's vision to higher sights, the raising of a person's performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations. - Peter F. Drucker 1909-, American Management Consultant, Author Six traits of effective leaders: 1. Make others feel important 2. Promote a vision 3. Follow the golden rule 4. Admit mistakes 5. Criticize others only in private 6. Stay close to the action Example has more followers than reason. We unconsciously imitate what pleases us, and approximate to the characters we most admire. Christian Nevell Bovee 1820-1904, American Author, Lawyer We do not condemn the preachers as an individual but we condemn what they teach. We urge that the preachers teach the truth, to teach our people the one important guiding rule of conduct -- unity of purpose. Malcolm X 1925-1965, American Black Leader, Activist A boss creates fear, a leader confidence. A boss fixes blame, a leader corrects mistakes. A boss knows all, a leader asks questions. A boss makes work drudgery, a leader makes it interesting. A boss is interested in himself or herself, a leader is interested in the group. Russell H. Ewing Who has not served cannot command. John Florio c.1553-1625, British Author, Translator A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit. - Arnold H. Glasgow There is great force hidden in a gentle command. - George Herbert 1593-1632, British Metaphysical Poet Leaders don't inflict pain -- they share pain. Max Depree 1924-, Company Executive One secret of leadership is that the mind of a leader never turns off. Leaders even when they are sightseers or spectators, are active; not passive observers. - James Humes American Lawyer, Speaker, Author

Leadership Quotes Steve Banhegyi & Associates

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It is time for a new generation of leadership, to cope with new problems and new opportunities. For there is a new world to be won. -John F. Kennedy 1917-1963, Thirty-fifth President of the USA Show me the leader and I will know his men. Show me the men and I will know their leader. - Arthur W. Newcomb A great leader never sets himself above his followers except in carrying responsibilities. - Jules Ormont Wise leaders generally have wise counselors because it takes a wise person themselves to distinguish them. Diogenes of Sinope c.410320 BC, Cynic Philosopher Management is about arranging and telling. Leadership is about nurturing and enhancing. - Thomas J. Peters 1942-, American Management Consultant, Author, Trainer People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. The leader works in the open, and the boss in covert. The leader leads, and the boss drives. - Theodore Roosevelt 1858-1919, Twenty-sixth President of the USA Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy. - Norman Schwarzkopf 1934-, American General of the Gulf War The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction to carry on Walter Lippmann Leadership is not so much about technique and methods as it is about opening the heart. Leadership is about inspiration -- of oneself and of others. Great leadership is about human experiences, not processes. Leadership is not a formula or a program, it is a human activity that comes from the heart and considers the hearts of others. It is an attitude, not a routine. Lance Secretan The leader seeks to communicate his vision to his followers. He captures their attention with his optimistic intuition of possible solutions to their needs. He influences them by the dynamism of his faith. He demonstrates confidence that the challenge can be met, the need resolved, the crisis overcome. John Haggai The boss drives people; the leader coaches them. The boss depends on authority; the leader on good will. The boss inspires fear; the leader inspires enthusiasm. The boss says ''I''; The leader says ''WE''. The boss fixes the blame for the breakdown; the leader fixes the Page 4

Leadership Quotes Steve Banhegyi & Associates

breakdown. The boss says, ''GO''; the leader says lets, ''GO!'' - H. Gordon Selfridge The secret of a leader lies in the tests he has faced over the whole course of his life and the habit of action he develops in meeting those tests. - Gail Sheehy 1937-, American Journalist, Author Leadership is not a position. You are not a leader because you have the title. Leadership is something that we earn from followers on a day to day basis. - The EMS Manager Newsletter Leaders must invoke an alchemy of great vision. Henry Kissinger 1923-, American Republican Politician, Secretary of State True leadership must be for the benefit of the followers, not the enrichment of the leaders. - Robert Townsend I am a leader by default, only because nature does not allow a vacuum. - Bishop Desmond Tutu 1931-, South African Prelate The most important obligation of every leader is to do whatever is in his power to protect and prolong the life of the community, following the order of the universe established by the ancestors and transmitted by tradition. Neglect of this duty has consequences to the authority the leader wields. Laurenti Magesa, Writer Leadership is an opportunity to serve. It is not a trumpet call to selfimportance. J. Donald Walters Author, Lecturer, Playwright Employees are looking for work that gives their life meaning. They are searching out organizations, whose values and vision are in alignment with their own; whose leaders empower rather than exploit; and where they will feel a sense of community and ownership. A values-based culture that encourages employee creativity is becoming the number one attribute for success. Building this culture demands a new and radically evolved management approach. Richard Barrett To be a leader of men one must turn one's back on men. Havelock Ellis British Psychololgist 1859-1939 When the best leader's work is done the people say, ''We did it ourselves.'' Lao-Tzu BC 600-?, Chinese Philosopher, Founder of Taoism, Author of the Tao Te Ching A leader is someone who helps improve the lives of other people or improve the system they live under. Sam Erving

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Your culture and traditions are your source of wisdom without them, you are like a lion without teeth. CIDA Student Outstanding leaders go out of the way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can accomplish. Sam Walton 1918-1992, Founder of Wal-Mart Stores Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall. Stephen R. Covey Remember that it is far better to follow well than to lead indifferently. John Vance To have long term success as a coach or in any position of leadership, you have to be obsessed in some way. Pat Riley If you cry Forward, you must without fail make plain in what direction to go. Dont you see that if, without doing so, you call out the word to both a monk and a revolutionary; they will go in directions precisely opposite? Anton Chekhov Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. William Shakespeare To lead people walk behind them. Lao-Tzu BC 600-?, Chinese Philosopher, Founder of Taoism, Author of the ''Tao Te Ching'' Management works in the system; Leadership works on the system. Stephen R. Covey Teach everything you know. The more you teach, the more you'll receive. Victor Paul Wierwille Iron sharpens iron; so a person sharpens the countenance of a friend Proverbs 27:17 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 BC 600-?, Chinese Philosopher, Founder of Taoism, Author of the ''Tao Te Ching'' There are no warlike people, just warlike leaders Ralph Bunche The more a leader is in the habit of demanding from his men, the surer he will be that his demands will be answered. Clausewitz Page 6

Leadership Quotes Steve Banhegyi & Associates

Faith without works is dead - James 2:26 As you think in your heart, so are you - Proverbs 23:17 The power of the fish is in the water - Amandla enhlanzi asemanzini Ndebele Leadership has a harder job to do than just choose sides. It must bring sides together. Jesse Jackson Management can keep a system running smoothlyOnly leadership can motivate the actions to change behaviour - J.P Kotter Do not wait for leaders. Do it alone, person to person. Mother Teresa A leader is only leader because of the people - Inkosi yinkosi ngabantu Ndebele Leadership is the ability to get men to do what they dont want to do and [getting them to] like it. Harry Truman Be yourself and never underestimate your people treat them with respect and dignity. CIDA Student Project 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. 1929-1968, American Black Leader, Nobel Prize Winner, 1964 I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. Martin Luther King Jr. 19291968, American Black Leader, Nobel Prize Winner, 1964 Now, I say to you today my friends, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: -- we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. Martin Luther King Jr. 1929-1968, American Black Leader, Nobel Prize Winner, 1964 Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. you only need a heart full of grace. a soul generated by love. Martin Luther King Jr. 1929-1968, American Black Leader, Nobel Prize Winner, 1964

Leadership Quotes Steve Banhegyi & Associates

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Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others? Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what next or how. The moment you know how, you begin to die a little. Martin Luther King Jr. 1929-1968, American Black Leader, Nobel Prize Winner, 1964 I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over, and I've seen the Promised Land. Martin Luther King Jr. 1929-1968, American Black Leader, Nobel Prize Winner, 1964 Whatever your life's work is, do it well. A man should do his job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could do it no better. Martin Luther King Jr. 1929-1968, American Black Leader, Nobel Prize Winner, 1964

Compiled by Steve Bnhegyi, October 2002

Leadership Quotes Steve Banhegyi & Associates

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