Quotes About Leadership

Strategic planning is worthless -- unless there is first a strategic vision.

Don't get so far in front of the parade that no one knows you're in the parade.

Hochrangige Manager, sagen sie, arbeiten ohne E-Mail häufig effizienter, denn so sind sie vor den ständigen Anfragen ihrer Untergebenen abgeschirmt.

We are engaged in a good cause, fight under a good Captain, the victory is sure beforehand, and the prize is a crown—a crown of eternal life.

if a man from Lower Caste should come to rule in a city, the city would come to ruin.

seventh choice to ignite a radically inspired life: choose to let go of fear and operate, lead, and live from a place of unconditional love.

The conduct of President Bush's war of choice has been plagued with incompetent civilian leadership decisions that have cost many lives and rendered the war on and occupation of Iraq a strategic policy disaster for the United States.

No men can be lords of our faith, though they may be helpers of our joy.

Authentic leadership shows up whenever someone facilitates and stimulates collective change for the good of the whole.

Experience has taught us that men will not adopt and carry into execution measures the best calculated for their own good without the intervention of a coercive power.' A strong central government led by an effective executive was needed, as Washington had warned.

This pep talk was sometimes combined with a rueful reminder to himself about the loneliness of ethical leadership: 'the post of honor is a private station.

GW: 'Vigilant citizens are required to keep parties focused on serving the people rather than the unprincipled pursuit of power that divides in order to conquer

The heirs of Jefferson and Madison would be the Democratic-Republicans, the heirs of Hamilton and Adams would be the Federalists. But the heirs of Washington would be all Americans.

Because management deals mostly with the status quo and leadership deals mostly with change, in the next century we are going to have to try to become much more skilled at creating leaders.

The vast majority of large scale change efforts fail. Which means that the probability that you have actually experienced a failure, and your people know that and are pessimistic, therefore, about trying something again, is very high.

A guiding coalition with good managers but poor leaders will not succeed. A managerial mindset will develop plans, not vision; it will vastly undercommunicate the need for and direction of change; and it will control rather than empower people.

Failure here is usually associated with underestimating the difficulties in producing change and thus the importance of a strong guiding coalition.

Knocking down barriers to making everyone, even the children, feel empowered was unprecedented in the colony. But the chicks loved it.

At one point, even the Head Penguin suggested that the right step might be to slow down. But Alice wouldn't hear of it. "We are constantly at risk of losing our courage. Some birds are already suggesting we wait until next winter. Then, if we are still alive, they will say the danger was overstated and that any change is not needed." It was a good point.

Alice (backed up with the Professor's relentless logic) convinced Louis to shake up the Leadership Council. He was reluctant to do anything that would show disrespect for birds who had worked hard for years to help and serve the colony. Making the moves while preserving the dignity of all was not easy.

Buddy was offered a number of more important jobs. He turned them all down, but helped the Leadership Council find other good candidates. His lack of ambition came to be seen as great humility. The birds loved him even more.

There was always some tension between those who thought their role was to keep things in order and those who were urgent about producing necessary changes. But most penguins intuitively understood that you needed both to thrive in this new era.

Create a Sense of Urgency.

A useful rule of thumb: Whenever you cannot describe the vision driving a change initiative in five minutes or less and get a reaction that signifies both understanding and interest, you are in for trouble.