Quotes About Leadership

Influencer, by Kerry Patterson

Not every meeting needs to be a "defining moment." But once every 5 to 10 meetings, find a way to break the script.

Compromise is like the old joke, "A camel is a horse made by a committee.

Our Rider has a problem focus when he needs a solution focus. If you are a manager, ask yourself: "What is the ratio of the time I spend solving problems to the time I spend scaling successes?

A very small percentage of Fortune 500 CEOs are women.

Among Fortune 500 CEOs, there are more men named James than there are women.

The hard question for a leader is not how to form habits but which habits to encourage.

Warren Buffett said, "In the past, I've observed that many acquisition-hungry managers were apparently mesmerized by their childhood reading of the story about the frog-kissing princess. Remembering her success, they pay dearly for the right to kiss corporate toads, expecting wondrous transfigurations." Unfortunately, said Buffett, "We've observed many kisses but very few miracles.

Don Berwick, with his 75-person team at IHI, had convinced thousands of hospitals to change

Marcus Buckingham, who says that

If you are leading a change effort, you need to remove the ambiguity from your vision of change. Granted

If you want people to change, you must provide crystal-clear direction.

You'll direct the Rider, motivate the Elephant, and shape the Path.

Whether the switch you seek is in your family, in your charity, in your organization, or in society at large, you'll get there by making three things happen. You'll direct the Rider, motivate the Elephant, and shape the Path.

If you want to change the culture of your organization, you've got to get the reformers together. They need a free space.

to make progress on a change, you need ways to direct the Rider. Show him where to go, how to act, what destination to pursue. And that's why bright spots are so essential, because they are your best hope for directing the Rider when you're trying to bring about change.

As recounted in his book It's Your Ship, one of Captain Abrashoff's first moves was to interview every one of the 310 crew members on the ship. He learned their personal histories and their motivations for joining the navy, and he sought their opinions about the Benfold: What do you like most? Least? What would you change if you could?

To lead a process requires persistence.

When change works, it tends to follow a pattern. The people who change have clear direction, ample motivation, and a supportive environment.

When you want someone to behave in a new way, explain the "new way" clearly. Don't assume the new moves are obvious.

As I see it, I am not just in charge of food service; I am in charge of morale.

serving food is a job, but improving morale is a mission.

In situations where your herd has embraced the right behavior, publicize it. For instance, if 80 percent of your team submits time sheets on time, make sure the other 20 percent knows the group norm. Those individuals almost certainly will correct themselves. But if only 10 percent of your team submits time sheets on time, publicizing those results will hurt, not help.

the more successful change transformations were more likely to set behavioral goals: 89 percent of the top third versus only 33 percent of the bottom third. For instance, a behavioral goal might be that project teams would meet once a week