Quotes About Leadership

Bosses shape how people spend their days and whether they experience joy or despair, perform well or badly, or are healthy or sick. Unfortunately, there are hoards of mediocre and downright rotten bosses out there, and big gaps between the best and the worst.

Winning is a wonderful thing if you can help and respect others along the way. But if you stomp on others as you climb the ladder and treat them like losers once you reach the top, my opinion is that you debase your own humanity and undermine your team or organization.

Listen to those under your supervision. Really listen. Don't act as if you're listening and let it go in one ear and out the other. Faking it is worse than not doing it at all.

The best management is sometimes less management or no management at all. William Coyne, who led 3M's Research and Development efforts for over a decade, believed a big part of his job was to leave his people alone and protect them from other curious executives. As he put it: 'After you plant a seed in the ground, you don't dig it up every week to see how it is doing.

The best bosses do more than charge up people, and recruit and breed energizers. They eliminate the negative, because even a few bad apples and destructive acts can undermine many good people and constructive acts.

Everyone deserves to be treated fairly. If leaders are the problem, we ask those being served by leaders to let them know or go up the chain of command—without the threat of retaliation." "Store

Third, and finally, if you want people to believe the system is fair and effective, it's essential to be tough on the most powerful, profitable, and well-known jerks. If you enforce the rule only with the weak performers, people who are easily replaceable, or who deliver bad news and have the gumption to disagree with superiors—and you allow powerful assholes to run roughshod over anyone they please—people will smell your hypocritical bullshit from a mile away.

the business of statesmanship is to invent new terms for institutions which under their old names have become odious to the public.

Every great leader is clearly teaching and every great teacher is leading

Leadership is not a solo act; it's a team performance. 

You must see the change you wish to be in the world.

I'm a gambler, a farmboy, and I'm here to take command of your bloody army! --Mat Cauthon

The Golden Crane flies for Tarmon Gai'don!

How would you feel, Elayne said softly, if you saw your queen trying to kill a Trolloc with a sword as you ran away? I'd feel like I needed to bloody move to another country, Birgitte snapped, loosing another arrow, one where the monarchs don't have pudding for brains.

A wise ruler takes advice, but should never be seen to take it. Let them think you know more than you do. It will not harm them, and it will help you.

Perrin, my father says a general can take care of the living or weep for the dead, but he cannot do both.

The Black Tower stands with the Lion of Andor. -Logain

Great captains earned their reputation not just for laying brilliant plans, but for still being able to find victory after those plans began to fall apart.

You will serve the Cyrstal Throne well. It would be a shame to see you assassinated too early. I will make certain that the first I send after you are newly trained, so that you may stop them with ease. -General Galgan to Mat

The more power a man held, the more likely he was to be an idiot with it.

I am Rand al'Thor!" he called, so his voice rang through the chamber. "I am the Dragon Reborn!

Who would sup with the mighty must climb the path of daggers. -Anonymous notation found inked in the margin of a manuscript history (believed to date to the time of Arthur Hawkwing) of the last days of the Tovan Conclaves

I grew up around strong women; weak men were pickled and salted. The women wouldn't waste time raising a weak boy.

He let them be heroes.