Top 25 Leadership Quotations

Ponder what it takes to be a true leader with these practical quotes that will lead you to a more precise understanding of the secrets to successful leadership...

"A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the quality of his actions and the integrity of his intent."
--Anonymous

"No person can be a great leader unless he takes genuine joy in the successes of those under him."
--W. H. Auden

"Good leaders make people feel that they're at the very heart of things, not at the periphery. Everyone feels that he or she makes a difference to the success of the organization. When that happens people feel centered and that gives their work meaning."
--Warren Bennis

"No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it."
-- Andrew Carnegie

"A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be."
--Rosalynn Carter

"Perhaps the most central characteristic of authentic leadership is the relinquishing of the impulse to dominate others."
--David Cooper

"The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality."
-- Max DePree

"Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it."
--Dwight D. Eisenhower

"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

"Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions. "
-- Harold Geneen

"One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency."
--Arnold Glasow

"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. "
-- John Kenneth Galbraith

"The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision. You can't blow an uncertain trumpet."
--Theodore Hesburgh

"The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction and the will to carry on... The genius of a good leader is to leave behind him a situation which common sense, without the grace of genius, can deal with successfully."
--Walter Lippmann

"Leadership is getting someone to do what they don't want to do, to achieve what they want to achieve."
--Tom Landry

"Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them."
--John Maxwell

"The real leader has no need to lead-- he is content to point the way."
-- Henry Miller

"The leader must know, most know that he knows, and must be able to make it abundantly clear to those about him that he knows."
--Clarence B. Randall

"The person who know "how" will always have job. The person who knows "why" will always be his boss."
--Diane Ravitch

"A true leader is hated by most, and respected by all. A follower is liked by all, and respected by none."
--Scott Smigler

"Integrity is the most valuable and respected quality of leadership. Always keep your word."
--Brian Tracey

"You know what makes leadership? It is the ability to get men to do what they don't want to do and like it."
--Harry S. Truman

"Leadership is not the private reserve of a few charismatic men and women. It is a process ordinary people use when they are bringing forth the best from themselves and others."
--Unknown

"Nothing so conclusively proves a man's ability to lead others as what he does from day to day to lead himself."
--Thomas J. Watson

"Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can accomplish."
--Sam Walton

Resource Box - © Danielle Hollister (2004) is the Publisher of BellaOnline Quotations Zine - A free newsletter for quote lovers featuring more than 10,000 quotations in dozens of categories like - love, friendship, children, inspiration, success, wisdom, family, life, and many more. Read it online at - http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art8364.asp

MORE RESOURCES:

Times LIVE

Exclusive: China leadership rules Bo case isolated, limits purge: sources
Reuters
Before the scandal broke, Bo had been seen as a candidate to join China's new top leadership team to be unveiled this year. "It's been settled that this will be dealt with as a criminal case, not a political case," said one of the sources, ...
China leadership rules Bo case isolated, limits purgeTimes LIVE

all 61 news articles »

Voice of America

UN Rights Chief Urges to Lift Sanctions on Zimbabwe Leadership
Voice of America
Navi Pillay, a former South African High Court judge who has also served on the International Criminal Court, told reporters here in Harare Friday that sanctions imposed on President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF party leadership are hindering economic ...

and more »

Visitor Insurance Leadership Award for NRIOL
MarketWatch (press release)
According to Chiranth Nataraj, President & CEO for International Services, winning this leadership award was an honor for their clients and company, "We are excited to receive this award for our work in providing health, life and travel insurance for ...

and more »

Why Leadership and CSR Are Tightly Aligned
Huffington Post
Leadership and corporate social responsibility (CSR) are two separate issues that are increasingly talked about, though rarely in the same sentence. But you can't have one without the other. And both are regrettably in short supply.

Great summer reads for federal leaders
Washington Post (blog)
Even if you prefer The Hunger Games to the latest management tome, summer is the perfect time for federal leaders to check out some books that offer new leadership ideas, tools or techniques. So whether you're headed out to the beach, mountains or just ...

What qualities go into the making of a leader?
San Francisco Chronicle
As I tried to live up to expectations vested in me by events beyond my control, I sought a deeper understanding of leadership qualities and how individuals carry that mantle in different ways. The attention surrounding US Airways Flight 1549 provided ...

Student leadership showcased at McLees in Anderson
Anderson Independent Mail
By Liz Carey ANDERSON â€” For more than two hours Friday morning, adults followed their student leaders around McLees Academy of Leadership. The students at the Anderson school showed business and community members â€” including managers from a Sonic ...

Oncobiologics Fills Key Leadership Positions and Names Scientific Advisory Board
MarketWatch (press release)
CRANBURY, NJ, May 25, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Oncobiologics, Inc. announced today that it has filled two important leadership positions with established biopharmaceutical industry experts. Stephen J. McAndrew, Ph.D. is now Vice President, ...

and more »

Europe's Real Crisis is With its Leadership
Wall Street Journal (blog)
Europe's leaders talk. A lot. (Our leaders here in the US aren't any better, but that's another story.) All of Europe's leaders got together this week, in a room, with a hundred-year storm lashing the windows. What did they do? We know what they did.

Political leaders gather today on Balochistan
Pakistan Daily Times
ISLAMABAD: Leadership of mainstream political parties will be attending the National Conference on Balochistan being organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) today (Saturday) to devise a strategy to overcome the worsening law and order ...

and more »

Google News

RELATED ARTICLES

Leadership - L.P.B It!
"Dissatisfaction and discouragement are not caused by the absence of things, but the absence of vision." - AnonymousThis article in for anyone who is currently unsure, unknowing, on-the-fence, and/or otherwise "searching" for the answer to whether or not he/she can be an effective leader.

Shades of Grey: Government, Religion, & People
Some think that everything is black and white. I'm beginning to see everything as different shades of grey.

The Sink Or Swim Approach To Leadership
Looking around in most corporate environments today you'll find mission, vision and values statements proudly displayed on the walls, in print materials and even engraved in granite. Often, they've invested a great deal of time; effort and expense in crafting just the right message to best describe the foundational principles of the company.

Managing Monsters in Meetings - Part 7, Personal Attacks
Personal attacks hurt people, mar communication, and end creativity. If they become part of a meeting's culture, they drive the participants into making safe and perhaps useless contributions.

Business Leadership: How Much is in Your Credibility Bank Account?
Business leaders have more than a title on their doors. They also have the trust and confidence of those who work for them; who work with them; and who buy from them.

The Goals of Leadership Coaching and Partnerships
Webster's Dictionary describes a "partner" as an ally or an association built around common interests and goals.A partnership denotes a joint venture, a relationship built on equal status (rather than inequality).

Characteristics of a Good Leader
It's interesting to hear the responses from executives when I ask them, "What are the characteristics of a good Leader?"If I ask that question in a large room of executives, or even upper level managers the answers will be all over the map, and many are conflicting.A couple of the usual answers are: A leader is someone that empowers those working for him to make their own decisions.

Beyond Authority: Debunking the Top 3 Leadership Myths
Have you noticed that across the business world people are recognizing that we are fast outgrowing the thinking and language of hierarchy, but we're also struggling to create a new, more collaborative future? The challenge for all is to figure out how to operate in this emerging paradigm-the one that our own efforts are helping to shape.As I work with top leaders in organizations and then, independently, the staff they lead, I'm frequently struck by the gulf that occurs between the two in the early stages of change.

Are You a Good Manager or a Great Leader?
Your word is your truth - Know that when you speak, you will fulfill your promise to others and others will know they can depend on you. Think before you speak.

Dream Bigger!
A number of years ago we created a graphic logo based on the phrase Dream Bigger! We produced buttons and t-shirts. I've signed letters and emails with this phrase.

Leadership A Perspective From Tao
Tao Te Ching said to be written by Lao Tzu during the period of warring states in china around the second century B.C.

Quality Leadership
The Lakota tribe of Native Americans has no word in the language for "I" or "me," only "we" or "us." Mahatma Gandhiinsisted on travelingin third class carriages (on the train)because, as he explained, 'there is no fourth class.

How To Get To Know A Disabled Person
When you first meet someone who is blind, deaf, or in a wheelchair, what is your initial reaction? Curiosity? Sympathy? Awkwardness? If you experience any of these emotions, you are not alone. Chances are you don't regularly associate with someone who is disabled, so these feelings are quite common.

Supervisor Training: Helpful Tips to Lead Your Pack
A new supervisor is hired to anchor a gardening project that has fallen apart. The last supervisor walked out on the job because he was overwhelmed with the high expectations of the project.

Steps to Becoming a Good Leader
STEPS TO BECOMING A GOOD LEADER: 1. Develop a master plan.

Creating Unlimited Belief for Success!
What's holding your team back from experiencing "breakout performance"?It may be those Old beliefs and Personal Insecurities. (aka: conceptual barriers)Conceptual barriers are the barriers that are right behind the eyes, DEEP within the brain.

A Call to Men to Live a Strenuous Life!
Any man would be justly proud to claim even a portion of what Teddy Roosevelt accomplished in just one of his fields, whether politics, hunting, writing, military, or family. He was an extraordinarily accomplished man with an enormous appetite for life.

Sometimes Leaders Need to Get the Boot
Today I stood up to a guy right in front of his boss. I challenged him, the former leader, to change his position and give up his position of power.

Leadership Skills Training Empowers Problem-solving and Visioning
Leadership skills training programs empower you to influence, persuade or inspire others. Well constructed training programs should result in improved, more effective leadership skills for your colleagues and you.

Lessons In Leadership: What Not To Do... From A Canoe!
When it comes to fishing, my husband takes the lead. But his lack of leadership ability in a recent canoe trip on the Boundary Waters in Northern Minnesota offered wonderful lessons on how leaders can unknowingly screw up.