Leadership Quotes

by Mark Shead

This collection of leadership quotes is a great source of inspiration.  If there is a great leadership quote we missed, please add it in the comments below.

Leadership quotations can be a powerful part of your personal leadership development plan. Taking a few quotes from people you admire and spending some time, deeply thinking about the quotes, can help you better understand the mindset behind the leader.  Over the course of a year, you can cover a number of leadership quotes and develop a much better understanding of the person behind the quote and how their perspective applies to your leadership style.

When nothing is sure, everything is possible.
~Margaret Drabble

This leadership quote speaks to the possibilities that exist when you and your team don’t have a bunch of preconceived ideas.  Everyone is limited by what they are sure is possible.  Without those barriers, the glass ceiling goes away.

In matters of style, swim with the current;
In matters of principle, stand like a rock.
~T. Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson’s leadership quote is a strong reminder about when to be flexible and when to stand strong. To often people are rigid on their style and flexible on their principles–the exact opposite of what he recommends.

And when we think we lead, we are most led.
~Lord Byron

Leadership is a give an take process as this leadership quote points out.

The only real training for leadership is leadership.
~Antony Jay

If you want to lead you have to practice leading as this leadership quote points out.  Classroom experience isn’t nearly as valuable as actually leading people and learning from your mistakes.

The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been.
~Henry Kissinger

Kissinger knew that it was no great feat to get people to do something they had done before.  Real leadership skill is getting them to do something they haven’t ever done or aren’t even sure is possible.

People are more easily led than driven.
~David Harold Fink

This leadership quote is an excellent reminder that leading is different than forcing people to do what you say.

Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it.
~Marian Anderson

This leadership quote reminds us to see things from the perspective of the people whose lives we impact–a very important lesson for leaders in any position.

More Leadership Quotes

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Most Important Skill for New Leaders

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What is the most important skill for a new leader?

Constant learning. Public speaking is also important – take toastmasters.
Jim Estill from Time Leadership – CEO Blog

It is much easier to want to follow someone who is constantly improving themselves.  Public speaking is something that is often overlooked. Even a leaders that does no public speaking needs the communication skills that come from having a good public speaking ability.

Connection skills: connection to work, organization, and the people you lead. Getting everyone to connect at an authentic level to their strengths and to leverage their strengths in the service of the organization. Remember as leaders we are human.
David Zinger from Employee Engagement

I have definitely seem many people try to lead who do not have this ability.  Some of this comes from having a “I’m the leader, you are the follower” attitude.  Some comes from simply not spending enough time paying attention to those around you.

There are so many, but I think the most important skill for a new leader is to learn the art of command. This includes a new leader taking unpopular stands when necessary, facing adversity head on and encouraging open debate as a way to work through tough challenges and crises. Young leaders have to develop the emotional and mental strength to be able to communicate with higher management, investors and tough competitors, and in order to do this, a leader has to come up with big ideas and express them with passion and conviction. A young leader has to know the “cutting line” as to when he/she will say “We’re moving on” and then follow through each decision with a presence that communicates strength and confidence.
Leadership Coach Bea Fields, President of Bea Fields Companies, Inc. from Five Star Leader.com

Very good advice.  At least part of this comes down to knowing what to do. Early in my career I watched my boss avoid confrontation on a particular issue.  I didn’t understand why she didn’t push to “take care of things.”  One month later, the situation resolved itself without her needing to create any type of conflict.  I realized that she had the experience to know when to push and when to let things go.  It was extremely valuable and something I worked hard to develop in myself. [click to continue…]

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Leading on Purpose

by Mark Shead
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Many people get put in a leadership position and just lead by accident. They do whatever seems good at the time without viewing each action as part of an overall plan. Sometimes they do great things and sometimes they do things that really hurt them from a leadership standpoint. Leading on purpose means making decisions [...]

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Leadership Coach Interviews

by Mark Shead
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This is an interview with three coaches that specialize in leadership. They generously offered to answer some questions about leadership and leadership coaching for Leadership501. The coaches are: Wilson Ramirez – www.leadershipwisdom.com Carl Robinson – www.leadershipconsulting.com Barry Zweibel – www.ggci.com Read on for their insights into leadership. What is the most common mistake you see [...]

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Leadership and Writing

by Mark Shead
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Writing is an important leadership skill that is often overlooked. It is unlikely that you will ever see writing at the top of any list of important leadership skills. For a leader to be effective they must communicate their outlook, vision and worldview to the people they are leading. A leader who cannot communicate well [...]

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Tips for New Supervisors

by Mark Shead
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This is a collection of tips for new supervisors. The advice is useful to anyone in a management position. Most people are thrown into supervisory positions with very little in the way of training or guidance. These tips for supervisors can help you be proactive in avoiding problems that can occur further down the road. [...]

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Leadership Trait Theory

by Mark Shead
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Leadership trait theory is the idea that people are born with certain character traits or qualities. Since certain traits are associated with proficient leadership, it assumes that if you could identify people with the correct traits, you will be able to identify leaders and people with leadership potential. Most of the time the traits are [...]

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The Definition of Management

by Mark Shead
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If you look up the dictionary definition of management, among many examples you will find clues as to the real definition of management. This article simply takes an assortment of definitions and looks at what they say and what they imply about management. “Management” (from Old French ménagement “the art of conducting, directing”, from Latin [...]

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Five Most Important Leadership Traits

by Mark Shead
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Some sit and pontificate about whether leaders are made or born. The true leader ignores such arguments and instead concentrates on developing the leadership qualities necessary for success. In this article, we are going to discuss five leadership traits or leadership qualities that people look for in a leader. If you are able to increase [...]

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The Functional Leadership Model

by Mark Shead
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Functional leadership is model that concentrates on how leadership occurs, rather than focusing on who does the leading. It defines the types of behaviors that guide an organization and then looks at how those behaviors occur. Under this model, leadership is a distributed function. People at all levels can participate in guiding the organization. One [...]

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