Best leadership quotes

The essence of leadership is being able to see the iceberg before it hits the Titanic.

It's time for our business and political leaders to help redefine morality beyond sex, drugs, and rock and roll to include lying, hypocrisy, and callous indifference to those in need.

Creating the culture of burnout is opposite to creating a culture of sustainable creativity. This is something that needs to be taught in business schools. This mentality needs to be introduced as a leadership and performance-enhancing tool.

In life, the things that go wrong are often the very things that lead to other things going right.

To speak about this universal force that will lead us beyond on the last horizon of our known self toward a wiser, more loving, more luminous states of being, we do not need to invent a new language. But we do need to listen to the old, the ancient one, not with our jaded minds, but with our awakened souls.

America is a country ready to be taken - in fact, longing to be taken - by political leaders ready to restore democracy and trust to the political process.

Right now success is defined in terms of two metrics: money and power, But it is like a two-legged stool, at some point you'll fall off of it.

Restore connection' is not just for devices, It is for people too. If we cannot disconnect, we cannot lead.

If you are not in touch with your intuition, you cannot be successful.

Ours is a generation bloated with information and starved for wisdom.

Disconnecting from our technology to reconnect with ourselves is absolutely essential for wisdom.

We may not be able to witness our own eulogy, but we're actually writing it all the time, every day.

To live the lives we truly want and deserve, and not just the lives we settle for, we need a third measure of success that goes beyond money and power, and consists of four pillars: well-being, wisdom, wonder, and giving.

I wish I could go back and tell myself that not only is there no trade-off between living a well-rounded life and high performance is actually improved when our lives include time for renewal, wisdom, wonder, and giving. That would have saved me a lot of unnecessary stress, burnout, and exhaustion.

Success is commonly defined as money and power, but increasingly that's not enough. It's almost like a two-legged stool where you fall over if that's all you measure your life by.

My ritual is to turn off all my devices 30 minutes before I'm going to go to sleep and charge them outside my room.

When we are all mind, things can get rigid. When we are all heart, things can get chaotic. Both lead to stress. But when they work together, the heart leading through empathy, the mind guiding us with focus and attention, we become a harmonious human being.

If we live in a perpetual state of outrage, Trump wins. Because when we become depleted and exhausted and sapped of our energy, we're not as resourceful, creative, or effective.

Any president's actions have real consequences in real people's lives.

He who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commander.

Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others.

He who cannot be a good follower cannot be a good leader.

Fortune favours the bold.

A likely impossibility is always preferable to an unconvincing possibility.

He who is to be a good ruler must have first been ruled.

No great genius has ever existed without some touch of madness.

You will never do anything in the world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor.

For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.

There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing and be nothing.

If you don't have a passion for your customers... you won't create a company – you'll create a job.

You need to be willing to surround yourself with people more talented than you are in certain areas. You need a degree of fear of failure to keep you going. And, while everyone wants leaders who demonstrate courage, passion and boldness, you should not be afraid to show vulnerability now and then.

To be an enduring, great company, you have to build a mechanism for preventing or solving problems that will long outlast any one individual leader.

To stay vigorous, a company needs to provide a stimulating and challenging environment for all these types: the dreamer, the entrepreneur, the professional manager, and the leader. If it doesn't, it risks becoming yet another mediocre corporation.

One of the fundamental aspects of leadership, I realized more and more, is the ability to instill confidence in others when you yourself are feeling insecure.

I think the currency of leadership is transparency.

Business leaders cannot be bystanders.

The hardest thing about being a leader is demonstrating or showing vulnerability… When the leader demonstrates vulnerability and sensibility and brings people together, the team wins.

I think the currency of leadership is transparency. You've got to be truthful. I don't think you should be vulnerable every day, but there are moments where you've got to share your soul and conscience with people and show them who you are, and not be afraid of it.

As a business leader, my quest has never been just about winning or making money. It has also been about building a great, enduring company, which has always meant striking a balance between profit and social conscience.

You have to be honest and authentic and not hide. I think the leader today has to demonstrate both transparency and vulnerability, and with that comes truthfulness and humility.

Treating employees benevolently shouldn't be viewed as an added cost that cuts into profits, but as a powerful energizer that can grow the enterprise into something far greater than one leader could envision.

At its core, I believe leadership is about instilling confidence in others.

Effective leaders share two intertwined attributes: an unbridled level of confidence about where their organizations are headed, and the ability to bring people along.

I think there is probably no better person to aspire to emulate than Steve Jobs and what he has done at Apple in terms of his leadership, his innovation, not settling for mediocrity.

We can't wait for Washington. Business leaders are going to have to galvanize their own constituencies and do everything they can to demonstrate confidence in the economy, and I think that can be contagious.

The leaders in Washington have got to come together in a bipartisan way and do the right thing for the people who are being left behind. We cannot have an America that is only based on the wealthy.

You don't need permission to lead. You just need the courage to start.

The best of all leaders is the one who helps people so that eventually they don't need him.

The ruler attains wholeness in the correct governance of the people.

Be gentle and you can be bold; be frugal and you can be liberal; avoid putting yourself before others and you can become a leader among men.

Governing a large country is like frying a small fish. You spoil it with too much poking. Center your country in the Tao and evil will have no power. Not that it isn't there, but you'll be able to step out of its way. Give evil nothing to oppose and it will disappear by itself.

The leader is a teacher who succeeds without taking credit. And, because credit is not taken, credit is received.

True words aren't eloquent; eloquent words aren't true. Wise men don't need to prove their point; men who need to prove their point aren't wise. The Master has no possessions. The more he does for others, the happier he is. The more he gives to others, the wealthier he is. The Tao nourishes by not forcing. By not dominating, the Master leads.

Leadership is your ability to hide your panic from others.

A good manager is best when people barely know that he exists. Not so good when people obey and acclaim him. Worse when they despise him.

[The Master] doesn't glitter like a jewel... [but is] as rugged and common as a stone.

To lead people, walk beside them ... As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence. The next best, the people honor and praise. The next, the people fear; and the next, the people hate ... When the best leader's work is done the people say, 'We did it ourselves!

I have three precious things which I hold fast and prize. The first is gentleness; the second frugality; the third is humility, which keeps me from putting myself before others. Be gentle and you can be bold; be frugal and you can be liberal; avoid putting yourself before others and you can become a leader among men.

Superior leaders get things done with very little motion. They impart instruction not through many words, but through a few deeds. They keep informed about everything but interfere hardly at all. They are catalysts, and though things would not get done as well if they were not there, when they succeed they take no credit. And, because they take no credit, credit never leaves them.

All streams flow to the sea because it is lower than they are. Humility gives it its power. If you want to govern the people, you must place yourself below them. If you want to lead the people, you must learn how to follow them. The Master is above the people, and no one feels oppressed. She goes ahead of the people, and no one feels manipulated. The whole world is grateful to her. Because she competes with no one, no one can compete with her.

One who is too insistent on his own views, finds few to agree with him.

Rule a kingdom as though you were cooking a small fish - don't overdo it.

To lead people, walk behind them.

When the effective leader is finished with his work, the people say it happened naturally.

Be the chief but never the lord.

If you fail to honor your people, They will fail to honor you; It is said of a good leader that When the work is done, the aim fulfilled, The people will say, We did this ourselves.

Go to the people. Learn from them. Live with them. Start with what they know. Build with what they have. The best of leaders when the job is done, when the task is accomplished, the people will say we have done it ourselves.

The wise leader settles for good work and then lets others have the floor.

The wicked leader is he who the people despise. The good leader is he who the people revere. The great leader is he who the people say, 'We did it ourselves.'

To lead, one must follow.

The group will not prosper if the leader grabs the lion's share of the credit for the good work that has been done.

It's not so easy for us when we play teams who have a different mindset, like Chelsea or Inter Milan, because they have the intention of trying to stop us rather than playing a game that is more attractive for the spectators to enjoy.

I never had any problems with my height. I was always the smallest kid, at school and in my teams.

I want to concentrate on winning things with Barcelona and Argentina. Then if people want to say nice things about me when I have retired, great. Right now, I need to concentrate on being part of a team - not just on me.

I prefer to win titles with the team ahead of individual awards or scoring more goals than anyone else. I'm more worried about being a good person than being the best football player in the world. When all this is over, what are you left with? When I retire, I hope I am remembered for being a decent guy.

When the year starts the objective is to win it all with the team, personal records are secondary.

It's crazy to say that after three games [without a goal] I was in crisis. I do not care whether I score or not, what matters is that the team wins and continues to do so.

I am the same person as always and I have the good fortune to play in a great team. It was an historic year for Barca and for me but it's thanks to the work of everyone.

I don't look at records, that's not why I'm playing the game. Goals, of course. Every player in my position wants to score goals. But most of all, trophies. My target is always to win trophies for Barcelona, and that will always be my motivation, to win things. Nothing feels better than doing that as a team.

My friends are people who like building cool stuff. We always have this joke about people who want to just start companies without making something valuable. There's a lot of that in Silicon Valley.

You get a reputation for stability if you are stable for years.

Founding a company is hard. Most of it isn't smooth. You'll have to make very hard decisions. You have to fire a few people. Therefore, if you don't believe in your mission, giving up is easy. The majority of founders give up. But the best founders don't give up.

If you're always under the pressure of real identity, I think that is somewhat of a burden.

I'm trying to make the world a more open place.

I think that more flow of information, the ability to stay connected to more people makes people more effective as people. And I mean, that's true socially. It makes you have more fun, right. It feels better to be more connected to all these people. You have a richer life.

A weak leader likes to tell us how many people work for them. A great leader is humbled to tell us how many people they work for.

So goes the leader, so goes the culture. So goes the culture, so goes the company.

For an employee to take responsibility, they must first be given it.

The more people you inspire, the more people will inspire you.

Good leaders share the credit when things go well and take responsibility when things go badly.

Strong leaders earn loyalty. Weak leaders demand it.

The greatest contribution of a leader is to make others leaders.

Bad leaders care about who’s right. Good leaders care about what’s right.

A leader without a title is better than a title without the ability to lead.

There are only two ways to influence human behavior: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it.

Good leaders have the ability to inspire us in their lifetime. Great leaders have the ability to inspire us beyond their lifetime.

We can only truly be in charge when we are willing to let others take charge.

Being right doesn’t make us trustworthy. Being honest makes us trustworthy.

There is a cost to lead. True leaders are willing to pay the price: sacrifice self-interest and put their Cause ahead of themselves.

The joy of leadership comes from seeing others achieve more than they thought they were capable of.

Too many modern companies have replaced a person with a number and mistakenly called that number a customer.

To ask, What’s best for me? is finite thinking. To ask, What’s best for us? is infinite thinking.

We achieve more when we chase the dream instead of the competition.

It is the weak leader that compensates by acting strong. It is the strong leader that allows people to see when they are weak.

A great leader doesn’t only inspire us to have confidence in what THEY can do. A great leader inspires us to have confidence in what WE can do.

Don’t show up to prove. Show up to improve.

Leadership is not a license to do less. Leadership is a responsibility to do more.

Be the leader you wish you had.

We can contribute to a relationship. But we can’t control a relationship.

A poor leader will tell you how many people work for them. A great leader will tell you how many people they work for.

Most of us live our lives by accident—we live it as it happens. Fulfillment comes when we live our lives on purpose.

Our passion lies deep in who we are, not what we do.

Happiness comes from WHAT we do. Fulfillment comes from WHY we do it.

When we know WHY we do what we do, everything falls into place. When we don’t, we have to push things into place.

Our passions are ignited when we set out to advance a cause greater than ourselves.

Visionaries aren’t the only ones who have big ideas. Visionaries are the ones who can clearly communicate their big ideas to others.

Those in pursuit of WHY are inspired to do what is right.

Fulfillment comes when we do something to help someone else.

A culture is strong when people work with each other, for each other. A culture is weak when people work against each other, for themselves.

Communication is not about saying what we think. Communication is about ensuring others hear what we mean.

Success is a team sport.

Selfish is easy. It’s sharing that takes courage.

Strong relationships are based on trust and communication. But if there is no communication, there can be no trust.

A community is a group of people who agree to grow together.

The goal is to feel a part of something, not just play a part in anything.

When we work on a Trusting Team, we feel safe to admit our mistakes, be honest about our shortcomings, and ask for help when we need it.

Building a strong culture is what builds a strong organization.

Don’t feel guilty accepting someone’s help. You can achieve more with others than you can by yourself.

We know true collaboration happened when the idea can no longer be traced to one person.

If we were good at everything, we would have no need for each other.

Start with ‘Why’, but don’t forget the ‘How’ and ‘What’.

The goal is not just to sell to people who need what you have; the goal is to sell to people who believe what you believe.

The Golden Circle explains why we are inspired by some people, leaders, messages and organizations over others.

People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.

Every single organization on the planet, even our own careers, function on three levels: What we do, How we do it, and Why we do it.

People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. The leader leads, and the boss drives.

Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.

In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.

The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.

Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.

No man is worth his salt who is not ready at all times to risk his well-being, to risk his body, to risk his life, in a great cause.

The best executive is one who has sense enough to pick good people to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.

If a strong man has not in him the lift toward lofty things, his strength makes him only a curse to himself and his neighbor.

He who makes no mistakes makes no progress.

The leader works in the open and the boss in covert. The leader leads, and the boss drives.

My power vanishes into thin air the instant that my fellow citizens, who are straight and honest, cease to believe that I represent them and fight for what is straight and honest. That is all the strength that I have.

The stream will not permanently rise higher than the main source; and the main source of national power and national greatness is found in the average citizenship of the nation. Therefore it behooves us to do our best to see that the standard of the average citizen is kept high; and the average cannot be kept high unless the standard of the leaders is very much higher.

Appraisals are where you get together with your team leader and agree what an outstanding member of the team you are, how much your contribution has been valued, what massive potential you have and, in recognition of all this, would you mind having your salary halved.

The things that will destroy America are prosperity-at-any-price, peace-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty-first, the love of soft living, and the get-rich-quick theory of life.

Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft.

When they call the roll in the Senate, the Senators do not know whether to answer 'Present' or 'Not guilty.'

When you are asked if you can do a job, tell 'em, 'Certainly I can!' Then get busy and find out how to do it.

A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of the user.

The most successful politician is the one who says what the people are thinking most often in the loudest voice.

Every reform movement has a lunatic fringe.

No greater wrong can ever be done than to put a good man at the mercy of a bad, while telling him not to defend himself or his fellows; in no way can the success of evil be made surer or quicker.

Rhetoric is a poor substitute for action, and we have trusted only rhetoric. If we are really to be a great nation, we must not merely talk; we must act big.

I don't go so far as to think that the only good Indians are dead Indians, but I believe nine out of ten are, and I shouldn't like to inquire too closely into the case of the tenth.

The most practical kind of politics is the politics of decency.

We can just as little afford to follow the doctrinaires of an extreme individualism as the doctrinaires of an extreme socialism.

Much of the discussion about socialism and individualism is entirely pointless, because of failure to agree on terminology.

It is both foolish and wicked to teach the average man who is not well off that some wrong or injustice has been done to him, and that he should hope for redress elsewhere than in his own industry, honesty, and intelligence.

Those who advocate total lack of regulation, those who advocate lawlessness in the business world, themselves give the strongest impulse to what I believe would be the deadening movement toward unadulterated state socialism.

I took the Canal Zone and let Congress debate; and while the debate goes on, the canal does also.

What counts in a man or in a nation is not what the man or the nation can do, but what he or it actually does.

There is superstition in science quite as much as there is superstition in theology, and it is all the more dangerous because those suffering from it are profoundly convinced that they are freeing themselves from all superstition.

The settler and pioneer have at bottom had justice on their side; this great continent could not have been kept as nothing but a game preserve for squalid savages.

If there is not the war, you don't get the great general; if there is not a great occasion, you don't get a great statesman; if Lincoln had lived in a time of peace, no one would have known his name.

Terrorism is a horrible thing that is the great threat to civilization on our planet.

Polite and velvety leaders, who take care to avoid bruising others, are generally not as effective at forcing change.

With the participation of a wide range of policymakers - from Margaret Thatcher to Jimmy Carter to Condoleezza Rice - it has helped lay the groundwork for new approaches to national and world issues.

Especially right after 9/11. Especially when the war in Afghanistan is going on. There was a real sense that you don't get that critical of a government that's leading us in war time.

There should be an honored place in history for statesmen whose ideas turned out to be right.