Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
I used to think that running an organization was equivalent to conducting a symphony orchestra. But I don't think that's quite it; it's more like jazz. There is more improvisation.
The ability to plan for what has not yet happened, for a future that has only been imagined, is one of the hallmarks of leadership.
The manager does things right; the leader does the right thing.
Leaders are people who do the right thing; managers are people who do things right.
The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born.
Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.
The future has no shelf life
Successful leaders are great askers
Don't over-react to the trouble makers.
One of the worst mistakes is to do nothing.
The manager administers; the leader innovates.
Trust resides squarely between faith and doubt.
Excellence is a better teacher than mediocrity.
Judgment without character is expediency... or worse.
Vision animates, inspires, transforms purpose into action.
In life, change is inevitable. In business, change is vital.
The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why.
In great groups, the right people always have the right job.
The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it.
Failing organizations are usually over-managed and under-led.
There is a profound difference between information and meaning.
Those who take risks walk the high wire with no fear of falling.
In order to serve its purpose, a vision has to be a shared vision.
Leaders keep their eyes on the horizon, not just on the bottom line.
Trust is the emotional glue that binds followers and leaders together.
Think of successful creative collaborations are dreams with deadlines.
Success in management requires learning as fast as the world is changing.
Charisma is the result of effective leadership, not the other way around.
Trust is the lubrication that makes it possible for organizations to work.
Companies which get misled by their own success are sure to be blind sided.
All great leaders constantly seek new information and new ways of thinking.
Servant leadership teaches us that you have to lay your cards on the table.
The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective.
Organizations should try to find out if their learning programs actually work.
Every great group is an island... but an island with a bridge to the mainland.
Keep reminding people of what's important and that their fates are correlated.
Trust is difficult to define, but we know when it's present and when it's not.
That is the key challenge facing management today; change is the only constant.
Leadership is like beauty - it's hard to define but you know it when you see it.
All claims deserve consideration but some claims are more important than others.
Around the world, the generals are being ousted, and the poets are taking charge.
The manager has his eye on the bottom line; the leader has his eye on the horizon.
Make sure you have someone in your life from whom you can get reflective feedback.
That's nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born.
Leaders do not avoid, repress, or deny conflict, but rather see it as an opportunity
Recognize the skills and traits you don't possess, and hire the people who have them.
To become a leader, then, you must become yourself, become the maker of your own life
Leaders must encourage their organizations to dance to forms of music yet to be heard.
Great Groups need to know that the person at the top will fight like a tiger for them.
Without character, there is no credibility; and without credibility, there is no trust.
