Motivational Quotes for Leaders
by Whitney Hopler, Communications Manager
Developing strong leadership skills can empower you to enjoy well-being in every part of your life. Famous leaders throughout history have had a lot to say about leadership and its value to bring positive change both professionally and personally. Here are motivational leadership quotes to ponder:
“Education is the mother of leadership.” – Wendell Willkie
“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” – William Arthur Ward
“The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.” – Kenneth Blanchard
“Become the kind of leader that people would follow voluntarily; even if you had no title or position.” – Brian Tracy
“The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born – that there is a genetic factor to leadership. That’s nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born.” – Warren Bennis
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.” – Thomas Jefferson
“Play to your strengths.” – JK Rowling
“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
“Let him who would be moved to convince others, be first moved to convince himself.” – Thomas Carlyle
“To command is to serve, nothing more and nothing less.” – Andre Malraux
“Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes.” – Peter Drucker
“You don’t lead by pointing and telling people some place to go. You lead by going to that place and making a case.” – Ken Kesey
“A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position.” – John Maxwell
“The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not a bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.” – Jim Rohn
“The real leader has no need to lead, he is content to point the way.” – Henry Miller
“The task of leadership is not to put greatness into people, but to elicit it, for the greatness is there already.” – John Buchan
“You will get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want.” – Zig Ziglar
“It’s not about you. It’s about them.” – Clint Eastwood
“Effort and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.” – John F. Kennedy
“Leadership does not depend on being right.” – Ivan Illich
“There has never been a statue erected to honor a critic.” – Zig Ziglar
“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” – Ronald Reagan
“A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.” – Max Lucado
“Leaders create a legacy daily.” – Steve Gutzler
“Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.” – John C. Maxwell
“Successful leaders see the opportunities in every difficulty rather than the difficulty in every opportunity.” – Reed Markham
“To make a decision, all you need is authority. To make a good decision, you also need knowledge, experience, and insight.” – Denise Moreland
“A leader does not deserve the name unless he is willing occasionally to stand alone.” – Henry A. Kissinger
“Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” – Warren G. Bennis
“People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.” – John Maxwell
“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
“Don’t find fault, find a remedy.” – Henry Ford
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