Quotes About Leadership

On the economy, good intentions were not enough. Bold leadership was needed. But Barack Obama did not provide it. And the economy still suffers.

Obama's no LBJ.18

As state leaders, I think its important for us to provide our perspectives on issues we face every day - like access to school spending, access to health care and governing in a global economy.

President Clinton is going to embrace President Obama, as he should. They are working together. They're different kinds of people. Obama is cool, Clinton is a schmoozer. Both are great speakers. It's a great merging of the party.

The authorities aren't always up to the job.

What's more important than who's going to be the first black manager is who's going to be the first black sports editor of the New York Times.

it just doesn't work. You cannot expect nine other guys to submerge themselves and their abilities to one man.

Character – the inner world of motives and values that shapes our actions – is the ultimate determiner of the nature of our leadership. It empowers our capacities while keeping them in check. It distinguishes those who steward power well from those who abuse power. Character weaves such values as integrity, honesty, and selfless service into the fabric of our lives, organizations, and cultures.

The Vice Presidency is sort of like the last cookie on the plate. Everybody insists he won't take it, but somebody always does.

How come we play war and not peace? Too few role models.

Professionalism is the grease that lubricates an organization's functional gears. Of course, professionalism alone is inadequate to ensure business success. It must be accompanied by the leadership's compelling vision for the business and the execution of a well thought-out strategic plan. Assuming these exist, the organization's people will make the difference in the end.

The priorities that are of utmost importance to the leaders of virtually any organization—namely productivity, accountability, organizational cohesiveness, commitment to organizational initiatives, etc.—are all driven by the degree of professionalism achieved by its leaders, managers, and employees. The higher the degree of professionalism, the better the attainment of priorities, all of which drives better results.

Being able to accelerate trust organizationally in a tangible, practical way is a big deal. Intellectually, people understand the importance of trust, but translating that concept into reality is an entirely different matter. Leaders and managers struggle with it especially. They often find it maddening knowing that building trust is essential but not knowing exactly how to build trust within their organization.

Your job becomes your pulpit, your performance becomes your platform, and the marketplace becomes your parish.

I wanted to use sports for social change.

When they take surveys of women in business, of the Fortune 500, the successful women, 80% of them, say they were in sports as a young woman.

Politics is only worthwhile if you are doing what you believe, regardless of the slings and arrows.

To make Europe more effective is a worthwhile objective. To make Europe less important in your calculations is a big mistake.

I concluded that I know how to start and grow software companies. The worthwhile thing I could do was create livelihoods for people.

All we want eventually to see is more black and ethnic coaches involved at the higher levels of the game. Anything that promotes that is something very much worthwhile.

It is up to us to live up to the legacy that was left for us, and to leave a legacy that is worthy of our children and of future generations.

The die is set and Malcolm will not escape for the foolish talk he spoke against his benefactor, such a man, is worthy of death, and it would have been so, were it not for Muhammad's confidence that God would give him the victory over the enemies.

Forget the empty platitudes; your star employee is not a 'godsend.' They are a person deserving of your not infrequent acknowledgment and worthy of appreciation and respect.

As president, my father will take on the bold and worthy fights. He will be unafraid to set lofty goals, and he will be relentless in his determination to achieve them.