Quotes About Leadership

Take the president of the United States, for example,' he says. 'I'm not talking about George Bush specifically as much as I'm generally talking about the position of president. What an awesome responsibility that must be to lead a country under the most scrutiny.

Allen said he'd leave before ever letting Rondo do it for him.

Weak men create hard times.

It thus was historically logical that Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara should become president of the World Bank upon leaving his position as architect of America's war in Southeast Asia.

In my experience, a mentor doesn't necessarily tell you what to do, but more importantly, tells you what they did or might do, then trusts you to draw your own conclusions and act accordingly. If you succeed, they'll take one step back, and if you screw up, they'll take one step closer. Whatever it is they teach you…pass it on.

Both men were transformers in life; they thought not of themselves but of a higher cause. They assumed truly heroic transformations in bringing to their societies the idea "you have been thinking one way, you now have to think a different way."399

There is a lure in power. It can get into a man's blood just as gambling and lust for money have been known to do. This is a Republic. The greatest in the history of the world. I want this country to continue as a Republic. Cincinnatus and Washington pointed the way. When Rome forgot Cincinnatus, its downfall began. When we forget the examples of such men as Washington, Jefferson, and Andrew Jackson. then we start down the road. to ruin."501

Truman recognized the importance of submitting to an established pattern in a system much larger than himself. He tied his decision to the importance of the time-honored, limiting presidential precedence. In his declaration on this matter, Truman stated simply, "When Rome forgot Cincinnatus, its downfall began."508

To identify with an ancient legend such as Cincinnatus, or a living legend such as Washington, Franklin, or Jefferson, was to ask for nothing other than the recognition from fellow Americans for having done so.

What remains under consideration is how Cincinnatus, the early Republic, and the other examples, cultures, and structures of governance will be considered in future decisions of how human beings will live in a globally connected commercial, technological, and cultural world.

The most singularly significant bond between Cincinnatus and Washington is Washington's resignation of the military commission at the end of the Revolution. As a military leader, Washington fought the entire conflict under the assumptions of only two formal pledges: to resign as soon as independence was won and to receive no compensation for his efforts.394

Leaders who promote a questioning culture in their organizations move people from dependence to independence.

leaders of great companies are both very humble and very persistent.

We live in a fast-paced, demanding, results-oriented world. New technologies place vast quantities of information at our fingertips in nanoseconds. We want problems solved instantly, results yesterday, answers immediately. We are exhorted to forget "ready, aim, fire" and to shoot now and shoot again. Leaders are expected to be decisive, bold, charismatic, and visionary—to know all the answers even before others have thought of the questions.

The important thing about leadership is not what happens when you're there but what happens when you are not there.

John Kotter, the noted Harvard professor and author on leadership, writes that the key difference between leaders and managers is that leaders focus on getting to the right questions, whereas managers focus on finding solutions to those questions.13 The focus on finding answers must not obscure the importance of asking the right questions. Successful leaders know that they cannot get the right answer without asking the right questions.

Questioning leaders are realists and don't inflate the importance of their own efforts. They take the time to drill down into problems by asking questions. Questioning leaders recognize that everyone is needed, and that everyone should serve one another, if the organization is to be successful.

Through questions, leaders seek to learn not only what directly causes the problem or what solutions may work (which is single-loop learning), but also to seek to discover and learn what might be the underlying causes and solutions (double-loop learning) as well as the culture and mindset that create these causes and solutions (triple-loop learning).

I have come to realize that much of my success can be attributed to the fact that I believe in the capacity of the people who have worked with me. I truly think that the leader who tries to know it all and tells everyone what to do is doomed to failure.

Historians who carefully examined the events and details behind the disasters of the Titanic, the Challenger, and the Bay of Pigs have determined a common thread: the inability or unwillingness of participants and leaders to raise questions about their concerns. Some group members were fearful that they were the only one who had a particular concern (when, in fact, it was later discovered that many people in the group had similar concerns).

The notion that "the best and the brightest" are better at governing than their less-credentialed fellow citizens is a myth born of meritocratic hubris.

My father was a management genius. But what I really wanted was a dad.

Ultimately, if you can say that I'm a bad owner and we're winning championships, I can live with that. But if we're not making the playoffs and we're spending and losing money, then I have to look in the mirror and say maybe I'm not taking the necessary steps to doing what it takes to run an organization.

If you are the boss it's wise to remember that there are lots of things you don't know and lots of people who hope you won't find out.