Robert K. Greenleaf Quotes

• The servant-leader is servant first... It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first.

  Robert K. Greenleaf

  Change, Leadership, Choices

  Robert K. Greenleaf, Larry C. Spears (1998). “The Power of Servant-leadership: Essays”, p.123, Berrett-Koehler Publishers

  223 Copy quote

• The best leaders are clear. They continually light the way, and in the process, let each person know that what they do makes a difference. The best test as a leader is: Do those served grow as persons; do they become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become leaders?

  Robert K. Greenleaf

  Leadership, Light, Differences

  211 Copy quote

• Good leaders must first become good servants.

  Robert K. Greenleaf

  Leadership, Future Leaders, Firsts

  127 Copy quote

• Leadership must first and foremost meet the needs of others.

  Robert K. Greenleaf

  Leadership, Needs, Firsts

  75 Copy quote

• Servant leadership always empathizes, always accepts the person, but sometimes refuses to accept some of the person's effort or performance as good enough.

  Robert K. Greenleaf

  Effort, Servant Leadership, Sometimes

  Robert K. Greenleaf, Larry C. Spears (2002). “Servant Leadership: A Journey Into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness”, p.43, Paulist Press

  74 Copy quote

• Moral authority is another way to define servant leadership because it represents a reciprocal choice between leader and follower. If the leader is principle centered, he or she will develop moral authority. If the follower is principle centered, he or she will follow the leader. In this sense, both leaders and followers are followers. Why? They follow truth. They follow natural law. They follow principles. They follow a common, agreed-upon vision. They share values. They grow to trust one another.

  Robert K. Greenleaf

  Law, Choices, Leader

  85 Copy quote

• A Leader is one who ventures and takes the risks of going out ahead to show the way and whom others follow, voluntarily, because they are persuaded that the leader's path is the right one-for them, probably better than they could devise for themselves.

  Robert K. Greenleaf

  Leader, Risk, Going Out

  Robert K. Greenleaf, Larry C. Spears (1998). “The Power of Servant-leadership: Essays”, p.44, Berrett-Koehler Publishers

  73 Copy quote

• The servant leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve.

  Robert K. Greenleaf

  Leader, Feelings, Want

  "The power of servant-leadership". Book by Robert K. Greenleaf, 1998.

  62 Copy quote

• Don't assume, because you are intelligent, able, and well-motivated, that you are open to communication, that you know how to listen.

  Robert K. Greenleaf

  Communication, Intelligent, Able

  56 Copy quote

• The quality of a society will be judged by what the least privileged in it achieves.

  Robert K. Greenleaf

  Quality, Achieve, Privileged

  Robert K. Greenleaf (1998). “The Power of Servant-Leadership”, p.264, Berrett-Koehler Publishers

  47 Copy quote

• The only test of leadership is that somebody follows.

  Robert K. Greenleaf

  Leadership, Tests

  Robert K. Greenleaf, Larry C. Spears (1998). “The Power of Servant-leadership: Essays”, p.31, Berrett-Koehler Publishers

  44 Copy quote

• Where there is not community, trust, respect, ethical behavior are difficult for the young to learn and for the old to maintain.

  Robert K. Greenleaf

  Community, Servant Leadership, Behavior

  67 Copy quote

• Ego can’t sleep. It micro-manages. It disempowers. It reduces our capability. It excels in control.

  Robert K. Greenleaf

  Sleep, Ego, Servant Leadership

  Robert K. Greenleaf, Larry C. Spears (2002). “Servant Leadership: A Journey Into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness”, p.20, Paulist Press

  59 Copy quote

• A statement of vision is the overarching purpose, the big dream, the visionary concept-something presently out of reach-so stated that it excites the imagination and chlalenges people to work for something they do not yet know how to do.

  Robert K. Greenleaf

  Dream, People, Imagination

  64 Copy quote

• Nothing much happens without a dream. For something really great to happen, it takes a really great dream.

  Robert K. Greenleaf

  Dream, Vision, Really Great

  61 Copy quote

• The most serious failure of leadership is the failure to foresee

  Robert K. Greenleaf

  Serious, Failure Of Leadership

  29 Copy quote

• One must not be afraid of a little silence. Some find silence awkward or oppressive. But a relaxed approach to dialogue will include the welcoming of some silence. It is often a devastating question to ask oneself, but it is sometimes important to ask it - 'In saying what I have in mind will I really improve on the silence?

  Robert K. Greenleaf

  Silence, Awkward, Mind

  Robert K. Greenleaf, Larry C. Spears (2002). “Servant Leadership: A Journey Into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness”, p.41, Paulist Press

  48 Copy quote

• Purpose and laughter are the twins that must not separate. Each is empty without the other.

  Robert K. Greenleaf

  Laughter, Purpose, Twins

  46 Copy quote

• On an important decision one rarely has 100% of the information needed for a good decision no matter how much one spends or how long one waits. And, if one waits too long, he has a different problem and has to start all over. This is the terrible dilemma of the hesitant decision maker.

  Robert K. Greenleaf

  Long, Decision, Waiting

  45 Copy quote

• Even the frankest and bravest of subordinates do not talk with their boss the same way they talk with colleagues.

  Robert K. Greenleaf

  Boss, Way, Owners

  Robert K. Greenleaf, Larry C. Spears (2002). “Servant Leadership: A Journey Into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness”, p.73, Paulist Press

  40 Copy quote

• Who is the enemy? Who is holding back more rapid movement to the better society that is reasonable and possible with available resources?...Evil, stupidity, apathy, the 'system' are not the enemy...The real enemy is fuzzy thinking on the part of good, intelligent, vital people...In short, the enemy is strong natural servants who have the potential to lead but do not lead, or who choose to follow a non-servant.

  Robert K. Greenleaf

  Strong, Real, Intelligent

  15 Copy quote

• Not much happens without a dream. And for something great to happen, there must be a great dream. Behind every great achievement is a dreamer of great dreams. Much more than a dreamer is required to bring it to reality; but the dream must be there first.

  Robert K. Greenleaf

  Dream, Reality, Achievement

  Robert K. Greenleaf, Larry C. Spears (2002). “Servant Leadership: A Journey Into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness”, p.40, Paulist Press

  46 Copy quote

• The work exists for the person as much as the person exists for the work.

  Robert K. Greenleaf

  Work, Persons

  Robert K. Greenleaf (2002). “Servant Leadership: A Journey Into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness”, p.127, Paulist Press

  21 Copy quote

• For the person with creative potential there is no wholeness except in using it.

  Robert K. Greenleaf

  Creative, Persons, Wholeness

  Robert K. Greenleaf, Hamilton Beazley, Julie Beggs (2003). “The Servant-leader Within: A Transformative Path”, p.41, Paulist Press

  29 Copy quote

• Behind every great achievement is a dreamer of great dreams.

  Robert K. Greenleaf

  Dream, Men, Behinds

  Robert K. Greenleaf, Larry C. Spears (2002). “Servant Leadership: A Journey Into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness”, p.40, Paulist Press

  24 Copy quote

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