True Leadership Quotes

• Jesus said several times, “Come, follow me.” His was a program of “do what I do,” rather than “do what I say.” His innate brilliance would have permitted him to put on a dazzling display, but that would have left his followers far behind. He walked and worked with those he was to serve. His was not a long-distance leadership. He was not afraid of close friendships; he was not afraid that proximity to him would disappoint his followers. The leaven of true leadership cannot lift others unless we are with and serve those to be led.

  Spencer W. Kimball

  Leadership, Jesus, Distance

  Spencer W. Kimball (1982). “The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, Twelfth President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”

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• True leadership cannot be awarded, appointed, or assigned. It comes only from Influence.

  John C. Maxwell

  Influence, True Leader

  John C. Maxwell (2007). “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership Workbook: Revised and Updated”, p.14, Thomas Nelson Inc

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• True leaders understand that leadership is not about them but about those they serve. It is not about exalting themselves but about lifting others up.

  Sheri L. Dew

  Leadership, Inspire, Lifting Others

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• A good objective of leadership is to help those who are doing poorly to do well and to help those who are doing well to do even better.

  Jim Rohn

  Leadership, Insperational, Helping Others

  FaceBook post by Jim Rohn from Jul 23, 2015

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• Be strong, but not rude; Be kind, but not weak; Be bold, but not bully; Be humble, but not timid; Be prooud, but not arrogant.

  Zig Ziglar

  Leadership, Strong, Humble

  FaceBook post by Zig Ziglar from Dec 27, 2013

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• You can't blow an uncertain trumpet.

  Theodore Hesburgh

  Leadership, Blow, Common Vision

  Interview with Philip Scarpino, tobiascenter.iu.edu. January 6, 2009.

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• Leaders should strive for authenticity over perfection.

  Sheryl Sandberg

  Perfection, Leader, Powerful Women

  Sheryl Sandberg (2014). “Lean In for Graduates”, p.100, Knopf

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• Leaders don't create followers, they create more leaders.

  Tom Peters

  Leadership, Business, Insperational

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• A ruler should be slow to punish and swift to reward.

  Ovid

  Leadership, Vision, Empowering Others

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• The best executive is one who has sense enough to pick good people to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.

  Theodore Roosevelt

  Inspirational, Relationship, Leadership

  Theodore Roosevelt (2015). “Theodore Roosevelt on Bravery: Lessons from the Most Courageous Leader of the Twentieth Century”, p.75, Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.

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• 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

  Motivational, Inspiring, Leadership

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• 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

  Inspirational, Leadership, Wisdom

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• A great leader's courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position.

  John C. Maxwell

  Inspirational, Success, Leadership

  John C. Maxwell (2007). “The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader: Becoming the Person Others Will Want to Follow”, p.89, Thomas Nelson Inc

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• People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.

  John C. Maxwell

  Motivational, Inspiring, Leadership

  John C. Maxwell (2005). “Developing the Leader Within You”, p.108, Thomas Nelson Inc

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• Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.

  John C. Maxwell

  Motivational, Inspiring, Leadership

  FaceBook post by John C. Maxwell from Feb 16, 2016

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• The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born - that there is a genetic factor to leadership. This myth asserts that people simply either have certain charismatic qualities or not. That's nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born.

  Warren G. Bennis

  Inspirational, Motivational, Success

  "Managing People Is Like Herding Cats". Book by Warren G. Bennis, January 1997.

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  If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.

  John Quincy Adams

  Inspirational, Life, Motivational

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• The art of leadership is saying no, not saying yes. It is very easy to say yes.

  Tony Blair

  Motivational, Leadership, Art

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• No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit for doing it.

  Andrew Carnegie

  Inspirational, Leadership, Confidence

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  Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes.

  Peter Drucker

  Inspirational, Leadership, Basketball

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• The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision. You can't blow an uncertain trumpet.

  Theodore Hesburgh

  Leadership, Business, Blow

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• A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.

  John C. Maxwell

  Inspirational, Leadership, Basketball

  "Leadership 101: 3 Key Lessons on Advancing Racial Equity" by Dr. Artika R. Tyner, www.huffingtonpost.com. October 15, 2015.

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• Leaders aren't born they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And that's the price we'll have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal.

  Vince Lombardi

  Motivational, Leadership, Graduation

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• To command is to serve, nothing more and nothing less.

  Andre Malraux

  Leadership, Military, Vision

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• I'm all for ambition and stretch goals. I set them for myself.
  But  leadership isn't the same as cheerleading. Believing
  in something is a necessary but absolutely insufficient
  condition for making it come true.

  Margaret Heffernan

  Cheerleading, Believe, Ambition

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