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.
The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born...
You are your own raw material. When you know what you consist of and what you want to make of it, then you can invent yourself.
Good leaders make people feel that they’re at the very heart of things, not at the periphery. Everyone feels that he or she makes a difference to the success of the organization. When that happens people feel centered and that gives their work meaning.
Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself. It is precisely that simple, and it is also that difficult.
Trust is the emotional glue that binds followers and leaders together.
Trust resides squarely between faith and doubt.
More leaders have been made by accident, circumstance, sheer grit, or will than have been made by all the leadership courses put together.
Learning to be an effective leader is no different than learning to be an effective person. And that’s the hard part.
Growing other leaders from the ranks isn’t just the duty of the leader, it’s an obligation.
I am reminded how hollow the label of leadership sometimes is and how heroic followership can be.
In order to serve its purpose, a vision has to be a shared vision.
The learning person looks forward to failure or mistakes. The worst problem in leadership is basically early success.
People who know what they want and why they want it, and have the skills to communicate that to others in a way that gains support.
If I were to give off-the-cuff advice to anyone trying to institute change, I would say, “How clear is the metaphor?”
Leaders learn by leading, and they learn bestby leading in the face of obstacles. As weather shapes mountains, problems shape leaders.
Followers who tell the truth, and leaders who listen to it, are an unbeatable combination.
Charisma is the result of effective leadership, not the other way around.
Leadership is like beauty – it’s hard to define but you know it when you see it.
Leaders do not avoid, repress, or deny conflict, but rather see it as an opportunity.