A good general not only sees the way to victory; he also knows when victory is impossible.
Great leaders are not defined by the absence of weakness, but rather by the presence of clear strengths.
Leadership is not defined by the exercise of power but by the capacity to increase the sense of power among those led. The most essential work of the leader is to create more leaders.
Leadership is an action, not a position
When you put together deep knowledge about a subject that intensely matters to you, charisma happens. You gain courage to share your passion, and when you do that, folks follow.
Average leaders raise the bar on themselves; good leaders raise the bar for others; great leaders inspire others to raise their own bar.
It is not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, if he wins, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.
Great leaders hire outstanding people, train them well, inspire them, and then get out of their way.
Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.
A great person attracts great people and knows how to hold them together.
Do what you feel in your heart to be right – for you’ll be criticized anyway. You’ll be “damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.”
Lead and inspire people. Don’t try to manage and manipulate people. Inventories can be managed but people must be led.
Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.
Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.
One of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency.
True leadership lies in guiding others to success. In ensuring that everyone is performing at their best, doing the work they are pledged to do and doing it well.
A good leader is a person who takes a little more than his share of the blame and a little less than his share of the credit.
Don’t speak unless you can improve on the silence.
If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.