Thoughts on Leadership

Assembled here are a couple hundred choice thoughts on leadership and management. Any references to the Leader as male only are indicative of earlier writing styles, not the opinion of the GSM Institute. Suggestion: After plowing through these, write down your own definitions of leadership. In the end, it doesn't matter what others said about it, but what you do will matter in the lives of others.

"There's nothing wrong with any organization that a little leadership can't cure. The biggest failing of most managers is they never read The Little Engine That Could." –Clay Sherman
"Improved organizations, and improved management, come only from improved managers." –Mark Silber
Leadership is the process of helping people do the worthwhile things they want to do.
A leader has been defined as one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.
"The prime function of a leader is to keep hope alive."–John Gardner
A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame and a little less than his share of the credit.
The leader must know, must know that he knows, and must be able to make it abundantly clear to those about him that he knows.
Leadership Principle: Would you be willing to preach what you practice?
Children's parents need to be the best leaders.
A leader should be easy to talk to, open to suggestions, and fair and impartial at all times.
"This one rule I leave for others when I'm dead. Always be sure you're right–– then go ahead." –Davey Crockett
"Leadership is action, not position." –Donald McGannon

FIVE LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES

  1. Always give your people the credit that is rightfully theirs. To do otherwise is both morally and ethically dishonest.
  2. Be courteous. Have genuine consideration for other people's feelings.
  3. Never tamper with the truth.
  4. Be concise in your writing and talking, especially when giving instructions to others.
  5. Be generous. Remember that it is the productivity of others that makes possible your executive position.
"It is hard to look up to a leader who keeps his ear to the ground." –James H. Boren
Leaders have two important characteristics:
Good leaders were first great followers.
Good leaders learn to share decisions with others even though they alone must accept responsibility for the results.
Leadership usually begins with a vision of success; A glimmering intuition that solutions to problems are possible.
THE LEADER SHOULD REMEMBER
THE IMAGE OF LEADERSHIPA leader's a man who commands much respect,
But due to the natures of all,
He's only as good as the image he casts
In the mirror that hangs on the wall.He usually sees what he wants, and no more,
He's afraid to look deep in his soul.
He doesn't consider himself as at fault,
But wants others to help reach his goal.When failures arise he blames it on all
Who failed to help or take part,
"They never did what they were told, " he would say,
"They haven't the skill or the art."What kind of a leader are you going to be––
The kind who thinks he is the best?
Or will you be one of the very few greats
Who attributes success to the rest.Don't fail to look at the help you received
From parents and friends all your life.
They comforted you, praised you, and gave you the push
To help you through trouble and strife.Another whose help you should never forget,
Who gave you your life and His love,
The One to whom all of our assets are known
Is the One whom we pray to above.Be humble in all of your leadership traits.
Thank those who have made you so tall.
Be human to others, consider them too,
Then smile through the glass on the wall. –John Schoolland
A man who cannot lead and will not follow invariably obstructs.
"Leadership is the activity of influencing people to cooperate toward some goal which they come to find desirable."–Ordway Tead
The difference between a boss and a leader:
"Somewhere there is somebody who looks to each of us for leadership in some field. At the same time, however, leaders are also followers. Followers, in fact, are the backbone of the nation." –E. M. Clark
"Courage –– not complacency –– is our need today. Leadership, not salesmanship." –John F. Kennedy
"Leadership does not depend on innate talent only, but very much also on intensity of conviction and willingness to serve." –Walter Gropius
Leadership involves remembering past mistakes, an analysis of today's achievements, and a well–grounded imagination in visualizing the problems of the future.
Are you a boss or a LEADER?
A LEADER
Experience, reliability, and desire to do the job right are three of the most important qualifications of the leader.
Personal Characteristics of Leadership:
"You lose leadership when you cease to lead." –Henry Cabot
"Many of tomorrow's leaders will need to have youth in their pockets and adventure in their hearts. Their basic challenge will be the challenge of change." –H. R. Mouros
A good leader is a capable and responsible person who is ready at all times to fulfill his obligations.
The trouble with being a good leader today is that you can't be sure whether people are following or chasing you.
A part of leadership is giving people more than they deserve.
A leader is an ordinary person with extraordinary determination and a sure knowledge of his destination.
A leader must not only know where he is going but he must also make others glad to go with him.
Somehow the better we are, the better the people are that we lead.
The direction of a man's life follows the unseen influence of:
Of a good leader they say,"You led us to do this."
Of a great leader they say, "We did this ourselves."
You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. –Proverb
You can lead a horse to water, but if you can get him to float on his back, you've really got something!" –Clay Sherman
The wise leader reads both books and life itself.
"To be a leader of men one must turn one's back on men." –Havelock Ellis
People can be divided into three groups:
Leaders must be mindful of the power of words, FOR:
When in charge – PonderWhen in trouble – DelegateWhen in doubt – Mumble
"Let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing here on earth God's work must be truly our own." –John F. Kennedy
Learning Today; Leading Tomorrow –Moore's Mill School Motto
The young people of today are the leaders of tomorrow, but we sometimes wonder whether they are going to be followed or chased.
Leaders commend more –– condemn less.
To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.
Do something... lead, follow, or get out of the way. –U. S. Army Slogan
A good leader inspires other men with confidence in him; a great leader inspires them with confidence in themselves
"A good leader is not the person who does things right, but the person who finds the right things to do." –Anthony T. Dadovano.
The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they are doing it.
"No executive has ever suffered because his subordinates were strong and effective." –Peter Drucker
Now there are five things a general must pay strict heed: the first of these is administration: the second, preparedness; the third, determination; the fourth, prudence; and the fifth, economy. –Wu ChOi (430 – 381) B.C.
A B C's of Leadership
"When a man comes to me for advice, I find out the kind of advice he wants and I give it to him." –Josh Billings
Military leadership is a process by which a soldier influences others to accomplish the mission.
Leaders lead by asking, delegating, guiding, encouraging, and risking.
The Successful Leader:
A leader must learn to sell ideas.
Good leaders develop through a never–ending process of self–study, education, training, and experience. –Manual on military leadership
Four rules of Leadership in a free legislative body:First, no matter how hard–fought the issue, never get personal.Second, do your homework. You can't lead without knowing what you are talking about.Third, The American Legislative process is one of give and take. Use your power as a leader to persuade, not intimidate.Fourth, be considerate of the needs of your colleagues, even if they are at the bottom of the totem pole. –George Bush
Leaders must remember people support what they themselves help create.
"You do not lead by hitting people over the head – that's assault, not leadership." –Dwight D. Eisenhower
"He makes a great mistake ... who supposes that authority is firmer or better established when it is founded by force than that which is wielded by affection." –Terence
Remember the difference between a boss and a leader:
"One must never excuse oneself by pointing to the soldiers." –Blaise Montluc
The seven secrets of being a number one boss:
"When a mature and able manager feels bored, he should seriously consider changing jobs, changing companies –– or simply retiring. It is not fair to anyone for half a leader to hold a full–time leadership job." –James L. Hayes
"The first quality for a commander–in–chief is a cool head to receive a correct impression of things. He should not allow himself to be confused by either good or bad news." –Napoleon I
"The leader must himself believe that willing obedience always beats forced obedience, and that he can get this only by really knowing what should be done. Thus, he can secure obedience from his men because he can convince them that he knows best, precisely as a good doctor makes patients obey him." –Xenophon
"If you want to give a man credit, put it in writing. If you want to give him hell, do it on the phone." –Charles Beachman
"The commander must try, above all, to establish personal and comradely contact with his men, but without giving away an inch of his authority." –Field Marshall Erwin Rommel
"A true leader always keeps an element of surprise up his sleeve, which others cannot grasp but which keeps his public excited and breathless." –Charles deGaulle
"Because of deep love, one is courageous.
Because of frugality, one is generous.
Because of not daring to be ahead of the world,
One becomes the leader of the world." –Lao Tzu
"The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction and the will to carry on. ... The genius of a good leader is to leave behind him a situation which common sense, without the grace of genius, can deal with successfully." –Franklin Roosevelt
"No man will ever be a big executive who feels that he must either openly or under–cover, follow up every order he gives and see that it is done, nor will he ever develop a capable assistant." –John Mahin
Do not trust proud self–seeking leadership.
"You can judge a leader by the size of problems he tackles –– people nearly always pick a problem their own size, and ignore or leave to others the bigger or smaller ones." –Anthony Jay
Characteristics of a Leader:Good citizen, tactful, friendly, enthusiastic, honest, modest, thrifty, able to organize, exercise common sense, avoids partiality, sincere, and humble.
A leader must have a vision:
It is a wonderful joy to become a leader, but it is a far more wonderful joy to help others become leaders.
No man is good enough to lead others without their consent.
A leader is best when people barely know he exists. When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say, "We did this ourselves." –Lao Tzu
Obey your spiritual leaders and be willing to do what they say. For their work is to watch over your souls, and God will Judge them on how well they do this. –Hebrews 13:17
Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and never succeed. –Proverbs 12:24
Management maxims to live by...
"Leadership simply means "getting people to do what they ordinarily wouldn't do on their own." –Randy Houck
A LEADER
SUCCESSFUL LEADERS"The most successful highest–up executives carefully select under–studies. They don't strive to do everything themselves. They train and trust others. This leaves them foot–free, mind–free, with time to think. They have time to receive important callers, to pay worthwhile visits. They have time for their familiesFew people are born leaders. Leadership is achieved by ability, alertness, experience and by keeping posted; by willingness to accept responsibility; a knack for getting along with others people; an open mind, and a head that stays clear under stress." –B. C. Forbes
PARADOXICAL COMMANDMENTS OF LEADERSHIP
SIGNS OF LEADERSHIP
It would be hard to conceive of any human being meeting all the specifications for leadership we have listed. Personally, I doubt very much whether any such person ever lived. While an examination of ourselves in the light of these specifications might be somewhat depressing for the time being, in the long run a knowledge of our weak spots should be our first step in strengthening them.In spite of our efforts to turn out good production work, we know for a fact that none of it has ever been perfect. That is why we have manufacturing limits, high and low, go and no–go. The leadership of most of us must be somewhere between the high and low limits of our specifications or we wouldn't be supervisors at all. The ability to take constructive criticism should be added to our already long list of specifications for leadership. If we can't take it, the chances are we will never be able to hand it out to others with any hope of making it stick.
What a leader must know: 1. How to motivate people in general and your subordinates in particular. 2. Your own strengths and weakness. 3. The strengths and weakness of your subordinates. 4. How beliefs and values become instilled in people and how they can be changed. 5. How character is developed. 6. How to communicate in a way that builds bonds of mutual trust, confidence, respect, and understanding among soldiers and between leaders and troops. 7. How people learn. 8. How to develop morale, cohesion, and discipline. 9. How soldiers can deal effectively with stress. 10. How to teach individual and team skills necessary for unit effectiveness. 11. How informal group norms or rules become instilled as beliefs and values in group members. 12. How to teach and train others to become good leaders. 13. You must have the knowledge required to create favorable situations. This knowledge includes:
LEADERSHIPThe road to leadership is danger–laden. No easy task, this. A leader must be willing to take the risk, the blame, the brunt, and the storm. Never the easy way, never safety–first. There is a zeal for adventure. A willingness to endure. A devotion to work. A passion to win.A leader has a low tolerance for idleness. No regular office hours for him. He recognizes that to stay on top is more difficult than the journey to get there. He does not understand the forty hour week. What he seeks is the forty hour day. There is a sacrificial willingness topay the price. Laboriously, painstakingly, he extends new frontiers. There is a driving, ceaseless commitment to the task. An indomitable persistence. An immense sustained urge to succeed. He thrives on the discipline and struggle of adversity.An uncommon man, the leader. He is a nonconformist, a dissenter, a malcontent, and will do anything to escape the tyranny of mediocrity. He understands that the difference between failure and success is often the difference in doing something nearly right and doing it exactly right.He has the power to persuade and inspire others to heights they thought unreachable.He is energy and enthusiasm in motion. Willing to try anything once. He knows that no great plan is ever achieved without meeting obstacles others thought impossible.
LEADERSHIPThe leader understands and appreciates people. His interest is shown through kindness, courtesy, fairness, and unlimited patience.He knows the people in his organization and treats those in minor and major positions with equal consideration.He has great capacity for work but does not try to do it all himself. He delegates authority and responsibility. He has unbounded enthusiasm for his organization, its products, his associates, his profession and his country.He is a good finder, not a faultfinder; an optimist, not a pessimist. He has engaging manners, is tasteful in dress, and careful to express himself clearly and correctly.He impresses people because of his clarity of thought, action, and expression; because of the vibrance of his voice, the spark in his eye, and his vigor and animation.He has a sense of humor and an understanding heart. He puts first things first; constantly observes people who are promotable; insists that the right people are in the right places and makes sure that prejudice does not influence promotion. –A.A. Porter
ADVERSITY OF THE LEADERIn every field of human endeavor, he that is first must perpetually live in the white light of publicity. Whether the leadership be vested in a man or in a manufactured product, emulation and envy are ever at work. In art, in literature, in music, in industry, the reward and the punishment are always the same. The reward is widespread recognition; the punishment, fierce denial and detraction.When a man's work becomes a standard for the whole world, it also becomes a target for the shafts of the envious few. If his work be merely mediocre, he will be left severely alone. If he achieves a masterpiece, it will set a million tongues a–wagging. Jealousy does not protrude its forked tongue at the artist who produces a commonplace painting.The leader is assailed because he is a leader, and the effort to equal him is merely added proof of that leadership. The follower seeks to depreciate and to destroy. There is nothing new in this, and it all avails nothing.If the leader truly leads, he remains the leader, master poet, master painter, master workman. That which is good or great makes itself known. That which deserves to live, lives.
GETTING WORK DONE THROUGH PEOPLE
  1. Basic needs of People, Recognition, Opportunity, Security, Belonging, Others... Techniques of Good Human relations
  2. Let each worker know where he stands––periodically discuss evaluations.
  3. Give credit when credit is due––commensurate with accomplishment.
  4. Inform workers in advance of changes––informed workers are more effective.
  5. Let workers participate in plans and decisions affecting them––participation encourages cooperation.
  6. Gain worker's confidence––earn loyalty and trust.
  7. Know all your workers personally––find out their interests, habits, and touch points and capitalize on your knowledge of them.
  8. Listen to the ideas of your subordinates––they have good ideas, too.
  9. If your worker's behavior is unusual for him, find out why––there's always a reason for every behavior.
  10. Try to make your wishes known by suggestions or requests whenever possible––people generally do not like to be pushed.
  11. Explain the why of things that are to be done––workers do a better job when they know why.
  12. When you make a mistake, admit it, and apologize––others will resent your blaming someone else.
  13. Show workers the importance of every job––this satisfies the need for security.
  14. Criticize constructively––give reasons for criticisms and ways to correct them.
  15. Precede criticisms with good points––show him you are trying to help him.
  16. The supervisor sets the styles––do as you would have your workers do.
  17. Be consistent in your actions––let your workers know what is expected of them.
  18. Show confidence in your workers––this will bring out the best in them.
  19. Set proper goals––give workers goals they can work towards.
  20. If one person gripes, find out why––the gripe of one may be the gripe of many.
  21. Settle all grievances, if possible––the unsettled grievance of one person affects everyone.
  22. Back up your workers––authority must accompany responsibility.
THE ART OF LEADERSHIPSimply and plainly defined: a leader is a man who has followers. The leader deserves to have followers. He has earned recognition. Authority alone is no longer enough to command respect.The leader is a great servant. The Master of Men expressed the ideal of leadership in a democracy when he said, "And whosoever will be chief among you let him be your servant."The leader sees things through the eyes of his followers. He puts himself in their shoes and helps them make their dream come true.The leader does not say, "Get Going"; instead he says, "Lets GO!" and leads the way. He does not walk behind with a whip; he's out in front with a banner.The leader assumes that his followers are working with him, not for him. He considers them partners in the work and sees to it that they share in the rewards. He glorifies the team spirit.The leader duplicates himself in others. He is a man builder. He helps those under him to grow big because he realizes that the more big men an organization has the stronger it will be.The leader does not hold people down, he lifts them up. He reaches out his hand to help his followers scale the peaks.The leader has faith in people. He believes in them, trusts them, and thus draws out the best in them. He has found that they rise to his high expectations.The leader uses his heart as well as his head. After he has looked at the facts with his head he lets his heart take a look, too. He is not only a boss, he is also a friend.The leader is a self–starter. He creates plans and sets them in motion. He is both a man of thought and a man of action – both dreamer and doer.The leader has a sense of humor. He is not a stuffed–shirt. He can laugh at himself. He has a humble spirit.The leader can be led. He is not interested in having his own way, but in finding the best way. He has an open mind.The leader keeps his eyes on high goals. He strives to make the efforts of his followers and himself contribute to the enrichment of personality, the achievement of more abundant living for all and the improvement of civilization.—Wilferd Peterson
30 RULES FOR GETTING THINGS DONE THOUGH PEOPLEThe job of the supervisor is to get things done through people. Here are 30 practical rules, based on the experience of scores of successful managers, that will help any supervisor to get things done through people by building an alert, eager, and responsible staff.1. Make the people on your staff want to do things.2. Study subordinates and determine what makes each tick.3. Be a good listener.4. Criticize or reprove constructively.5. Criticize or reprove in private.6. But praise in public.7. Be considerate.8. Delegate responsibility for details to subordinates.9. Give credit where credit is due.10. Avoid domination or "forcefulness".11. Show interest in and appreciation of the other fellow.12. Make your wishes known by suggestions or requests.13. When you make a request or suggestion, be sure to tell the reasons for it.14. Let your assistants in on your plans and programs even when they're in an early stage.15. Never forget that the supervisor sets the style for his people.16. Play the positive.17. Be consistent.18. Show your people that you have confidence in them and that you expect them to do their best.19. Ask subordinates for their counsel and help.20. When you're wrong or make a mistake, admit it.21. Give courteous hearing to ideas from subordinates.22. If an idea is adopted, tell the originator why.23. Give weight to the fact that people carry out best their own ideas.24. Be careful what you say and how you say it.25. Don't be upset by moderate grousing.26. Use every opportunity to build up in subordinates a sense of the importance of their work.27. Give your people a goal, a sense of direction, something to strive for and to achieve.28. Keep your people informed on matters affecting them.29. Give subordinates a chance to take part in decisions, particularly those affecting them.30. Let your people know where they stand.
He who is noble must perform noble deeds. –Dutch Proverb
TRAITS OF A GOOD LEADER
WHAT A FOLLOWER SEEKS IN A LEADER (forgive the author's reference only to "he" and "boys")
CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD LEADERS1. Leaders seem to be so completely wrapped up in their jobs that they can't spare the time to worry about the jobs they might get, or about other people who seem to be getting ahead faster than they.2. Leaders find in their work not only a means of earning but also a reason for living.3. Most leaders have hides as thick as a Rhinoceros, as far as their own personal pride is concerned. But they are extremely sensitive to the pride of others––and always on guard hurting others needlessly.4. Most leaders instinctively listen more than they talk, and talk only when they have something worthwhile and appropriate to say. When they listen they automatically sift out words they hear, the nubbin of what the other fellow has on his mind. When they talk, they use words the other fellow can understand––and no more words than necessary.5. Having faith in the ability of their work to speak for itself, they are not afraid of their jobs or of anyone who threatens their jobs. Thus, they are always free from self–consciousness and are always themselves, whether with top executives or the men on the job.6. Most leaders are not naturally inclined to invent or become authors, or create new systems, or demonstrate their own personal talents or accomplishments publicly. Neither do they spend much time selling themselves.7. They have confidence that their work will speak for itself, without arrogance and free from fear or awe of other people. They are in an unbiased position to recognize and evaluate the ability of others, to encourage its development and to employ it to the best possible advantage of all concerned. Free from fear for self, non–competitive toward others, and fair in their appraisal of others, leaders win the confidence and respect of those who willingly accept them as referees, judges and counselors.8. All leaders control their temper to a marked degree––do not give way to uncontrolled enthusiasm or despair––but move from day to day, from week to week, on any even keel.9. Leaders do not permit themselves to be bogged down with unimportant details. They are naturally inclined to brush aside detail, with an eye for the key–log in a jam. While they are patient with those who cannot see beyond detail, they will not permit those people to interfere with the removal of the key–log.10. Leaders have a highly developed sense of feeling the law of the land before they have facts to prove it. While respectful of facts and logic, they are able to read between the lines and anticipate the answer to a problem before it is available. They are logical, but they check their own logic––and that of others––with their hunch or feeling toward the matter situation is sometimes called horse sense––that quality which, if possessed by one of two people equally informed, makes the one a successful leader and the other questionable.11. Most leaders have the faculty of gaining confidence without becoming intimate with individuals. This avoids personal entanglements and the obligations they impose. Most leaders are, therefore, in a position to deal fairly, squarely and impartially with their men on the basis of their individual merits.12. Most leaders are incapable of intense hatred, grudges or bitter quarrels and are not conscious of enemies.13. All leaders suggest rather than order.
The question, "Who ought to be boss?" is like asking, "Who ought to be tenor in the quartet?" Obviously, the man who can sing tenor. –Henry Ford
Followers will never go any farther than their leaders.
"Leadership is a matter of having people look at you and gain confidence, seeing how you react. If you are in control, they're in control." –Tom Landry
"Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other. " –John F. Kennedy
"When the tyrant has disposed of foreign enemies by conquest or treaty and there is nothing to fear from them, then he is always stirring up some war or other, in order that the people may require a leader." –Plato – 390 B.C.
People are easier led than driven.
Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. –Isaiah 55:4
"A leader has to lead, or otherwise he has no business in politics." –Harry Truman
"Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation, for tis better to be alone than in bad company." –George Washington
A pint of example is worth a gallon of advice.
"Those who go along get along." –Sam Rayburn
"It is imperative that the leader leads in the right direction." –James Louis Bledsoe
A SHORT COURSE IN HUMAN RELATIONS
The Ten Commandments of Leadership1.Thou Shalt Love People. . . Not Just Use Them. The greatest thing in the world is a person. The greatest thing about a person is his motive, and the greatest motive is love.2.Thou Shalt Develop Understanding. . . If every man's cares were written on his brow, how many would our pity share, who bear our envy now?3. Thou Shalt Not Criticize More than Compliment. . . You had better cover your neighbor's faults with a cloak of charity. You may need a circus tent to cover your own!4. Thou Shalt Not Get Angry. If you are right, you don't need to. If you are wrong, you can't afford to.5. Thou Shalt Not Argue. It's no use to win the argument and lose the people. Beware of the attitude which says:
In matters controversial
My attitude is fine
I always see two points of view
The one that's wrong, and mine.
6. Thou Shalt Be Kind. You had better be kind to the people you meet on the way up, they are the same ones you meet on the way down.7. Thou Shalt Have a Sense of Humor. A sense of humor is to a man what springs are to a wagon –– it saves him a lot of jolts.8. Thou Shalt Smile. No man is ever fully dressed until he has a smile on his face. . . remember, "Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone.9. Thou Shalt Practice What Thou Preaches. One example is worth one thousand arguments.10. Thou Shalt Go to School to the Headmaster of the Universe, The Master of Men, the Secretary of Human Relations. . . namely Jesus Christ. He is the greatest LEADER of men the world has ever known.
Success is never final and failure never fatal. It is courage that counts.
"Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, all the ways you can, all the places you can, all the times you can, all the people you can, long as ever you can." –John Wesley
"He that cannot obey, cannot command." –Ben Franklin
TEN QUALITIES OF A LEADER:1. A leader must be able to take criticism.2. A leader must be able to stand adversity.3. A leader must be able to delegate authority.4. A leader must be able to make decisions.5. A leader must be able to concentrate under difficult conditions.6. A leader must be free from prejudices.7. A leader must learn to praise others, to share the credit, and to give credit where credit is due.8. A leader will assume responsibility for his mistakes.9. A leader will not try to avoid responsibilities for the mistakes of others.10. A leader will grow and learn.
Leaders learn while they teach.
When leaders go places, they take others with them.
One test of LEADERSHIP is to turn around and see if anyone is following you.
"Duty is the sublimest word in our language. Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more. You should never wish to do less." –Robert E. Lee
Your word is who you are.
"The parent is the first and foremost leader." –James Louis Bledsoe
A leader believes most people want to accept responsibility; a boss believes most people want to shirk responsibility.
No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it.
LEADERS SHOULD PLAN FOR THE BEST, BUT PREPARE FOR THE WORST. –Lynn Fanning
"Leaders should always return their phone calls." –F. Mark Cowherd
Good leadership is the art of getting average people to do great work.
"Leaders sometimes do things that have never been done before." –Philip Sehlechty
"I believe that every right implies responsibility, every opportunity, an obligation, every possession, a duty." –John D. Rockefeller Jr.
The only dumb question is the one not asked.
"You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do." –Henry Ford
We are judged by what we finish not by what we start.
Behind able men there are always other able men.
"There is no security on the earth, there is only opportunity." –Douglas MacArthur
"Leaders must obtain a vision." –F. Mark Cowherd
The prime function of the leader is to keep hope alive.
"It is better to say nothing than to say the wrong thing." –James Louis Bledsoe
SEVEN TRAITS OF POOR LEADERS
1. Aggressive against people who do not agree with them or who do not do as they want them to do.2. Apprehensive that others are scheming against them.3. Fatalistic in thinking that most workers aren't to be trusted; intolerant of democratic leaders.4. Inflexible, believing that there must be no deviation from the course they have set.5. Prejudiced against certain social groups, firms, religions or nations.6. Submissive in blindly believing in and following forceful leaders or achievers whom they admire.7. Victories that are cheap –– are cheap. Those only are worth having which come as the result of hard fighting. –Henry Beecher
Leadership, at its highest, consists of getting people to work for you when they are under no obligation to do so.
People rarely succeed at anything unless they have fun doing it.
The dividing line between success and failure can often be expressed in five words. "I did not have the time."
One cannot lead without compassion.
Leadership is the art of changing a group from what it is, to what it ought to be.
"Leadership is the most important thing we can give to people who work for us." –Joseph P. Cangemi
"Unhealthy people will behave well under good leadership; Healthy people will behave poorly under poor leadership." –Joseph P. Cangemi
"Leadership is a quality that inspires trust, confidence and faith." –Joseph P. Cangemi
"Leadership is what makes a person function good or bad." –Joseph P. Cangem
"Leadership is never neutral; it is always constructive or destructive". –Joseph P. Cangemi
TEN FATAL FAILURES OF LEADERSHIP
1. Insensitivity to others.2. Cold, aloof, arrogant behavior toward others.3. Betrayal of trust.4. Overly ambitious.5. Over managing.6. Unable to staff effectively.7. Unable to think strategically.8. Unable to adapt to a boss with a different style.9. Over dependent on an advocate or mentor.10. Failure to do the right thing (managers do things right, LEADERS do the right thing.)
TEN CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD LEADERS
1. PERSISTENCE. Not insistence. A strong leader hangs on a little longer, works a little harder.2. IMAGINATION. He or she harnesses imagination to practical plans that produce results.3. VISION. The present is just the beginning. He or she is impressed with the possibilities of the future.4. SINCERITY. He or she can be trusted.5. INTEGRITY. He or she has principles and lives by them.6. POISE. He or she isn't overbearing, but is friendly, assured.7. THOUGHTFULNESS. He or she is considerate, aware.8. COMMON SENSE. Good judgment based on reason.9. ALTRUISM. He or she lives by the Golden Rule.10. INITIATIVE. He or she gets things started now.
A SUPERVISOR's PRAYERDear Lord, Please help me ––To accept human beings as they are –– not yearn for perfect creatures;To recognize ability –– and encourage it;To understand short comings –– and make allowance for them;To work patiently for improvement –– and not expect too much too quickly;To appreciate what people do right –– Not just criticize what they do wrong;To be slow to anger and hard to discourage;To have the hide of an elephant and the patience of Job;In short, Lord, Please help me be a better boss! –John Luthur
TRAITS OF LEADERS

"One of the purest forms of LEADERSHIP is coaching." –Lynn Fanning
Some grow when given responsibility, others merely swell.
"It is frequently a misfortune to have very brilliant men in charge of affairs. They expect too much of ordinary men." –Thucydides
If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. –Matthew 15:14
"Great responsibility must go hand in hand with great privileges." –Theodore Roosevelt
"No man is wise enough or good enough to be trusted with unlimited power." –John Adams
"Loyalty cannot be coerced or compelled, it must be won." –A. Whitney Griswold
"When a man assumes a public trust, he should consider himself as public property." –Thomas Jefferson
"Only by self respect will you compel others to respect you." –Dostoevski
"If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live." –Martin Luther King, Jr.
"He that rides behind another must not think to guide." –Anon
"We must not only affirm the brotherhood of man, we must live it." –Potter
The art of perfect living is the art of perfect giving.
"Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish." –Michelangelo
Lord give me eyes that I may see the mistakes of the past and foresee the answers of the future.
"The greatest sin is to do nothing with something." –Robert White
Actions speak louder than words. It is our deeds by which we are known.
"If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem. It is true that you may fool all of the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all of the time; but you can't fool all of the people all of the time." –Abe Lincoln
"It matters not how a man dies, but how he lives." –Ben Johns
They conquer who believe they can.
Think the truth, speak the truth, act the truth.
Thinking well is wise, planning well wiser, doing well wisest and best of all. –Persian Proverb
"Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests." –Epicurus
Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment.
Don't discount feelings when you are making a decision. Sometimes emotions are as important as logic in making the right choice.
He that walketh with wise men shall be wise. –Proverbs 13:20
A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.
The tongue is the only keen edge tool that gets sharper by constant use.
"It is more important to know where you are going than to get there quickly." –K. Newcomger
Boys will follow men –– Not advice.
"In great attempts it is glorious even to fail." –Longinus
"I will govern my life and my thoughts, as if the whole world were to see the one, and to read the other." –Seneca
See everything, overlook a great deal, correct a little.
To be great is to serve.
Where there is no vision –– The people perish. –Proverb 29:18
"Give me the right word and the right accent and I will move the world." –Joseph Conrad
Better to do than wish it done.
"The actions of man are the best interpreters of their thoughts." –John Locke
Great visions often start with small dreams.
"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." –Shakespeare
Constructive criticism is when I criticize you. Destructive criticism is when you criticize me.
"They think too little who talk too much." –Dryden
"He that would live in peace and at ease must not speak all he knows, nor all he sees." –Ben Franklin
"Who bravely dares must sometimes risk a fall." –Smillitt
"I have an absolute rule. I refuse to make a decision that somebody else can make. The first rule of leadership is to save yourself for the big decision. Don't allow your mind to become cluttered with the trivia. Don't let yourself become the issue." –Richard Nixon
"Do pleasant things yourself, but unpleasant things through others." –Baltasar Gracian
"Delegate to the one with the most to lose and not to the one with the most to gain." –Anon
"The first–rate man will try to surround himself with his equals, or better if possible." –Andre Weil
"You can delegate authority, but you can never delegate responsibility for delegating a task to someone else. If you picked the right man, fine, but if you picked the wrong man, the responsibility is yours –– not his." –Richard Kratve
"I always told my managers that you can't be successful unless you tell your wife not to expect you home for dinner." –C. Kemmons Wilson, Founder of Holiday Inns
"Make your top managers rich and they will make you rich." –Robert H. Johnson
"If you want to be a leader of people you must learn to watch events." –Benjamin Disraeli
"If you would secure obedience, show affection. It is a power that succeeds, when others fail." –Thomas Fuller
"Self control is the greatest of victories." –Plato
Those who can command themselves can command others.
He who endures with patience is a conqueror.
"A good example is the best sermon." –Fuller
"Strong and bitter words indicate a weak cause." –Victor Hugo
The man who follows a crowd will never be followed by a crowd.
"Drive thy business or it will drive thee." –Benjamin Franklin
"Never give an order that can't be obeyed." –General Douglas MacArthur
"He who has great power should use it mightily." –Seneca
"Pride, Character, and work habits lead to success." –Rick Comley
A person who is enthusiastic soon has enthusiastic followers.
"No captain can do very wrong if he places his ship along side that of the enemy." –Admiral Horatio Nelson
"He who rules must humor as much as he commands." –George Eliot
"Let them obey that know how to rule." –Duke of York, In Shakespeare Henry IV
"When I give difficult orders, I like to do so in person, so that I can meet my soldiers eyes." –Quoted by John Keegan
"Only people capable, not merely of mastering others, but of mastering themselves, can achieve real liberty, can achieve real self–government." –Theodore Roosevelt
"Whatever power I at any time had, I obtained from the people. I could exercise it only as long as the people heartily backed me up." –Theodore Roosevelt
"I read in a book that a man called Christ went about doing good. It is very disconcerting to me that I am so easily satisfied with just going about." –George Small
Be humble enough to obey. You will be giving orders yourself someday.
"Never forget that no military leader has ever become great without audacity." –Karl Von Clausewitz
Whoever is under a man's power is also under his protection.
"Listen carefully, speak calmly, cease when you have no more to say, and you possess the best requisites of man." –Pickley
"No man can produce great things who is not thoroughly sincere in dealing with himself." –James Russell Lowell
"I am not bound to win but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed but I am bound to live up to what light I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right: stand with him while he is right and part with him when he goes wrong." –Abraham Lincoln
"Never rest on your oars as a boss. If you do, the company starts sinking." –Lee Iacocca
"I would rather fail in a cause that will ultimately succeed than succeed in a cause that will ultimately fail." –Woodrow Wilson
"I could live a week on one good compliment." –Mark Twain
A fault recognized is half corrected.
"I praise loudly; I blame softly." –Catherine II
"We make more enemies by what we say, than friends by what we do." –John Collins
You have not necessarily converted a man just because you have silenced him.
Respect begets respect, suspicion begets suspicion, hate begets hate, and love begets love.
"Pain makes man think. Thinking makes man wise. Wisdom makes life endurable." –John Patrick
"I shall prepare myself and my opportunity must come." –Abe Lincoln
It is better to have one person working with you, than three working for you.
"The higher a man climbs, the more his rear is exposed." –Joe Stillwell
You seldom have experience until after you need it.
Strong words often indicate a weak argument.
Sometime it's better to ask some of the questions than to know all the answers.
Some people grow small trying to be big.
A good example is one that everyone can see.
When people share their fears with you, share your courage with them.
Good humor makes most things tolerable.
Remember that fear is a most powerful motivating force.
"You can't hold a man down without staying down with him." –Booker T. Washington
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." –Teddy Roosevelt
The higher you go the more dependent you become on others.
"The superior man rises by lifting others." –Robert Ingersoll
"The confidence one has in oneself chiefly creates the confidence one inspires in others." –Robert Rochefoucauld
"The man who does things makes mistakes, but he doesn't make the biggest mistake of all –– doing nothing." –Ben Franklin
With lies you may go ahead in the world, but you can never go back. –Russian Proverb
"It's better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing perfectly." –Robert Schuller
The only thing you can ever be absolutely sure of accomplishing is what you do today.
"There is nothing so fatal to character as a half finished task." –David George
The more we do, the more we can do.
DREAM OF TOMORROW, BUT LIVE TODAY.
You cannot antagonize and persuade at the same time.
A wise man learns from the mistakes of others.
"I am a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it." –Stephen Leacock
"Be grateful for luck, but don't depend on it." –William Feather
"All things are difficult before they are easy." –Thomas Fuller
The only way to live happily with people is to overlook their faults and admire their virtues.
Be thankful for problems. If they were less difficult, someone with less ability might have your job.
"Difficulties exist to be surmounted." –Emerson
If you do a favor, forget it; if you receive one, remember it.
"One of the best ways to persuade others is with your ears –– by listening to them." –Dean Rusk
"Initiative is doing the right thing without being told." –Victor Hugo
"You can do very little with faith, but you can do nothing without it." –Samuel Butler
"The more you say, the less people remember." –Anatole France
One of the best ways to win respect is to be known as a person who keeps promises.
You can observe a lot by watching. –Yogi Berra
Who gossips to you will gossip of you. –Turkish Proverb
"When someone does something good, I applaud! You will make two people happy." –Samuel Goldwyn
"The quickest way to correct the other fellow's attitude is to correct your own." –King Vidor
POWER MUST BE EARNED.
A man's judgment is no better than his information.
Goodwill is achieved by many actions; it can be lost by one.
"It takes less time to do a right thing than to explain why you did it wrong." –Longfellow
Difficulty is an excuse others never accept.
Children have more need of models than of critics.
"He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else." –Ben Franklin
One of the greatest sources of energy is pride in what we are doing.
"There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up." –John Holmer
Always be suspicious of a subordinate who never finds fault with you.
"Authority is a poor substitute for leadership." –John Luthur
The shortest answer is doing the right thing. –Old Proverb
To profit from good advice requires as much wisdom as to give it.
When we are right we can afford to keep our tempers. When we are wrong we can't afford not to.
Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today, or get someone else to do today.
Trust your hopes not your fears.
"Positive anything is better than negative nothing." –Elbert Hubbard
"Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness." –Seneca
A diplomatic leader is a person who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you look forward to the trip.
Execute every act of thy life as though it were thy last.
Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath. –James 1:19
"When I'm getting ready to reason with a man, I spend one–third of my time thinking about what I am going to say and two–thirds thinking about him and what he is going to say." –Abe Lincoln
The best way to get the last word is to apologize.
"There is no indispensable man." –Franklin Roosevelt
"There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things." –Niccolo Machiavelli 1532
"If we must choose between fear and love, it is far safer to be feared than be loved." –Niccolo Machiavelli 1532
"Let no one be willing to speak of the absent." –Sextus Propertius 20 B.C.
"People are difficult to govern because they have too much knowledge." –Lao–Tzu
"An organization is the lengthened shadow of its leaders." –Voltaire.
"I came, I saw, I conquered." –Julius Caesar
"The people's good is the highest law." –Marcus Cicero
"I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat." –Winston Churchill
"Politics is almost as exciting as war and quite as dangerous. In war you can only be killed once, but in politics many times." –Winston Churchill
"From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever." –Chief Joseph, Nez Pierce Tribe
"Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never, in nothing, great or small, large or petty –– never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense." –Winston Churchill
"He who angers you, controls you." –Joseph P. Cangemi
"Never before have we had so little time in which to do so much." –Franklin Roosevelt
I would not ask one of my men to do something that I myself would not do. –U.S. Army Officer
"SECOND THOUGHTS ARE WISEST." –Euripides
The larger the number of people involved in any given decision, the greater the pressure for conformity.
Don't be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated. You can't cross a chasm in two small jumps.
Good leaders must face the truth.
"Hate is like acid. It can damage the vessel in which it is stored as well as destroy the object on which it is poured." –Ann Landers
No man will ever be a great leader who does not take genuine joy in the success of those under him.
Great Leaders claim none of the honor.
"It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can do only a little. Do what you can." –Sydney Smith
"One man with courage is a majority." –Andrew Jackson
"From the sublime to the ridiculous is but a step." –Napoleon
"I want to seize fate by the throat." –Ludwig V. Beethoven
"Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity." –Horace Mann
"One on God's side is a Majority." –Wendell Phillips
"Our hour is marked and no one can claim a moment of life beyond what fate has predestined." –Napoleon
"My duty is to obey orders." –Stonewall Jackson
"I SHALL RETURN." –Douglas MacArthur
It is easier to follow the leader than to lead the follower.
It is a great thing to be humble when you are brought low; but to be humble when you are praised is a great and rare attainment.
"If you wish to make a man your enemy, tell him simply, You are wrong. This method works every time." –Henry C. Link
Great leaders are always enthusiastic.
"Greatness does not depend on the size of your command, but on the way you exercise it." –Marshall Foch
Temper is what gets most of us into trouble, pride is what keeps us there.
"People's minds are changed through observation and not through argument." –Will Rogers
A little praise goes a long way.
When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn. –Proverbs 29:2
There is no substitute for leadership by example. –Military Leadership Manual