Leadership is communicating to people their worth and potential so clearly that they come to see it in themselves.
Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions.
Leadership has a harder job to do than just choose sides. It must bring sides together.
The only real training for leadership is leadership.
The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.
I want to see an elephant hunt down a man for the sole purpose of collecting his teeth, while a chorus of typewriters sings songs that praises the bananas for their wisdom, leadership, and their high levels of potassium.
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.
The art of leadership is saying no, not yes. It is very easy to say yes.
I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.
Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.