The duties of a leader
“The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.”
Max DePree
Max DePree on outstanding leadership
“The signs of outstanding leadership appear primarily among the followers. Are the followers reaching their potential? Are they learning? Serving? Do they achieve the required results? Do they change with grace? Manage conflict?”
- Max DePree
Where power comes from in leadership
In organizations, real power and energy is generated through relationships. The patterns of relationships and the capacities to form them are more important than tasks, functions, roles, and positions.
- Margaret Wheatly
Henry Ford tells us who should be the leader
The question, ‘Who ought to be boss?’, is like asking, ‘Who ought to be the tenor in the quartet?’ Obviously, the man who can sing tenor.
- Henry Ford
Sophecles leadership wisdom
What you cannot enforce, do not command.
- Sophocles
Don Rumsfeld on effective leadership structure
“Reduce the layers of management. They put distance between the top of an organization and the customers.”
- Donald Rumsfeld
Colin Powell on how to accomplish great deeds
“Organization doesn’t really accomplish anything. Plans don’t accomplish anything, either. Theories of management don’t much matter. Endeavors succeed or fail because of the people involved. Only by attracting the best people will you accomplish great deeds.”
- Colin Powell
How to motivate people to solve problems
“Good management is the art of making problems so interesting and their solutions so constructive that everyone wants to get to work and deal with them.”
- Paul Hawken
Eisenhower on an important leadership skill
A sense of humor is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
How to know if you are a leader
The only test of leadership is that somebody follows.
- Robert K. Greenleaf