Leadership Wisdom

"Only wisdom brings a meaningful life, and only he who holds on to this becomes happy."

                                      King Solomon                            

Wisdom offers what money, power, and fame cannot give. Wealth is not about money; it’s about inner, deeper values such as meaning, contentment, happiness, and a sense of peace of mind.
To be wise we need to reflect upon what is most important to us in life and what has less meaning. We need to put our lives into perspective and find out who we are, where we want to go, and what kind of persons and leaders we want to become during our        journey.

Timeless Wisdom For Modern Leaders – Lead Through Adversity and Change

by Per Winblad

Lead Through Adversity and Change

Universally acknowledged as one of the world’s wisest leaders, King Solomon, applied leadership principles that are as relevant and powerful today as they were in his own time. This article examines the importance of leading through adversity and change always learning and growing as a person and a leader.
King Solomon, a leader synonymous with wisdom, says: “The intelligent man is always open to new ideas. In fact, he looks for them.”
Wise leaders are always preparing themselves and their group to meet the future. They create a positive and optimistic approach to support themselves and others. To learn how to lead is largely a matter of getting acquainted with the development we are a part of, constantly seeking knowledge and new information that will move things forward.
Development takes place all the time. We are in a never-ending process of transitioning from yesterday, to today and towards tomorrow. The world is changing physically, socially, and economically at this very minute. When we recognize that life itself is about development, our task becomes to creatively resolve the various situations we encounter and to see things in new and different ways.
We can all count on situations where we will experience adversities, difficulties or problems. But by accepting change as a natural part of life and leadership, we are taking important steps towards renewal. In effect, we are setting ourselves up to learn more of life’s exciting journey.Wise leaders realize that success is right on the other side of perceived failures. They see failure as a part of the process of development and as an opportunity to gain experience and to learn. They are constantly asking new questions, and that opens up new perspectives.
Solomon says, “A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance.”
Failures contribute to the discovery of weaknesses. Then our analysis of what occurred makes it possible for us to gain support, practice, and learn so we can strengthen what was weak. So, even if this sounds rather strange, we actually learn more from failure than success.
Wise leaders consider adversity as temporary information on how far they have come on their journey. Using adversity, they mobilize people to gain new energy and power for the next step. They examine perceived failure for the learning inherent in it, and they communicate in a way that produces positive energy in their group, thus building an incentive to take even stronger action.
As Solomon noted, “The swiftest person does not always win the race, nor the strongest man the battle. Wise men are often poor, and skillful men are not necessarily famous.”
Wise leaders realize that – as many say – life is not fair. We are sometimes struck unfairly by losses, which may be heavy burdens to bear. But even when we suffer considerable losses, we still have something most valuable left, something that no loss can take away: The freedom and power to choose how we will respond to life situations and events, and how we intend to address other people we encounter along the way.
Next to life itself, the power of choice is our greatest gift. Wise leaders know that It’s not what happens to us – but what happens in us that really counts so they choose to respond constructively to life events and situations. They choose to turn the negative into something positive and learn from it. They choose to be grateful for life’s trials – which they view only as opportunities for learning.
We all have access to that power within us. We have to accept life as it is and balance what we receive against that which we expect, so we always will maintain a positive movement forward.
Solomon advises, “Don’t you know that this good man, though you trip him up seven times, will each time rise again?”
Wise leaders draw strength from setbacks and learn from failures. They realize that trials make people to grow, that the suffering teaches us patience and patience develops internal strength and character. We mature. They know that the more experience they gain and the more setbacks they overcome the better and stronger leaders they will become.
Therefore, they are working hard on themselves and their groups to look at every situation from newer and greater perspective. They retain the view that gives them the strength and energy to proceed with commitment and interest. We are especially important for each other, to support each other in such an approach.
Solomon tells us, “Keep on sowing your seed, for you never know which will grow – perhaps it all will.”
During challenging periods, wise leaders focus on short-term objectives and progress, and they strengthen initiative and the ability to act. Accomplishing small steps gives encouragement to go further and strengthen the group’s self-confidence and sense of being successful. Each day, step-by-step dealing with and resolving opportunities, information, and issues that we are facing, brings forward the best in us. This is how we grow!
Solomon says: “Look straight ahead; don’t even turn your head to look.”

Wise leaders teach themselves and their group to identify the focus of concern—that which they can directly affect and that which they can affect in a process forward. They continue with determination to gather experience, which they then turn into wisdom. They renew their group’s cultures and in this way build the new society. Wise leaders feel the deep pleasure and the call to create the new, better, and greater.
To become a wiser leader:

• View life as a constant process of development.
• View perceived setbacks as opportunities to learn and grow.
• Balance what you receive against what you expect.
• Help your group to analyze in all the different situations what they did well, what could be developed further, and how others have done.
• Focus on short-term objectives and progress in tough periods, which creates energy and positive ambition to keep moving in the face of adversity.
• Know that the situation is never as bad as it seems and never as good as it can be.

I encourage you to reflect and act on the following questions as seeds for your own self-exploration and development:

1. What experience has been vital for your development?
2. What turning points have there been in your life?
3. What have you learned from life so far about what is most important to you?
4. What personal challenge are you facing today?
5. What are you going to do about it today?
6. Think of 2-3 short-term objectives you can focus on get you closer to overcoming your greatest challenge.

"Some rich people are poor, and some poor people have great wealth."

King Solomon

If we want to live a rich and fulfilling life, we need to realize that true success comes from within.
It cannot be acquired or achieved. It is not a destiny we reach someday. It is a journey we travel our whole lives long. It is knowing one’s purpose in life and achieving a balance within each important aspect of our lives.
To continue to grow emotionally, socially, intellectually, financially, and spiritually while contributing to the growth of others.
What does true success mean to you? Redefine your own definition of success for the comming new year. Complete this statement: True success for me during 2011 means…

Timeless Wisdom For Modern Leaders – Lead With Possibility Thinking

by Per Winblad

Lead With Possibility Thinking

Universally acknowledged as one of the world’s wisest leaders, King Solomon, applied leadership principles that are as relevant and powerful today as they were in his own time. This article examines the importance of leading with possibility thinking to inspire, encourage and motivate everybody around us.
King Solomon, a leader synonymous with wisdom, says: “ The intelligent man is always open to new ideas. In fact, he looks for them.”
Wise leaders are possibility thinkers. They look for opportunities for development, where others are talking about problems.
The aim of wise leaders is to develop the accepted facts so they can create the new, better, or greater “something” that will endure over their lifetime and well beyond.
With the big picture of the desired situation in mind, leaders seek a perspective that stimulates new ways of thinking and viewing. This releases energy into planning programs and activities for moving ahead.
In the same way, wise leaders support their team in the direction of their envisioned positive future. They impart their vision complete with attractive opportunities for team members to create and contribute to greater value for customers, employees and stakeholders. Not only do they inspire the team, but they also support each individual so all team members are lined up and happily pulling in the same direction.
Solomon advises, “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.”
Our thoughts are powerful resource in creating what we want – or don’t want. They direct our actions and shape our lives and futures.
Whatever we dwell upon and think about grows and expands in our individual lives. Our thoughts are like seeds in a garden. What we plant today will grow tomorrow. If we plant roses, we reap roses. If we plant weeds, we will reap weeds.
When we are focusing our thoughts toward a positive future we become more full of energy, self-confidence and joy. Each situation we face becomes a positive one when we decide to see it as an opportunity to learn, grow, and develop toward the achievement of our deepest dreams.
As Solomon noted, “The wicked man’s fears will all come true, and so will the good man’s hopes.”
When we focus on the possibility of success, we will act decisively and with optimism. We realize – that is we make real – that which we see within us. If we are seeing success, we will certainly move in that direction.
All things are created twice: First inside, in our thinking, and then outside, in our doing. We are creating first mentally what we then physically implement, step-by-step, in our development process.
When we grow in possibility thinking, we are moving ourselves towards what we want. The opposite is problem thinking that concentrates on what is not working or is wrong.
A possibility thinker moves the question from “What it is that is not working?” To “What do we need to do to make it work?”
A wise leader strengthens the group by encouraging members to focus on the positive side of every situation and to see each other as resources for their development and success.
Solomon advises, “Only a simpleton believes what he is told! A prudent man checks to see where he is going.”
Thinking positively of the future is not the same as being naive.
Even if wise leaders are optimistic and recognize the positive about the future, they understand that setbacks, difficulties and suffering will come. It is a natural part of life and entrepreneurship that strengthen the passion and the purpose.
Solomon tells us, “A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.”
To become a wiser leader:

• See the future as a possibility and an asset.
• Constantly look for opportunities for development.
• Focus your thoughts on what you want to achieve.
• Be aware that you are creating that which you expect – so expect what you want!
• Believe in yourself and your capacity.
• Look at other people as an abundant resource for development and success.
• Recognize that it is your choices, decisions, and actions, not your circumstances that determine how the future will be.
• Look for that which is good and constructive in all situations.
• Embrace humor and laugh at yourself and your situation now and then.
• Regularly exercise and [save energy?] in a playful way.

I encourage you to reflect and act on the following questions as seeds for your own self-exploration and development:

1. Do you see yourself as an optimist or a pessimist?
2. Do you focus your thoughts on what you want to see happen in the future?
3. Is your attitude strong and positive? Is it hesitant or negative?
   Determine the attitude that can best help you the rest of the day. Create a picture of that inside you. Can you see how you radiate a positive attitude and well-being as the picture clarifies and solidifies?
   What would happen if you made up your mind to help to raise other people’s spirits and attitudes? Make a decision to do that at this moment. Remember, what you give out you will receive.
4. If you are in a leadership position, reflect on how you can help your team to more clearly see the positive value that each member of team is contributing to the team’s overall success. For example, start your next meeting with your team by asking everyone to share 2-3 things that he or she is most proud of having accomplished since the last time you met?

"Anxious hearts are very heavy but a word of encouragement does wonders!"

King Solomon

Words have a miraculous power. Yes, words possess their own magic. The words we are using in our relationships can evoke feelings of happiness or sadness, enthusiasm or hopelessness. They can cause life and health or discouragement.
Everybody needs words of encouragement. By encouraging another person we show our belief in that person, and we plant the seeds of hope. Where a seed of hope has been planted, self-confidence and belief in the future will grow and bring progress and enjoyment.
We also need to be careful about the way we speak about ourselves and learn to say only positive, affirming things about our futures and where we want to go. There is something about the spoken word that we do not understand. It is a spiritual reality that when you speak, it makes a difference.
What can you say to encourage yourself and others this coming month?

Timeless Wisdom For Modern Leaders – Lead With Meaningful Goals 

 by Per Winblad

Lead With Meaningful Goals

Wise leaders communicate a clear and inspiring vision that serves as a beacon for the organization they lead. The vision becomes all the more powerful when it is supported by the leader’s guiding values. This vision/values complex forms the framework that creates meaning and stimulates and aligns employee motivation. When all are pulling in the same direction at the same time great things can be achieved.
King Solomon, a leader synonymous with wisdom, says: “Any enterprise is built by wise planning.”
Wise leaders show how the vision will become a reality by focusing on, and connecting the employees to, current, meaningful objectives and asking important questions that, when answered, produce power and energy.
In order to be able to address meaningful objectives, the vision needs to be connected to the organization’s current situation: What is working well/what are our strengths today and what do we need to develop? Begin by highlighting what we are already excelling in. This creates enthusiasm and helps create the right perspective on opportunities for development.
Solomon advises, “Hard work brings prosperity; playing around brings poverty.”
Each division, department, group, or team needs to see the link between what they do and the overall objectives. These larger objectives are broken down into intermediate objectives that are in turn broken down into individual objectives and contributions. Doing this stimulates employees to do their very best.
Wise leaders formulate meaningful objectives that are:

• Challenging, yet realistic.
• Simple and clear for full understanding.
• Timetabled, so all involved know when the targets should be achieved.
• Measurable so that everyone can see and monitor progress.
• Few, so as to create focus.

As Solomon noted, “Do you know a hard-working man? He shall be successful and stand before kings!”
Wise leaders get the whole organization to purposefully work towards the achievement of their objectives. A wise leader helps employees in the organization move their internal desires into mental visualization so it can produce the physical creation of a positive future. The leader supports them in seeing the potential and the road to development.
Solomon advises, “If you won’t plow in the cold, you won’t eat at the harvest.”
Effectively reaching objectives requires discipline, which is doing what we have to do and paying the price to bring the vision into reality. This is often giving up something good today for something better tomorrow.
Solomon tells us, “Be patient and you will finally win.”
Most of what is worth fighting for takes time to achieve. The objectives must engage us as leaders to, in turn, get our people engaged – to help them see progress as a gradual process, one step at a time, one small victory after another. This gives them the energy and motivation to continue the journey.
Solomon stated, “Work hard and become a leader.”
Objectives should give meaning and motivation to accomplish the work. Wise leaders, in addition to the objectives they are connected to in their organization, need a clear idea of what gives balance in their lives.
To become a wiser leader:

• Create a picture of common opportunities and the direction for your organization.
• Together with your lead team, come up with a small number of challenging objectives for the organization. Focus on a combination of developing well-aligned coworkers, customer satisfaction, working smarter, stimulating growth and creating profitability.
• Gather and communicate with your employees for participation, understanding, and commitment to the objectives.
• Clarify roles and mutual expectations to build your group into a powerful winning team.
• Have a dialogue with yourself regularly and always acknowledge ownership of your process.
• Get a clear idea of what gives balance in your life.

Questions to reflect upon:

1. How would you describe your organization’s/team´s main objectives?
2. What can you develop in your leadership in order to support your team in more effectively achieving your objectives?
3. What objective is the most important for creating balance in your life?
4. Task:
   (a) Describe an important sub-objective that you want to achieve in the next 90 days.
   (b) Make an action plan with important steps and measures you need to take to achieve this objective.

I encourage you to reflect on the following questions and exercises as seeds for your own self-exploration and development.

Timeless Wisdom For Modern Leaders – Lead With an Inspiring Vision For the Future

September 14, 2010 by Per Winblad

Lead With an Inspiring Vision For the Future

A wise leader creates a vision for the development of his or her organization. In doing so, human energy and creativity are coordinated and channeled toward common projects. When everybody pulls in the same direction at the same time, extraordinary things happen.
King Solomon, a leader synonymous with wisdom, says: “Without a vision, people perish.”
A wise leader engages his co-workers through understanding and involvement. Collectively, the organization builds an inspiring and comprehensive vision of possibilities. Such a vision includes and inspires everyone around them, including suppliers, clients, and the general public.
The important questions are: What kind of world do we want to create? What should be our role in the market? What kind of reputation do we want to have? Questions like these bring about a deeper connection to purpose and reality that we all need. A leader’s personal vision has a great impact in this process.
Solomon says: “A wise man thinks ahead.”
A leader’s personal vision stretches over a lifetime and includes all of life’s important areas: family, health, work, and leisure. The beautiful thing is that we all have the creative capability to imagine the future; to see the possibilities that lie ahead as we are looking towards our future through eyes of faith. We see our family prospering, being in good health and full of energy, our company creating greater value, and our leisure filled with excitement. It is in our dreams and visions that we cultivate what we ultimately reap through the process of development.
All things are created twice: First inside, in our thinking, and then outside, in our doing. When we dream of the future and establish goals and plans, we are in the process of the first creation.
When we put the dreams, goals, and plans into action we activate the second creation. The first creation is like the blueprint of a house before it’s built. The second, the physical creation, is when we actually are engaged in building the house.
Solomon says: “Look straight ahead; don’t even turn your head to look.”
Vision is holding in our mind’s eye a clear picture of a desired and preferred future. We seek something important to strive for and be inspired by, we look to accomplish something worthwhile.
In this vision of the future possibilities, of what can be, we create the fuel to motivate people to give of their best to make the vision a reality.
An inspiring and integrated vision, based on underlying governing values, allows us to feel that our life has a purpose and a meaning. It affects our thoughts, our actions, and how we prioritize our time. The vision becomes the driving force behind everything we do.
Solomon says: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick; but when dreams come true at last, there is life and joy.”
It is important to regularly affirm and evaluate the established plan. A wise leader regularly gathers his or her team and assists the team members to gain perspective of what is happening now and how it fits into the big picture. They examine what is working well and what needs to be improved in order to move ahead.
Most things worth striving for take time to achieve. With a clear and focused vision the desire and determination grow stronger and concentrate the human energy to persevere.
Solomon says: “Plans go wrong with too few counselors; many counselors bring success.”
A realistic and all-inclusive, established vision moves the process ahead. We gain our co-workers’ trust and cooperation by acknowledging and building on common values, needs, interests, hopes and dreams.
Bringing out the things we share as a group, we become secure in our roles and can see each individual’s strengths as a resource for the development of the group. With this security in the group we can use each other’s competence in new ways, which will lead to development.
Solomon says: “Dreaming instead of doing is foolishness, and there is ruin in a flood of empty words.”
A leader looks to the past as well as to the present and the future in order to establish and shape an inspiring vision. She or he will transform past experiences into positive input to support visualizing a successful future. Together, we want to create a better world and we continually seek opportunities to contribute our unique abilities.
It is the responsibility of every leader to show how the vision may be realized, to focus on measurable and attainable common goals tied into individual ambitions and action plans. With an inspiring vision, supported by governing values put into action, we are creating the future we want.
To become a wiser leader:

• Let your actions and your time be guided by an inspiring vision.
• Communicate and share the vision.
• Involve your coworker in the creating of your common vision.
• Transform the vision into reality.
• Practice what you preach.

Questions to reflect upon and exercises to support your vision:

1. How do you see your market developing in 3-5 years?
2. What do you want your organization to achieve and become in 3-5 years?
3. Where is your organization today? What strengths have brought you to where you are today? What additional strength do you have?
4. What do you need to develop to move you toward your vision?
5. Summarize and draw/write down a positive and challenging vision of the future for you and your organization. It can be a combination of growth, profitability, contributing to society in large and building a better world.
6. Involve your team in co-creating a common picture for the future. Present the questions above and ask everyone to draw/write down their answers. Let each team member give his or her picture/view and be sure to create an honest dialog. After listening give your own picture/view and then ask for everyone’s reflection.
7. Summarize and draw/write down your common, positive and challenging picture of the future.
8. Create action steps to take the process further? What is most important to do in the short term?
Remember, this is a communication process built on asking the right questions, not having the right answer. It is the leadership approach of the future.

"Give generously for your gifts will return to you later"

King Solomon

This is one of the most wonderful lessons in life. That it is by giving to others that we ourselves receive. When we give a lot, we get a lot back. ‘
When we serve other people’s needs we grow and develop ourselves. We have countless opportunities to give and serve. Whether we belong to a team at work or in church, you and I can each day give a bit of ourselves through a kind word, a helpful suggestion, or a sense of understanding.
Wisdom teaches us to share love and respect with all people. By treating others lovingly and kindly we build good, long-lasting relationships. We accept and love people just the way they are. We celebrate their differences. We look to their strengths and their assets.
When we focus on people’s strengths and see their potential we help to build their belief in themselves. We treat others the way we want to be treated. You remember “the golden rule”. Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.
What can you give more of in your professional and personally relationships this coming month?

Timeless Wisdom For Modern Leaders – Lead by Guiding Values

August 11, 2010 by Per Winblad

Lead by Guiding Values

Wise leaders create guiding values for themselves and the organizations they lead. These values form the foundation for the organization’s culture and function as a guiding light for coworkers, helping them make correct decisions and work toward common goals.
These values are best reflected in time-tested principles, which are deep, fundamental truths with universal application. These truths address laws that are as firm in “human physics” as the law of gravitation is in natural physics. For example, the law of gravity says that if you drop an object from the roof of a building it will fall to the ground. We know, with absolute certainty that this will happen every time we do it and we don’t question it. In the same way these human truths are equally reliable. They are not only a set of values, but they are the foundations of human effectiveness and interaction.
When leaders align with universal principles such as trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, honesty, compassion, excellence and perseverance they create the conditions for long-lasting success.
King Solomon, a leader synonymous with wisdom, says: “A good man is guided by his honesty.”
Leaders have to be clever and competent, but they must also have sound values and a powerful sense of integrity. In good times as well as bad the most effective leaders stay true to their unique set of values. They do what is right and tell the truth in all areas of life. That doesn’t say they are perfect or that the struggle to be true to themselves and their values isn’t a life-long journey. And it’s not just in the major decisions that this quality is needed; integrity in little things is equally important. There are no degrees of integrity. You either have it or you don’t.
We value honesty more than any other virtue and we appreciate people who represent a strong value system. If we are to follow someone, whether it is in business, school, or politics, we want to feel faith and confidence in that person.
Solomon says: “It is far better not to say you’ll do something than to say you will and then not do it.”
We expect our leaders to set a good example and act in an exemplary and positive way. Effective leaders live as they learn through acting in accordance with vision and values. As the saying goes: Our actions speak louder than words. That our words and deeds are aligned constitutes the basis for credibility of leadership.
Wise leaders set a good example by acting in accordance with higher values. Those values permeate their behavior and promote confidence. They range from creating good relations to fully completing tasks. Quality and creativity are the key words.
What the leader spends time on and pays attention to counts. Wise leaders deliberately devote time to the group’s viability and development. Supporting both the group and the individual becomes the norm. When people in the group see that words and deeds are consistent, this creates credibility. And it is through being credible that a leader can encourage a long-term commitment from the group.
Solomon says: “Without wise leadership, a nation is in trouble; but with good counselors there is safety.”
Wise leaders understand their role of creating the arena for their employee’s success. Such an arena makes it possible for the employees to feel inspired challenged and that they are working towards an exciting future worth fighting for. It makes it possible to interact in a winning way in relation to their surroundings. We as individuals are unique and at the same time complementary. To develop fully, we need supportive leadership.
Some leaders create “leadership by enthusiasm” when facing a task with themselves at the center. Others lead by providing a clear picture of the situation and opportunities available in it. Still others have a more methodical, step by step manner of leading the group. A wise leader provides a sense of continuity for the group and defines limits that all have to comply with – especially the leader him/herself – regardless of their leadership style.
Solomon says: “Whatever you do, do well.”
We all possess a greater potential within us. The question is where do we find the situation and the people that can bring out this greater good. “How can I create my future” and “How can I lift those around me” will be the key questions for enhanced leadership.
Wise leaders realize that there is only one way to go. It is to deepen one’s own awareness of and confidence in the future. The responsibility that lies before us as leaders is to always operate for the good, for a better future, and a better world. This is a deep understanding of and commitment to the values that possess a weight and validity beyond one’s own self, and which gives life greater quality and larger dimensions.
To become a wiser leader:

• Empower your co-workers to participate in the development of the group’s common guiding principles. Ask question and discuss: What do we want to stand for? What do we consider as truly important? How do we want to interact with each other and others in order to provide value?
• Set aside time for your own reflection on what you value and what you want to stand for in your life and leadership.
• Deal with those in your environment with dignity and respect.
• Devote time to the group’s viability and development.
• Know and honor your commitments and promises to the entire group.
• Serve as a good example when it comes to relationships, attitudes, and work habits.
• Know that what you, as the leader, spend time on and pay attention to counts.
• Create the arena for your employee’s success.
• Always operate for the good, a better future, and a better world.

Questions for your personal reflection:
I present you with the following questions and exercises to reflect over, as seeds for your own exploration and development.

1. Think of 2-3 people you admire who have influenced you positively. They may be managers, teachers, parents, relatives, friends, sports leaders, historic figures, etc.
   a) What do you most admire about these people? Write out the names of the 2-3 people you are thinking of and 2-3 key words that describe what you most admire about each person.
   b) Which of these people’s characteristics would you like to develop?
2. Imagine you have been selected as the Leader of the Year. You are invited to a meeting where representatives from industry and politics will honor you for your efforts. Several people will praise your achievements and character. Write down the words you would most like to hear. Which descriptions would make you proud?
   What weakness are you hoping they will not have noticed?
3. What are your organization’s core values?

"Do you see a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings"

King Solomon

In everything we do, in any endeavor we undertake in life we will get different outcome, as we saw so shall we reap, as we reflected on in last month issue. There is one skill that has help people to reach their dreams more than any other and that is diligence.
The dictionary describes diligence as, “A persistent and hard-working effort in doing something.” To be persistent is to keep on keeping on until you succeed. To be diligent is also to be zealous and careful in how you are doing something with the end result in mind. It’s striving for the highest quality of excellence in the tasks you are carrying out.
In what areas in your professional and private life do you need to be more diligent to attain a result that is of the highest quality of excellence?

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Expand Your Influence With 10 Timeless Leadership Lessons

Leaders are in search of distinction as they seek to have their impact felt and their influence reverberate throughout their organizations.   As all industries attempt to reinvent themselves in order to elevate the value of their brand proposition, the competitiveness of their people and their sustainable financial foothold in the marketplace, many organizations still lack leadership substance — the well roundedness and required wisdom to stay ahead of the game.   Testing new ideas and ideals as a leader is important and strongly encouraged.  However, there comes a point in time to establish a solid foundation on which to build your teams, recruit and retain top talent, incorporate new best practices and establish performance standards and expectations in support of the business strategies before you.
Leaders must take more time to stop, reflect and assess their own thinking, capabilities and aptitudes.  They must evaluate how their leadership brand is being perceived by others and whether or not it has grown tired and requires a tune-up.    Leaders must take pause and reach out to those before them who have already lived the situations they are about to experience themselves – and embrace these perspectives as nuggets of wisdom in preparation for what lies ahead of them.
The following ten timeless leadership lessons have served me well throughout my career. It is my hope that you will find the impact and influence that you are looking for in order to accelerate the advancement of your career and to generate outcomes that are both successful and significant for the organization that you serve.
1.  Opportunities Are Everywhere, But Few Have Eyes to See Them
As leaders, you must begin to look beyond the obvious and open your eyes to see the opportunities previous unseen.   Leadership requires you to have circular vision and when you begin to grow complacent, you only see the obvious details before you – rather than those they lie around, beneath and beyond what you seek.  In fact, your mindset becomes stagnate because you are not stretching your perspectives enough to see more than you want to.
When you fall into this trap, it’s time to reshuffle the deck, and map out the internal and external factors that are influencing your thinking. You must begin to identify areas that can be improved –  such as relationships, workshop culture, networking, how you are investing in yourself (or lack thereof), etc.
It’s not experience, but rather opportunity that is the true mother of success.   Be more mindful about how you manage opportunity before it begins to manage you.
2.  Without Strategy, Change Is Merely Substitution, Not Evolution
Change management is the unwritten rule in every job description and a critical success factor in your workplace performance.   Rather than wait for change to come your way, be proactive and begin to identify patterns of change so you are prepared to manage it head-on.   Don’t wait until circumstances force your hand.
As a leader, you must always have a strategy for change.   Unfortunately, those that don’t are the ones that increase the risk factor for the organization and the people they lead.   Yes, a change management strategy is the ultimate form of leadership accountability, because you must think carefully about every move you make and the required talent, resources and investments it will take.   A change management strategy forces you to think critically about what you need to do as a leader to minimize risk and maximize reward. How you execute this strategy may ultimately define your leadership legacy.
Don’t wait for change to creep up on you unexpectedly and in full force when it is always right around the corner to some degree.  It becomes a bigger challenge when you wait for the issues to mount rather than cutting them off at the pass.
3.  An Entrepreneurial Attitude is the Difference Between Reinvention and Complacency
Entrepreneurship just isn’t a business term anymore; it’s a way of life.  You don’t need to be an entrepreneur to be entrepreneurial.  It’s about having an entrepreneurial attitude.
An attitude that is centered on continuous renewal and reinvention of yourself as a leader and your business is what allows you to sustain success and reach for significance.    Without it, companies cannot lead, grow and innovate during uncertain times.  When you have been operating on cruise control and have never been forced to shift your thinking and renew the ways in which you operate – it makes it very difficult to start reinventing in a moment’s notice.

The entrepreneurial attitude is a mindset; it must be an operating standard that is embedded in the minds of everyone in the organization.   Just ask Google, a perfect example of this attitude.  They are market leaders that continually invest and test the ideas and ideals that surface from across the entire organization – regardless of hierarchy or rank.

Clearly it’s a challenge to reinvent within industries that have been in place for decades – but you can start to employ the entrepreneurial attitude by injecting new talent, new perspectives, new resources and new relationships.  Just look at Hyundai and the automobile industry.

4.  Continuously Refresh Your Thinking and Be Courageous Enough to Apply It
Execution is what matters – if you are in the business of winning.   We all have great ideas, yet many of them remain dormant, only to find our competitors doing things that we thought about 5 years prior.
Great leadership is about keeping the organization on its toes and refreshing the way it thinks.   This is why a culture review should be done every 3-5 years.   Sounds like a lot of work, but the marketplace demands it.    I am not calling for sweeping changes, but rather a revisit of existing ways and practices with the expectation of making things better.   If you don’t have that discipline in place, the fiercely competitive marketplace will pass you by.
This is why leaders must keep themselves refreshed with new knowledge, skill-sets and aptitudes.   Time is your most valuable asset and it’s up to you to determine how to best maximize it. Don’t rely on your staff to teach you the things that you should know.
Be courageous, refresh your thinking and implement what you learn.  Great athletes and coaches are always adjusting and tweaking their approaches to their sport.  They are in constant search of elevating their game.  Leaders should also do the same.   Watch this video about the tweak that Coach John Calipari made to his Kentucky basketball team that propelled them toward success in the 2014 NCAA tournament.
5.  The Wiseman Forfeits His Fortune When He Does Not Trust Himself
Trusting yourself is the ability to know your strengths well enough that they allow you to navigate your workplace successfully and influence outcomes.  It’s the ability to trust your gut and know that when preparation meets the opportunities that are in front of you, your natural talents, capabilities, and skill-sets will get you through any situation.
How many times does your gut tell you to take action but you don’t?   Instead, you   wait for those around you to take the calculated risks that you are hesitant to take yourself.
Effective leadership is about timing and when you don’t trust yourself, oftentimes you miss the opportunities to create impact and influence – and potentially disrupt momentum along the way.  When you don’t trust yourself enough, you are irresponsibly leading the people and the organization that you serve.
6.  Manage Your Leadership Brand or Someone Else Will
Leadership branding is the new normal for organizations seeking to operate at optimal efficiency and profitability.   When an organization’s leaders can’t define their leadership brand identity for their executive team, senior leadership team or management teams (with their respective interconnection points), silos begin to form and the organization begins to lose its competitive edge (speed in execution, ability to be proactive, manage crisis and change, innovate, etc.).
When you don’t develop and manage your leadership brand – someone else will.   When this happens, you become vulnerable to what others expect from you because you have not set forth any precedence for those expectations.  As a result, the balance of power and influence sways away from you; your own identity crisis makes it easy for others to question your capabilities, intentions and decisions.
Leadership branding is a critical success factor and you must take personal stock of yourself to develop your leadership brand in order to maximize your influence.
7.  Adversity May Make or Break You – But It Primarily Reveals You
Leaders are faced with adversity almost every day.   How you confront it and lead through it are defining moments in your career.   Adversity management primarily reveals you.
In many ways, adversity is subjective.   What others might see as a big problem – you might see as a situation that is easily manageable.  For example, when you encounter an adverse circumstance, up close it can appear insurmountable.   However, when you step back and view it with wide-angle vision, you will begin to see the adverse circumstance with greater clarity and understanding.    When you see adversity through a lens of opportunity, it gives you a leg-up and a powerful competitive advantage.
How you manage adversity will shape the way others see the real leader that you are.    This is when your leadership brand and most authentic self are put into the spotlight.   Ask National Basketball Association (NBA) Commissioner Adam Silver, who was faced with an adverse circumstance last week that became a defining moment when he made the ruling against Los Angeles Clippers Basketball team owner Donald Sterling. Accused of making racist comments, Mr. Sterling was banned for life from the NBA – an action that revealed Commissioner Silver’s leadership style and approach.   After assuming the role of commissioner only three months ago, he set forth a precedence for leadership during times of adversity to protect the NBA brand.
8.  A Leader’s Success Is Never Won or Lost in One Instant.  It Is Always a Culmination.
Leadership is a journey and you can never go at it alone.   The significance of your leadership tenure is defined by your complete body of work.  As such, it is the culmination of the work you do — how it all ties together and how you handle the rough patches along the way — that forms your legacy.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver set the tone for his leadership.   Now it’s what he does throughout the rest of his tenure (and whether or not he can sustain the expectations that people have for his leadership) that will define the ultimate success and significance of his leadership.
Consistency is the name of the game and if you cannot sustain it, you begin to lose value for your leadership brand and the platform you are trying to create to influence outcomes.
9.  Give to Others in Faith, Not in Expectation.
Leadership is about having the best interests of others at all times.    It’s about sharing the harvest of the momentum that you are building with others.   Leaders must recognize that it is their responsibility to inspire and unite – and in doing so they expand their influence through others.
Amongst many things, leadership is about making those around you better – by being a great teacher, investing in relationships, making sound decisions and avoiding procrastination and complacency.   It’s ultimately about serving the needs of people and the organization at large.   While this may sound warm and fuzzy, serving others is an investment in people. One day they may give back to you and the organization more than you ever expected – but don’t go into it expecting others to reciprocate; this is when you become more self-serving and blinded to what your role as a leader really is.
10.  Tell Me Who You Associate Yourself With And I Will Tell You How You Lead
This final leadership lesson allows you to reap the rewards of the previous nine lessons.   The people you decide to associate yourself with greatly influence your intentions, the decisions you make, and what will ultimately shape your leadership brand.
Every six months you should reevaluate your network, friends and relationships.   Ask yourself the value that each person represents towards making you a better person and more effective leader.   Further evaluate how they influence and shape the ways you think, act and innovate.    Are they helping you elevate your strengths or merely accentuating your weaknesses?
Find ways to refresh and strengthen your network and become more critical about allowing others to enter into your domain.   You cannot afford to deal with people that constantly create disruption.  Time is your most valuable asset.   Manage it as such.
I developed these 10 leadership lessons from years of personal experience and business accomplishments, as well as the struggles I endured and overcame along the way.  They are timeless maxims for expanding your influence, advancing your career; guiding your organization to greater success – and helping those you lead to do the same. I share these lessons because – as I often say – it’s no longer just about what you know, but what you do with what you know.

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10 Lessons from Great Leaders in Tech

Technology may seem like an indomitable force, always marching forward and ever progressing. But frequently, what appears simple and seamless is actually the end result of years of toil, trial and error.
These 10 tech business leaders have all helped the machine continue to churn, some just starting their careers and others continuing to affect the world long after their own engines have ground to a stop. Here's a look at what makes them great, and lessons entrepreneurs can learn from their success.

Ursula Burns

Chairman and CEO, Xerox
One surefire way to get an intimate understanding of a company is to start at the bottom. That's what Ursula Burns did when she interned with photocopying behemoth Xerox in 1980, and she's worked there ever since.
In 2009, Burns become the first female African American CEO of a Fortune 500 company and helped turn the firm away from paper toward business processes by negotiating the $6.4 billion purchase of Affiliated Computer Services, the largest acquisition in the company's history.
Lesson: Starting from the bottom -- or managing your company as if you did -- can improve your view of how each department works.

Vinton Cerf

Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist, Google
Calling Vinton Cerf a savvy networker might be a massive understatement. Not only did he help father the Internet with the U.S. Department of Defense in the 1970s, he also created the first commercial email with MCI in the 1980s, founded the Internet Society which guided policy and standards in the 1990s, and joined search giant Google in the 2000s.
His next move will literally bring together two worlds, as he's teamed with NASA to develop an interplanetary Internet that uses radio and lasers to transmit data.
Lesson: By constantly networking and collaborating, you’re likely to have more projects on the horizon and new people to work with.
Image credit: campuspartymexico (flickr)

Steve Jobs

Co-founder, Chairman and CEO, Apple
A revolutionary whose innovations helped craft or change four distinct industries (personal computers, animated films, music and digital publishing), Steve Jobs was an entrepreneur at heart, starting Apple in a garage and making it one of the world's most profitable firms. At his core was his belief that pursuing your passion will bring you success. "Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition," he told graduating students at Stanford in 2005. "Everything else is secondary."
Lesson: If you're not passionate about what you do, you might want to consider doing something else.

Sheryl Sandberg

Chief Operating Officer, Facebook
If it seems there's a disconnect between the Facebook of The Social Network and the company that rang the NASDAQ bell this year, shareholders have Sheryl Sandberg to thank.
The former Treasury Department chief of staff worked as the vice president of global online sales and operations at Google before joining Facebook and turning its office culture upside down. Her message to the staff was heard loud and clear: You must first have class to become a world-class company.
Lesson: For your company to grow, it may first need to grow up.

Bill Gates

Cofounder, Chairman and CEO, Microsoft
Though Bill Gates hasn’t worked full-time at Microsoft since 2008, his presence is still felt in every product the firm has released. With a goal of putting a Microsoft-run computer on every desktop and in every home, Gates started by crafting the BASIC computer language and eventually built an entire industry around his Windows-based operating system.
Despite his tech skills, the magnate maintains that personal relationships are most important for budding entrepreneurs. "Being able to bring in different people who were fun to work with and figuring out how to get those people, those broad skills, to work well together has been one of the greatest challenges," Gates said in a 2005 interview.
Lesson: No matter what industry you’re in, the people on your team matter most.

Katie Cotton

Vice President of Communications, Apple
It might seem strange to include a corporate communications manager on a list of great tech leaders, but Katie Cotton has earned her stripes. Notorious for its secrecy, Apple generates buzz like no other company and Cotton is a big reason why. For years, she served as the gatekeeper to the late Steve Jobs, controlling the media's access to the intensely private innovator.
Cotton guides all of Apple’s messaging. So when a Chinese factory making Apple products overworks its employees, she's the one who tries to make sure it doesn't smudge Apple's image. Recruiting a similarly confident, no-nonsense media- relations rep can build a reality distortion field around any business, large or small.
Lesson: Stay on message, and your company can appear confident and secure.

Alan Turing

Pioneer of Artificial Intelligence
From a hypothesis on pattern formation to mathematical biology, Alan Turing was a man ahead of his time, writing chess programs for not-yet-existent computers and breaking encrypted German code in World War II. Although he died in 1954, his Turing Test for computers with artificial intelligence is still in wide use, ensuring that Siri's responses are as lifelike as possible and that spam- bots aren't cracking into email accounts blocked by CAPTCHA images.
Lesson: Be bold. The times will catch up with your innovations.
Image credit: National Portrait Gallery, London

Marissa Mayer

Former Vice President of Consumer Products, Google
Google may have been founded by two guys from Stanford University, but arguably the search giant's most standout leader is Marissa Mayer, Google's 20th employee and first female engineer. Responsible for more than 100 features on the search engine's website -- including the all-white front page, Gmail's interface and the site’s expansion into more than 100 languages -- she has become indispensable as the company has matured, showing entrepreneurs there's more than one way to own a company.
Lesson: Create an entrepreneurial atmosphere for your employees. You never know who among your staff will develop into your next all-star.
Update: Marissa Mayer was named president and CEO of Yahoo!.

Jimmy Wales

Cofounder, Wikipedia
With a sliver under four million articles, Wikipedia has become a wildly popular destination for information. But Jimmy Wales hasn't written much of it, and he was even chastised by the site's community for editing the article about himself.
Instead, the former futures trader was among the first to successfully "crowd source" the web, relying on a group of passionate writers and editors to curate the site and demonstrating to startups worldwide the mighty clout of the crowd.
Lesson: Building a passionate customer base can extend your brand around the world.

Meg Whitman

President and CEO, Hewlett-Packard
Before taking the reins at tech giant Hewlett-Packard, longtime business executive Meg Whitman helped make magic happen at online auction site eBay. During her decade-long tenure as CEO, eBay went from 30 employees and $4.7 million in revenue in 1998 to reaching $7.7 billion in revenue and 15,000 employees in 2008. She reorganized departments, put new executives in place and took eBay public.
Since joining Hewlett-Packard last year, her challenge has been to deploy her skills on a broader scale by helping the floundering company find its feet again.
Lesson: Experienced executives can transform innovative upstarts into world- changing companies.

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15 Best Leadership Books Every Young Leader Needs To Read

Reading is an essential life skill. It’s how we record our history and share stories. Sure, there are countless books jam-packed from cover to cover with valuable facts. But there are also limitless volumes containing invaluable insights on the human experience. Generations of people have scribed their experiences and struggles, their emotions and confessions onto blank pages, thereby transforming them into rich resources. Given this truth, it’s disheartening to report that global literacy rates are in decline. Individuals young and old all around the world are reading less, less absorbedly.
According to author John Coleman, this lack of literature extends into the business world and all the way up the corporate ladder. In his experience, “business people seem to be reading less.” Which is bad news considering the fact that “broad reading habits are often a defining characteristic of our greatest leaders.” Perhaps it’s because reading has been shown to improve communication, emotional intelligence, organizational effectiveness, and to reduce stress. All of which are critical requirements for an effective leader.
Now that you’ve been sufficiently convinced of the importance of reading, especially for would-be leaders, you’re probably wondering what you should be reading. You might also be thinking that you don’t have the time. Well, the truth is that you do have the time: “reading must become as natural as eating and breathing to you.” You don’t have to read 52 books in a year, but you do have to make time for more reading. And when you do, this list of the 15 best leadership books will inform and inspire young leaders.

Lead yourself.

Before you can lead someone else, a group, or a company, you must be able to lead yourself. That means discipline, self-actualization, sense of purpose, and humility.

1. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (Gregory Hays translation)

Although Aurelius was writing for himself, the surviving text is a road map to living a better life. By removing the excess, Aurelius shows us all how to rise above distractions to maintain our principles. Rooted in Stoic philosophy, Meditations is practical advice for controlling your thoughts, emotions, and actions to remove stress from your life.

2. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankel

This book recounts Viktor Frankel’s experience in Auschwitz, the Nazi prison camp, during the Holocaust. Through all the pain and suffering Frankel was able to maintain perspective and conclude that there “must be meaning in suffering.” He reminds us that the meaning of life is to define that meaning for ourselves through action.

3. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Life is a journey. Each one of us should be trying to follow our own personal legend (that is, what you have always wanted to accomplish). The tale of Santiago, a shepherd boy, reveals what happens when we pursue our own legend: “the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

Define leadership.

After building your foundation from which to lead, it’s important to understand exactly what leadership is and how it’s applied. It’s also helpful to study other successful leaders and businesses.

4. The Truth About Leadership by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner

There are some things that will always play a role in effective leadership. Trust, credibility, and ethics are among those things. Kouzes and Posner reveal 30 years of research that support these and other core principles.

5. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Others Don’t by Jim Collins

Some companies succeed, but most fail. Jim Collins evaluated thousands of articles and interview transcripts to figure out why exactly that is. Then he packaged it all into this book to show you what traits you’ll need to build a great company.

6. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven R. Covey

Seven Habits is a timeless lesson in leadership and success. By changing your mindset to embrace an alternative perspective, Covey walks you through the self-mastery Paradigm Shift. This process is broken down into Independence, Interdependence, and Continual Improvement, resulting in meaningful and consistent growth.

7. Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh

As CEO of Zappo, Tony Hsieh built a massively successful business by doing what everyone else talks about: putting the customer first and hiring the right people. Serving customers and company culture were the main focus. As a result employees and customers were happy and satisfied. Hsieh was able to dismantle traditional corporate leadership and deliver happiness and loads of profit along the way

8. The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen

Here Harvard professor and businessman Clayton Christensen lays out the path to “disruptive innovation.” This, as described by Christensen, requires rejecting the needs of the customer right now in favor of adopting new methods and technologies that will meet their needs in the future. Early adopters and innovators get ahead; all of the others fall behind.

9. Tribes by Seth Godin

Start by reading Tribes and then continue on reading everything Godin has written. From his blog to his books and everything in between, Godin is sharing a winning formula for stepping outside of the status quo to do meaningful work. It’s this kind of work that will inspire others to follow, help you get noticed, and leave a legacy long after you’re gone.

Communicate and motivate.

To lead you must inspire others to follow your example or orders. It helps if you’re able to attract, engage, and encourage employees, business partners, and potential clients to get on board with your plan or proposal.

10. Drive by Daniel H. Pink

The ability to motivate is central to leadership. That’s what makes Pink’s book so valuable. Packed with the secrets of motivation, Pink suggests we move away from rewards and punishment, opting for meaningful work, mastery, and autonomy instead.

11. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Everyone wants to feel important. In Win Friends Carnegie shows you how to use that in your favor to make people like you and win people over. It’s a book about how to communicate and interact with people in a meaningful way. It all comes down to showing interest in the people you interact with and the work that they are doing. If you make that connection you will have won a friend.

12. Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin

If Abe Lincoln can unite his cabinet and the country around abolishing slavery amidst war, you can probably reconcile conflicting personalities in your company. Meshing people of divergent ideologies into a team or group is an admirable leadership trait. In Team of Rivals Kearns Goodwin recounts the story of how Lincoln surrounded himself with the best people, despite their differences. He was humble and unafraid to be challenged: two traits that will serve every leader.

Keep going.

Sometimes things don’t go as planned. If and when that happens, you’ll have to pick yourself up and start all over again. Perseverance and resilience are mandatory.

13. Endurance by Alfred Lansing

In 1914, explorer Edward Shackleton undertook an expedition to the South Pole. Although the mission was a failure, the resulting story of survival in the ice-bound Antarctic seas serves as a guide post for leaders confronted with adversity.

Be real.

No one can fake leadership. And, if they can, it won’t last long. Acknowledging fear and vulnerability are far more valuable leadership skills than being cold or shut-off.

14. Daring Greatly by Brené Brown

Being vulnerable doesn’t have to be a weakness. Fear and shame shouldn’t prevent us from daring to do big things. Instead, Brown tells us that it’s most important to show up; to try and to fail. Because coming up short is better than never having tried at all.

15. The War of Art by Steve Pressfield

Anything you create is going to require one heck of a battle: that’s the war of art. Every single person in the world who has written a book, published an article, started a business, or made “art” has been scared out of their mind. Procrastination, fear, and self-doubt strike everyone. The only way to beat them is to make stuff and share it with the world.
Somewhere after “lose weight”, “stop procrastinating”, and “fall in love”, “read more” is one of the top goals that many people set for themselves. 14 Ways to Cultivate a Lifetime Reading Habit

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75 Inspiring Motivational Quotes on Leadership

Sometimes all the inspiration you need to guide your team successfully can be found in a few simple words of wisdom.

Leadership is lonely. No matter how big your team, sometimes it's just you--which means you sometimes need to look inside yourself for motivation and inspiration.
Or you can find personal inspiration from someone who has been there, done that...and done it well.
Here are some of my favorite leadership quotes. Tweet them, share them, but most important, use them to help you become an even better leader than you already are.

1. "To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart." Eleanor Roosevelt
2. "The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires." William Arthur Ward
3. "It's hard to lead a cavalry charge if you think you look funny on a horse." Adlai E. Stevenson II
4. "Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be." Ralph Waldo Emerson
5. "Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others." Robert Louis Stevenson
6. "The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things." Ronald Reagan
7. "Only one man in a thousand is a leader of men--the other 999 follow women." Groucho Marx
8. "Don't waste your energy trying to educate or change opinions; go over, under, through, and opinions will change organically when you're the boss. Or they won't. Who cares? Do your thing, and don't care if they like it." Tina Fey
9. "Power isn't control at all--power is strength, and giving that strength to others. A leader isn't someone who forces others to make him stronger; a leader is someone willing to give his strength to others that they may have the strength to stand on their own." Beth Revis
10. "Don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results." George Patton
11. "I have three precious things which I hold fast and prize. The first is gentleness; the second is frugality; the third is humility, which keeps me from putting myself before others. Be gentle and you can be bold; be frugal and you can be liberal; avoid putting yourself before others and you can become a leader among men." Lao Tzu
12. "Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it." Dwight D. Eisenhower
13. "Victory has a hundred fathers and defeat is an orphan. John F. Kennedy
14. "Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things." Peter F. Drucker
15. "You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand." Woodrow Wilson
16. "Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing." Albert Schweitzer
17. "Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them." John C. Maxwell
18. "The mark of a great man is one who knows when to set aside the important things in order to accomplish the vital ones." Brandon Sanderson
19. "Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flow charts. It is about one life influencing another." John C. Maxwell
20. "You have to be burning with an idea, or a problem, or a wrong that you want to right. If you're not passionate enough from the start, you'll never stick it out." Steve Jobs
21. "A leader...is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind." Nelson Mandela
22. "Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off." Colin Powell
23. "Do you know that one of the great problems of our age is that we are governed by people who care more about feelings than they do about thoughts and ideas?" Margaret Thatcher
24. "A leader is a dealer in hope." Napoleon
25. "The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it." Theodore Roosevelt
26. "I don't see myself being special; I just see myself having more responsibilities than the next man. People look to me to do things for them, to have answers." Tupac Shakur
27. "If you would convince a man that he does wrong, do right. But do not care to convince him. Men will believe what they see. Let them see." Henry David Thoreau
28. "I cannot trust a man to control others who cannot control himself." Robert E. Lee
29. "The day the soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you 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." Colin Powell
30. "Consensus: The process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values, and policies in search of something in which no one believes, but to which no one objects; the process of avoiding the very issues that have to be solved, merely because you cannot get agreement on the way ahead. What great cause would have been fought and won under the banner: 'I stand for consensus?'" Margaret Thatcher
31. "A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be." Rosalynn Carter
32. "There is a difference between being a leader and being a boss. Both are based on authority. A boss demands blind obedience; a leader earns his authority through understanding and trust." Klaus Balkenhol
33. "You get in life what you have the courage to ask for." Nancy D. Solomon
34. "In the end, it is important to remember that we cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are." Max De Pree
35. "We're here for a reason. I believe a bit of the reason is to throw little torches out to lead people through the dark." Whoopi Goldberg
36. "A leader isn't someone who forces others to make him stronger; a leader is someone willing to give his strength to others so that they may have the strength to stand on their own." Beth Revis
37. "Always remember, Son, the best boss is the one who bosses the least. Whether it's cattle, or horses, or men; the least government is the best government." Ralph Moody
38. "If you really want the key to success, start by doing the opposite of what everyone else is doing." Brad Szollose
39. "'Give as few orders as possible,' his father had told him once long ago. 'Once you've given orders on a subject, you must always give orders on that subject.'" Frank Herbert (from Dune)
40. "The art of leadership is saying no, not yes. It is very easy to say yes." Tony Blair
41. "Wisdom equals knowledge plus courage. You have to not only know what to do and when to do it, but you have to also be brave enough to follow through." Jarod Kintz
42. "In a battle between two ideas, the best one doesn't necessarily win. No, the idea that wins is the one with the most fearless heretic behind it." Seth Godin
43. "If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea." Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
44. "Remember, teamwork begins by building trust. And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability." Patrick Lencioni
45. "No guts, no story." Chris Brady
46. "Leadership is an action, not a position." Donald McGannon
47. "Surround yourself with great people; delegate authority; get out of the way" Ronald Reagan
48. "I cannot give you a formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure, which is: try to please everybody." Herbert Bayard Swope
49. "Show me the man you honor and I will know what kind of man you are." Thomas John Carlisle
50. "The challenge of leadership is to be strong but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not a bully; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly." Jim Rohn
51. "A man always has two reasons for doing anything: a good reason and the real reason." J.P. Morgan
52. "If you spend your life trying to be good at everything, you will never be great at anything." Tom Rath
53. "Average leaders raise the bar on themselves; good leaders raise the bar for others; great leaders inspire others to raise their own bar." Orrin Woodward
54. "Don't blow off another's candle for it won't make yours shine brighter." Jaachynma N.E. Agu
55. "Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision." Peter F. Drucker
56. "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." Jerry Porras
57. "A good leader leads the people from above them. A great leader leads the people from within them." M.D. Arnold
58. "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." Martin Luther King, Jr.
59. "The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision. You can't blow an uncertain trumpet." Father Theodore M. Hesburgh
60. "It is absolutely necessary...for me to have persons that can think for me, as well as execute orders." George Washington
61. "When eagles are silent, parrots begin to chatter." Winston Churchill
62. "A leader takes people where they would never go on their own." Hans Finzel
63. "You don't lead by pointing and telling people some place to go. You lead by going to that place and making a case." Ken Kesey
64. "A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd." Max Lucado
65. "Become the kind of leader that people would follow voluntarily, even if you had no title or position." Brian Tracy
66. "I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers." Ralph Nader
67. "Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm." Publilius Syrus
68. "A great person attracts great people and knows how to hold them together. "Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
69. "My job is not to be easy on people. My job is to take these great people we have and to push them and make them even better." Steve Jobs
70. "People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision." John Maxwell
71. "To have long-term success as a coach or in any position of leadership, you have to be obsessed in some way." Pat Riley
72. "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." John Maxwell
73. "A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week." George Patton
74. "Earn your leadership every day." Michael Jordan
75. "Success at the highest level comes down to one question: 'Can you make the choice that your happiness can come from someone else's success?' No one has qualities like courage, vision, charisma, adaptability, and decisiveness in equal measure. But every great leader does make the same decision--and so can you." Jeff Haden (sorry, couldn't resist)

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