Famous Quotes & Sayings

Warren G. Bennis

I am reminded how hollow the label of leadership sometimes is and how heroic followership can be.

Warren G. Bennis

Followers who tell the truth, and leaders who listen to it, are an unbeatable combination.

Warren G. Bennis

The manager administers; the leader innovates. The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective. The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why. The manager has his eye on the bottom line; the leader has his eye on the horizon. The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it.

Warren G. Bennis

The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why.

Warren G. Bennis

To become a leader, then, you must become yourself, become the maker of your own life

Warren G. Bennis

The leaders I met, whatever walk of life they were from, whatever institutions they were presiding over, always referred back to the same failure something that happened to them that was personally difficult, even traumatic, something that made them feel that desperate sense of hitting bottom-as something they thought was almost a necessity. It's as if at that moment the iron entered their soul; that moment created the resilience that leaders need.

Warren G. Bennis

Too many companies believe people are interchangeable. Truly gifted people never are. They have unique talents. Such people cannot be forced into roles they are not suited for, nor should they be. Effective leaders allow great people to do the work they were born to do.

Warren G. Bennis

Leaders learn by leading, and they learn bestby leading in the face of obstacles. As weather shapes mountains, problems shape leaders.

Warren G. Bennis

The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born...

Warren G. Bennis

Failing organizations are usually over-managed and under-led.

Warren G. Bennis

Leaders do not avoid, repress, or deny conflict, but rather see it as an opportunity

Warren G. Bennis

Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself. It is precisely that simple, and it is also that difficult.

Warren G. Bennis

Good leaders make people feel that they're at the very heart of things, not at the periphery. Everyone feels that he or she makes a difference to the success of the organization. When that happens people feel centered and that gives their work meaning.

Ronald Reagan

It was leadership here at home that gave us strong American influence abroad, and the collapse of imperial Communism. Great nations have responsibilities to lead, and we should always be cautious of those who would lower our profile, because they might just wind up lowering our flag.

Ronald Reagan

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

Our policy is simple: We are not going to betray our friends, reward the enemies of freedom, or permit fear and retreat to become American policies. ... None of the four wars in my lifetime came about because we were too strong. It is weakness ... that invites adventurous adversaries to make mistaken judgments.

Wilt Chamberlain

I've prided myself on being in excellent condition-as good as any man in my profession. Now this doesn't come from sitting around on your rear end. This comes from hard, hard work.

Wilma Mankiller

Recognizing the good, not just in one's own personal circumstances, but in the world, makes anything possible. When I am asked about the important characteristics of leadership, being of good, positive mind is at the top of my list. If a leader can focus on the meritorious characteristics of other people and try to play to their strengths as well as find value in even the most difficult situation, she can inspire hope and faith in others and motivate them to move forward.

Will Rogers

You've got to go out on a limb sometimes because that's where the fruit is.

Rudyard Kipling

I keep six honest serving men (they taught me all i knew); Theirs names are What and Why and When And How And Where and Who.

W. Averell Harriman

Roosevelt was the one who had the vision to change our policy from isolationism to world leadership. That was a terrific revolution. Our country's never been the same since.

Zig Ziglar

The greatest of all mistakes is to do nothing because you think you can only do a little.

Yousef Munayyer

Humility is a great quality of leadership which derives respect and not just fear or hatred.

William Hazlitt

The multitude who require to be led, still hate their leaders.

William Hazlitt

Those who can command themselves command others.

Wendell Willkie

Education is the mother of leadership.

Walter Russell Mead

Life isn't easy, and leadership is harder still.

William Penn

There is a troublesome humor some men have, that if they may not lead, they will not follow; but had rather a thing were never done, than not done their own way, tho' other ways very desirable.

William Makepeace Thackeray

Might I give counsel to any man, I would say to him, try to frequent the company of your betters. In books and in life, that is the most wholesome society; learn to admire rightly; the great pleasure of life is that. Note what great men admire.

Zig Ziglar

Be strong, but not rude; Be kind, but not weak; Be bold, but not bully; Be humble, but not timid; Be prooud, but not arrogant.

Zig Ziglar

Unless you have a definite, precise, clearly set goals, you are not going to realize the maximum potential that lies within you.

Zig Ziglar

The great majority of people are “wandering generalities” rather than “meaningful specifics”. The fact is that you can't bit a target that you can't see. If you don't know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else. You have to have goals.

Zoe Saldana

I would love to play Nefertiti or Cleopatra or the Queen of Sheba. We preserve more male history than we do female. We have to preserve [female history]. No more complaining. We have to do it.