The best definition of leadership I ever read was from How to Lead by David Rubenstein. He said, “A leader is someone who makes something happen that otherwise wouldn’t have happened.”
It’s a great concept and simplifies what it means to be a great leader.
With that in mind, here are 39 quotes about leadership and management that I’d like to share with you, starting with this one from John C. Maxwell.
Let’s keep going, shall we? Here are the rest.
- “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” – John F. Kennedy
- “The best leaders are those most interested in surrounding themselves with what they call ‘A players’.” – John C. Maxwell
- “The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.” – Ralph Nader
- “The leader has to be practical and a realist, yet must talk the language of the visionary and the idealist.” – Eric Hoffer
- “A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit.” – Arnold H. Glasow
- “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
- “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” – Peter Drucker
- “The true test of leadership is how well you function in a crisis.” – Brian Tracy
- “The most powerful leadership tool you have is your own personal example.” – John Wooden
- “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” – John C. Maxwell
- “Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes.” – Peter Drucker
- “To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
- “A leader is a dealer in hope.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
- “Great leaders are willing to sacrifice their own personal interests for the good of the team.” – John Wooden
- “A leader is a person who has the ability to inspire and guide a group of people to achieve a common goal.” – Unknown
- “The most powerful leadership tool you have is your own personal example.” – John Wooden
- “The best leaders have a high consideration for others. They think about the people they lead.” – John C. Maxwell
- “Great leaders are willing to sacrifice their own personal interests for the good of the team.” – John Wooden
- “The best leader 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 do it.” – Theodore Roosevelt
- “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” – Warren Bennis
- “A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others.” – Douglas MacArthur
- “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” – Warren Bennis
- “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” – Peter Drucker
- “A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others.” – Douglas MacArthur
- “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between the two, the leader must become a servant and a debtor.” – Max DePree
- “Leadership is not about being in charge. It’s about taking care of those in your charge.” – Simon Sinek
- “To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
- “The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision.” – Theodore Hesburgh
- “A true leader has the ability to inspire and empower others to reach their full potential.” – Brian Tracy
- “The ultimate test of a leader is that his followers will abide by his teachings when he is no longer present.” – Confucius
- “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” – Warren Bennis
- “Leadership is the ability to inspire confidence and support among the people who are needed to achieve organizational goals.” – Alan Keith
- “Leadership is the ability to get extraordinary achievement from ordinary people.” – Brian Tracy
I hope you find these leadership and management quotes helpful. I know I have in my journey and I suspect you will, too.
Here’s one last quote from Serena Williams that just might be one of the best ones in the batch.
About the Author: Jamie Turner is an internationally recognized author, professor, consultant, and speaker who has helped employees at The Coca-Cola Company, Holiday Inn, Microsoft, Verizon and others do a better job leading, managing, and mentoring others. To have him speak at your event or organization, email him at: Jamie@JamieTurner.Live