One of my favorite things to do is collect quotes that ring true to me. I’ll scribble it down in a notebook, paste it into an email, or post it on my Facebook page. A couple of years ago I discovered Evernote.
Since this time, I’ve amassed an even larger amount of quotes. They’re leadership quotes, personal development quotes, relationship quotes, and more.
Image via Creative Commons
I believe we can learn a lot from the quotes of leaders that have come before us. These leaders are full of wisdom. It becomes our responsibility to learn from them.
That’s been a driving force behind the collection of quotes I’ve recorded. Today, I’d like to share what I’ve learned from some of the leadership quotes I’ve saved for myself.
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”
— Arthur Ashe, Tennis Player
This quote is great for the leader who’s hesitant to start because he’s unsure of what he has. Arthur reminds us that we need to start. There’s tools available to use all around us. Pick one up and use it.
“I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.”
— Helen Keller
Leaders can get caught up in the great and noble task. We’ve got grand visions of what needs to be accomplished. All the while we lose sight of the small tasks. If we continue to work on the small tasks, we’ll work up to the great and noble.
“It has been my philosophy of life that difficulties vanish when faced boldly.”
— Isaac Asimov, author
I’m often reminded that leaders will face difficulties. Some days they’ll seem so large that we cannot overcome them. Isaac’s quote reminds me that we need to be courageous and face the difficulties. This is the only way they’ll ever be able to defeat the challenges of life.
“It comes from saying no to 1,000 things to make sure we don’t get on the wrong track or try to do too much. We’re always thinking about new markets we could enter, but it’s only by saying no that you can concentrate on the things that are really important.”
— Steve Jobs, Apple Co-founder
How many times in a day to you get asked to take on a new task or go for a new project? It’s easy to get sidetracked because of the inability to say no. Steve Jobs knew the importance of focusing on the important tasks. It’s saying NO to the GOOD and YES to the BEST.
“If you don’t have a simple answer to the question, ‘What are you doing?’ You haven’t thought about it long enough.”
— Andy Stanley
Every time I hear this quote, it makes me smile. I’m a big fan of breaking down complex situations into simple explanations. While we can’t talk down to our team, we must be willing to make it simple enough that we can easily explain what we want.
“Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.”
— Tom Peters
Wow! This one can be tough to swallow. We’ve been taught we want followers as we lead. But how many leaders want more leaders? It’s our job as a leader to raise up more leaders. We need to be multiplying our leadership.
“Don’t be so busy making a living that you become to busy to make a life.”
— Dan Miller, Wisdom Meets Passion
How many times have you thought that you needed to be in control of everything in the organization? You become so busy you have no time for anything other than work. Don’t forget we weren’t made to work 24/7.
“A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.”
— Nelson Mandela
These are two important components of great leaders. Great leaders are willing to think and focus. They create plans. They think through the process. They study.
They also care about their employees. As Joel Manby says: Love Works.
“Do more than is required. What is the distance between someone who achieves their goals consistently and those who spend their lives and careers merely following? The extra mile. ”
— Gary Ryan Blair, Author and Motivational Speaker
Want to become a more effective leader? Follow the advice of Gary Ryan Blair. Do more. Go the distance. Give more than expected.
“Focus your messages on the results you expect, not on the methods for doing the job.”
— Marty Brounstein, communications trainer
Learn to communicate better. The clearer you state what needs to be done, the chance your team will do the job properly rises.
Question: What’s one of your favorite quotes leadership and why? Please share your thoughts in the comment section and help me expand my journal of quotes.
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.