As a leader, we all need reminders to keep us on track toward creating meaningful work relationships with our staff, co-workers and our own managers in order to achieve our goals. Here are 25 leadership quotes to inspire you.
“Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do.”
– Dr. Cynthia Howard
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– Dr. Cynthia Howard, Work Smart Club
“When you delegate work, it is essential you lay out a clear path for their success, and the success of the project. You have to be clear with what and when.”
– Dr. Cynthia Howard, Work Smart Club
“When leaders try to do everything, they become part of the problem. They become the bottleneck. Develop your team to take more responsibility. Resist trying to do it all – just because you can.”
– Dr. Cynthia Howard, Work Smart Club
“The really expert riders of horses let the horse know immediately who is in control, but then guide the horse with loose reins and seldom use the spurs.”
– Sandra Day O’Connor, former Supreme Court Justice.
“If you want to do a few small things right, do them yourself. If you want to do great things and make a big impact, learn to delegate.”
– John C. Maxwell
“Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don’t interfere as long as the policy you’ve decided upon is being carried out.”
– Ronald Reagan, 40th U.S. President
“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 while they do it.”
– Theodore Roosevelt, 26th U.S. President
“If you really want to grow as a leader, you have to develop those around you. It starts with learning to delegate!”
– Dr. Cynthia Howard, Work Smart Club
“Hire people who are better than you are, then leave them to get on with it . . . Look for people who will aim for the remarkable, who will not settle for the routine.”
– David Ogilvy, advertising executive
“If you pick the right people and give them the opportunity to spread their wings – and put compensation as a carrier behind it – you almost don’t have to manage them.”
– Jack Welch, former CEO at General Electric
“Delegating means letting others become better at some things than you. You want to have experts around, as the leader.”
– Dr. Cynthia Howard, Work Smart Club
“Doing everything yourself is a recipe to crash and burn. Learn to delegate. It is not as hard as it seems.”
– Dr. Cynthia Howard, Work Smart Club
“As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.”
– Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft
“Do you have the right managers in place? Is your team organized around strategic objectives? If so, then get out of the way and let everyone do their jobs.”
– Dr. Cynthia Howard, Work Smart Club
“The strength of the group is the strength of the leaders.”
– Vince Lombardi, former Green Bay Packers coach
“A star wants to see himself rise to the top. A leader wants to see those around him rise to the top.”
– Simon Sinek, author and consultant
“The inability to delegate is a critical risk factor in leaders. Leaders who do not delegate are doomed to fail.”
– Dr. Cynthia Howard, Work Smart Club
“Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.”
– George S. Patton, U.S. Army General
“Where there is no vision, the people perish.”
—Proverbs 29:18
“Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.”
— General George Patton
“Leaders need to have the capacity to inspire people to engage in a common purpose. If you are stressed out, rushed, or distracted, people lose confidence in you, as well.”
– Dr. Cynthia Howard, Work Smart Club
“Effective leadership is defined by results, not by the style of leadership.”
– Dr. Cynthia Howard, Work Smart Club
“Leaders have passion and purpose. This comes before they get the position.”
– Dr. Cynthia Howard, Work Smart Club
“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
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