15 Practical and Inspiring Leadership Quotes

As an author, the question, “May I quote you?” is a humbling request and a great compliment. For anyone who is in search of leadership excellence a good quote is fuel for you and your team.

It’s amazing how a short, simple quotation can quickly provide perspective, inspiration, comfort, motivation or insight. What a wonderful return for our invested time–take 10 seconds each morning to read a new quote and your day, maybe even our world, is changed.

I wanted to share a few of my favorite leadership quotes:

1.     “To add value to others, one must first value others.” – John Maxwell

2.     “A company is stronger if it is bound by love rather than by fear.” – Herb Kelleher

3.     “In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is.” – Yogi Berra

4.     “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” – Thomas Jefferson

5.     “Those who let things happen usually lose to those who make things happen.” – Dave Weinbaum

6.     “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”  – Winston Churchill

7.     “In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” – Theodore Roosevelt

And here are a few of my own leadership quotes to add…

1.       Leadership is about others, not ourselves.
2.       Leaders who give the best of themselves get the best from others.
3.       If you do not take care of the little things over the long term, you won’t take care of the big things.
4.       Leaders who underestimate the intelligence of their employees generally overestimate their own.
5.       Great leaders appreciate their employees, not just their contributions.
6.       Don’t worry about leaving your leadership legacy. Just live it.
7.       Excellent leadership is not only about investing in others. It’s also about investing in yourself.
8.       Expectation gaps lead to execution gaps.

 

Please post your favorite quotes, maybe even your own originals.

I might use it in a future column, but not before asking, “May I quote you?”

Here’s to daily inspiration and application!