Leadership quotes- How Do They Help?

Leadership quotes inspire and give insight to what outstanding leadership is truly about. The quotes that have the most impact and are easily remembered are those made by those considered the greatest leaders.  

What is the definition of a leader?

Many leadership quotes try to pinpoint the exact qualities of a leader. You probably have a list of characteristics that you think a great leader should possess. Perhaps they are the obvious such as the ability to listen or to be organized. Peter Drucker, writer and management consultant extraordinaire once said: “What is the manager’s job?  It is to direct the resources and the efforts of the business toward opportunities for economically significant results. This sounds trite –and it is. But every analysis of actual allocation of resources and efforts in business that I have ever seen or made showed clearly that the bulk of time, work, attention and money first goes to problems than to opportunities, and secondly, to areas where even extraordinarily successful performance will have minimal impact on results.” This should reiterate to you that defining a leader is not as easy as it may appear.  

The Realities of Leadership  

So many times leadership quotes tend to glorify without going into the gritty realities of being a leader. You should know that it is hard sometimes. You may have to turn your back on friendships or even popular consensus. This is exemplified in the following quote by Robert Coles: “Abraham Lincoln did not go to Gettysburg having commissioned a poll to find out what would sell in Gettysburg. There were no people with percentages for him, cautioning him about this group or that group or what they found in exit polls a year earlier. When will we have the courage of Lincoln?  Sometimes you have to possess the courage of Lincoln when you lead.

A Balance of Emotions

Leaders are often called on to demonstrate a dogged determination and dominance to reach the company’s goals. However, there are always exceptions that will come up that call on leaders to react sensitively and show their “human side.” That was never more obvious than on September 11, 2001. As you sat at work and heard about the Twin Towers falling, you worried about your safety, your family’s safety and your country’s safety. Most leaders decided to stop normal business operations and called their employees into conference rooms and asked how everyone was doing. Some employees were allowed to go home if they were too distressed. A famous quote came from American civil right activist Jesse Jackson who said:  “Leaders must be tough enough to fight, tender enough to cry, human enough to make mistakes, humble enough to admit them, strong enough to absorb the pain, and resilient enough to bounce back and keep on moving.”   

Ability to Motivate

Leadership quotes also capture a leader's ability to motivate. President John Quincy Adams stated: “If your action inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”