159 Leadership Defined Quotes

Following is our list of leadership defined quotations and slogans full of insightful wisdom and perspective about what defines a leader.

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Famous Leadership Defined Quotes

Leadership is defined by results not attributes. — Peter Drucker

Leadership is the sum of those qualities of intellect, human understanding, and moral character that enables a person to inspire and control a group of people successfully. — John A. Lejeune

Leadership is an elusive concept, hard to describe and impossible to prescribe. It is more evident in its absence, so that when leadership is needed, its lack is sorely felt. — Patrick Dodson

My own definition of leadership is this: The capacity and the will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence. — Bernard Law Montgomery

Leadership is a way of thinking, a way of acting and, most importantly, a way of communicating. — Simon Sinek

Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes. — Peter Drucker

Leadership is providing inspiration and vision, then developing and empowering others to achieve this vision. — Marshall Goldsmith

Leadership is a series of behaviors rather than a role for heroes. - Margaret J. Wheatley

Leadership is a series of behaviors rather than a role for heroes. — Margaret J. Wheatley

Leadership: The skill of influencing people to work enthusiastically toward goals identified as being for the common good. — James Hunter

Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality. - Warren G. Bennis

Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality. — Warren G. Bennis

Leadership means firmness, not harshness or bullying; understanding, not weakness; justice, not irresponsible freedom; humaneness, not intolerance; generosity, not selfishness; pride, not egotism. — Omar N. Bradley

Leadership is demonstrated at the moment of need. You learn to be a leader by acting, by doing — Carlos Ghosn

Leadership is lifting a person's vision to high sights, the raising of a person's performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations. — Peter Drucker

Leadership is the challenge to be something more than average. - Jim Rohn

Leadership is the challenge to be something more than average. — Jim Rohn

Leadership is about empowering others to achieve their full potential and fostering an environment of trust and collaboration. — Michael Abrashoff

Short Leadership Defined Quotes

  • Great leadership is by definition relentlessly developmental. — Bill Hybels
  • A leader has been defined as one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. — Unknown
  • Leadership does not mean domination. — Haile Selassie
  • The very exercise of leadership fosters capacity for it. — Cyril Falls
  • The leader sees leadership as responsibility rather than as rank and privilege. — Peter Drucker
  • Leadership must first and foremost meet the needs of others. — Robert K. Greenleaf
  • Leadership is hard. It's a skill. It's a technique. — Jocko Willink
  • Leadership is unlocking people's potential to become better. — Bill Bradley
  • Leadership is not for the faint of heart — Bill Hybels

Leadership Defined Image Quotes

Leadership defined quote Don't let the past steal your present. Your past has not defined, deterred or defeated you. It has o
Don't let the past steal your present. Your past has not defined, deterred or defeated you. It has only strengthened who you are today.

Leadership Definition Quotes

Freedom, by definition, is people realizing that they are their own leaders. — Diane Nash

A leader is best when people barely know that he exists. - Witter Bynner

A leader is best when people barely know that he exists. — Witter Bynner

The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. — Max De Pree

Leadership defined quote A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compas
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.

You manage things, you lead people. We went overboard on management and forgot about leadership. It might help if we ran the MBAs out of Washington. — Grace Hopper

Leadership cannot really be taught. It can only be learned. — Harold Geneen

A good manager is best when people barely know that he exists. Not so good when people obey and acclaim him. Worse when they despise him. — Lao Tzu

Leadership defined quote Be a leader by example. Be confident and humble. Love the unloved.
Be a leader by example. Be confident and humble. Love the unloved.

A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves. — Lao Tzu

To me, a leader is a visionary that energizes others. This definition of leadership has two key dimensions: a) creating the vision of the future, and b) inspiring others to make the vision a reality. — Vince Lombardi

Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success — Stephen Covey

The leader works in the open and the boss in covert. The leader leads, and the boss drives. — Theodore Roosevelt

Definition Of Leadership Quotes

Continuing to believe the same thing, even in the face of new evidence to the contrary, is the definition of insanity - except in politics where it's called leadership. — Scott Adams

I definitely wasn’t cool in high school. I really wasn’t. I did belong to many of the clubs and was in leadership on yearbook and did the musical theater route, so I had friends in all areas, but I certainly did not know what to wear, did not know how to do my hair, all those things. — Dianna Agron

Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence." (Harvard Business School definition of leadership) — Sheryl Sandberg

Leadership defined quote Leadership is an action, not a position.
Leadership is an action, not a position.

God's definition of success is really one of the significant differences our lives can make in the lives of others. — Tony Dungy

The building of a personality beyond its normal limitations. — Peter Drucker

What really matters for success, character, happiness and life long achievements is a definite set of emotional skills - your EQ - not just purely cognitive abilities that are measured by conventional IQ tests. — Daniel Goleman

Leadership defined quote Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge.
Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge.

I used to think that running an organization was equivalent to conducting a symphony orchestra. But I don't think that's quite it; it's more like jazz. There is more improvisation. — Warren G. Bennis

The definition of strong leadership is not about making decisions that are popular. Making popular decisions is easy - you don't need to be a leader to do that. The definition of strong leadership is to make decisions that are unpopular, but are nevertheless sound. — Henry Blodget

The definition of leadership is that you have to find great people and ask them to do extraordinary things. I've been doing that my whole life. — Kevin O'Leary

Influence is the key word in any definition of leadership. — Aubrey Malphurs

Effective Leadership Quotes

Effective leaders are made, not born. They learn from trial and error, and from experience. — Colin Powell

The greatness of a leader is measured by the achievements of the led. This is the ultimate test of his effectiveness. — Omar N. Bradley

Effective leaders help others to understand the necessity of change and to accept a common vision of the desired outcome. — John P. Kotter

Leadership defined quote Accept no one's definition of your life, define yourself.
Accept no one's definition of your life, define yourself.

To manage a system effectively, you might focus on the interactions of the parts rather than their behavior taken separately. — Russell L. Ackoff

The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say 'I'. They don't think 'I'. They think 'we'; they think 'team'. — Tom Peters

He who has learned how to obey will know how to command. — Solon

Leadership defined quote Leadership simply begins with the courage to be yourself. So everyone else can be, too.
Leadership simply begins with the courage to be yourself. So everyone else can be, too.

In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. — Harry S. Truman

I can't give you the sunset, but I can give you the night. — Erin McCarthy

History has shown that a country most effectively speaks with one voice. When nationally elected officials work together, build consensus, and provide leadership, the American people will follow. — Chuck Hagel

Build what you want to see in the world. — Jack Dorsey

Leadership In Education Quotes

The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it. — Michelangelo

Vocational education programs have made a real difference in the lives of countless young people nationwide; they build self-confidence and leadership skills by allowing students to utilize their unique gifts and talents. — Conrad Burns

Those who take the lead take it by doing three things. First, science to be able to manoeuvre; second, knowledge to be able to heavily invest in education; and third, a very wise leadership with a clear vision and a roadmap to the right direction. — Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan

The real role of leadership in education ... is not and should not be command and control. The real role of leadership is climate control, creating a climate of possibility. — Ken Robinson

The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving. — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

There goes my people. I must follow them, for I am their leader. — Mahatma Gandhi

Every advance in this half-century-Social Security, civil rights, Medicare, aid to education, one after another-came with the support and leadership of American Labor. — Jimmy Carter

I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to the point of responsibility. I don`t believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people. — John Wayne

Leaders, whether in the family, in business, in government, or in education, must not allow themselves to mistake intentions for accomplishments . — Jim Rohn

Shared leadership... is less like a an orchestra, where the conductor is always in charge, and more like a jazz band, where leadership is passed around ... depending on what the music demands at the moment and who feels most moved by the spirit to express the music. — Phillip C. Schlechty

Leadership And Management Quotes

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

The only thing of real importance that leaders do is to create and manage culture. If you do not manage culture, it manages you, and you may not even be aware of the extent to which this is happening. — Edgar Schein

Management is, above all, a practice where art, science, and craft meet - Henry Mintzberg

Management is, above all, a practice where art, science, and craft meet — Henry Mintzberg

You manage things, you lead people. We went overboard on management and forgot about leadership. — Grace Hopper

Observing many companies in action, I am unable to point to a single instance in which stunning results were gotten without the active and personal leadership of the upper managers. — Joseph M. Juran

If you want to manage somebody, manage yourself. Do that well and you'll be ready to stop managing. And start leading. — Mark Gonzales

One key to successful leadership is continuous personal change. Personal change is a reflection of our inner growth and empowerment. — Robert E. Quinn

Be the compromise you want to see in the world. - Mahatma Gandhi

Be the compromise you want to see in the world. — Mahatma Gandhi

You manage things, you lead people. We went overboard on management and forgot about leadership. It might help if we ran the MBAs out of Washington. — Grace Murray Hopper

Be the trouble you want to see in the world. — Joey Comeau

True Leadership Quotes

The four Cs of making dreams come true: Curiosity, Courage, Consistency, Confidence. — Walt Disney

He who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commander. — Aristotle

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. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent. — Douglas MacArthur

The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born. — Warren G. Bennis

The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born-that there is a genetic factor to leadership. This myth asserts that people simply either have certain charismatic qualities or not. That's nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born. — Warren G. Bennis

Be strong, but not rude; Be kind, but not weak; Be bold, but not bully; Be humble, but not timid; Be prooud, but not arrogant. — Zig Ziglar

Leadership is standing with your people. People say you have to live to fight another day, but sometimes you have to show you are a true leader. — Leymah Gbowee

True leadership is found in giving yourself in service to others, not in coaxing or inducing others to serve you. — J. Oswald Sanders

The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. — Colin Powell

A great leader's courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position. — John C. Maxwell

Personal Leadership Quotes

Leadership is a privilege to better the lives of others. It is not an opportunity to satisfy personal greed. — Mwai Kibaki

We want women leaders today as never before. Leaders who are not afraid to be called names and who are willing to go out and fight. I think women can save civilization. Women are persons. — Emily Murphy

People who are role models for the principles and values of the organization, who buy in and understand the vision of what the organization is trying to accomplish, and have the personality to inspire other people to the vision. You know, that’s what team chemistry and leadership is all about. — Nick Saban

Those who are right do not argue. Those who argue are not right. - Lao Tzu

Those who are right do not argue. Those who argue are not right. — Lao Tzu

The servant-leader is servant first... It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first. — Robert K. Greenleaf

He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still. — Lao Tzu

The most powerful leadership tool you have is your own personal example. - John Wooden

The most powerful leadership tool you have is your own personal example. — John Wooden

You can't run a government from one single person. What instead matters is that leadership be about gathering around extraordinary individuals and getting the best out of them. — Justin Trudeau

Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off. — Colin Powell

No person among us desires any other reward for performing a brave and worthy action, but the consciousness of having served his nation. — Joseph Brant

Business Leadership Quotes

Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced. — James A. Baldwin

I didn't follow the policies of those already in the business. If I had, I would never have made a go of it. Instead, I started out with the determination to make a better nickel chocolate bar than any of my competitors made, and I did so. — Milton S. Hershey

Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don't want to. — Richard Branson

Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results. — Andrew Carnegie

There are only two options regarding commitment; you’re either in or you’re out. — Pat Riley

The single biggest way to impact an organization is to focus on leadership development. There is almost no limit to the potential of an organization that recruits good people, raises them up as leaders and continually develops them. — John C. Maxwell

You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life. — Steve Jobs

The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing. - Henry Ford

The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing. — Henry Ford

If you see a bandwagon, it's too late. — James Goldsmith

You can't blow an uncertain trumpet. - Theodore Hesburgh

You can't blow an uncertain trumpet. — Theodore Hesburgh

Leadership Development Quotes

Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there. - Stevie Wonder

Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there. — Stevie Wonder

The most valuable "currency" of any organization is the initiative and creativity of its members. Every leader has the solemn moral responsibility to develop these to the maximum in all his people. This is the leader's highest priority. — W. Edwards Deming

The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership. - Harvey S. Firestone

The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership. — Harvey S. Firestone

People who consider themselves victims of their circumstances will always remain victims unless they develop a greater vision for their lives. — Stedman Graham

Leaders are people who can discern the inevitable and act accordingly. When people talk about business acumen, discernment is a big part of it. It's a bit like gut instinct, but a little more developed. — Donald Trump

A leader's job is to develop committed followers. Bad leaders destroy their followers' sense of commitment. — Dean Smith

I've developed a much greater respect for our politicians and every high-tech CEO. — Michael Saylor

Failing forward is the ability to get back up after you've been knocked down, learn from your mistake, and move forward in a better direction. — John C. Maxwell

I consider my ability to arouse enthusiasm among men the greatest asset I possess. The way to develop the best that is in a man is by appreciation and encouragement. — Charles R. Schwab

Great leaders encourage leadership development. By openly developing themselves — Marshall Goldsmith

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More Leadership Defined Quotes

Leadership is hard to define and good leadership even harder. But if you can get people to follow you to the ends of the earth, you are a great leader. — Indra Nooyi

My height doesn't define my skill set. To be a great quarterback, you have to have great leadership, great attention to detail and a relentless competitive nature - and I try to bring that on a daily basis. — Russell Wilson

Presenting leadership as a list of carefully defined qualities (like strategic, analytical, and performance-ori ented) no longer holds. Instead, true leadership stems from individuality that is honestly and sometimes imperfectly expressed.... Leaders should strive for authenticity over perfection. — Sheryl Sandberg

Great leaders are not defined by the absence of weakness, but rather by the presence of clear strengths. — John Peter Zenger

As Ive progressed in my career, Ive come to appreciate -- and really value -- the other attributes that define a companys success beyond the P&L: great leadership, long-term financial strength, ethical business practices, evolving business strategies, sound governance, powerful brands, values-based decision-making. — Ursula Burns

He who stands on tiptoe doesn't stand firm. He who rushes ahead doesn't go far. He who tries to shine dims his own light. He who defines himself can't know who he really is. He who has power over others can't empower himself. He who clings to his work will create nothing that endures. — Lao Tzu

Leadership can be defined in one word - honesty. You must be honest with the players and honest with yourself. — Earl Weaver

Leadership can be thought of as a capacity to define oneself to others in a way that clarifies and expands a vision of the future. — Edwin H Friedman

Don't just let your career happen to you. You need to be strategic about how you define your leadership journey and where that takes you. — Denise Morrison

The function of a leader within any institution: to provide that regulation through his or her non-anxious, self-defined presence. — Edwin H Friedman

Action will delineate and define you. — Thomas Jefferson

I am defining leadership in terms of the role, not the position. — Edgar Schein

The unique ability to take decisive action while maintainign focus on the ultimate mission is what defines a true leader. — Robert Kiyosaki

We define emotional intelligence as the subset of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one's own and others' feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one's thinking and actions. — Peter Salovey

My experience is that Delhi behaves the way the leadership defines. — Narendra Modi

Transforming leadership, [is defined as] leadership that builds on man's need for meaning, leadership that creates institutional purpose ... he is the value-shaper, the exemplar, the maker of meanings ... he is the true artist, the true pathfinder. — Tom Peters

A balance is necessary in life. To achieve this we must move away from broad definitions of workplaces as functional and households as emotional. Similarly, home, the haven in a heartless world, as defined by men, cannot be used by them as an antidote to the workplace's discomforts and demands, if this means having the wife as a servicer. — Eva Cox

The Democratic Leadership Council has named Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to design a plan to help define an agenda to the Democratic party. Although Bill said today, in his experience, whenever Hillary enters the picture that's when the party ends — Jay Leno

A person's own definition of leadership defines the glittering crown of his leadership. — Anuj

Leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; is defined by not attributes. — Peter Drucker

To me, leadership is about first defining purpose. Why does a company exist and what problem does it solve for customers? How is it different than everyone else, and what difference do they plan to make in the world? Companies (and people) should be measured based on the impact they make in the world. If the purpose and solution are solid, the money will follow. — Josh Linkner

Donald Trump has defined himself very well, not only in the primary election where he was absolutely disrespectful to his colleagues on the Republican side of the aisle and for [Carly] Fiorina who he basically said who would vote for you? Look at her face. She evidently wants to be a Republican leadership, a part of the Republican Party so bad that she would allow them and him to get away with that. — Maxine Waters

Now my mom designs to resign so she runs for US senate, and now at 67 my mom just launched a new company called Women's Leadership Live, she is the cofounder and CEO, and it's all about empowering women to be successful in business however they define success. When you have a role model like that you really don't ever look at gender as an issue and it's about owning your place and taking charge of your role, regardless of what you look like. — Stephanie McMahon

Let's remember that our leadership is defined not just by our defence against threats, but by the enormous opportunities to do good and promote understanding. — Barack Obama

Though leadership may be hard to define, the one characteristic common to all leaders is the ability to make things happen. — Theodore Wilhelm Engstrom

I believe that the time has come for women to take more active roles in all domains of human society, in an age in which education and the capacities of the mind, not physical strength, define leadership. This could help create a more equitable and compassionate society. — Dalai Lama

As a woman, I think my style defines my leadership in that it's a gentler, more compassionate approach. Rather than tell people what's good for them, I consult, I listen and I compromise where it's in the best interest of the citizens. — Dalia Grybauskaite

I don't subscribe to that school of thought that leadership can be altogether defined by gender. — Dalia Grybauskaite

Leadership can't be claimed like luggage at the airport. Leadership can't be inherited, even though you may inherit a leadership position. And leadership can't be given as a gift - even if you've been blessed with an abundance of leadership skills to share with someone else. Leadership must be earned by mastering a defined set of skills and by working with others to achieve common goals. — David Cottrell

I am a firm believer that you need a well-defined leadership role to deal with unexpected and non-linear side effects of people working together. You need someone to keep the threads untangled and forming a high-functioning web rather than a big snarl of a Gordian knot. — Rands

There are themes that somehow stir me and that I find very interesting. They're themes that deal with leadership, the nature of bravery and courage, and how to define those. — Stephen Lang

Servanthood does not nullify leadership; it defines it. Jesus does not cease to be the Lion of Judah when He becomes the lamblike servant of the church. — John Piper

We are dealing in a day and time when the courts are defining sin different than the church. — Johnny Hunt

[Ella Baker]'s second defining characteristic was her dislike of top-down leadership... 'She felt leaders were not appointed but the rose up. Someone will rise. Someone will emerge'. It was an attitude Baker shared with some of the older women in the movement. — Gail Collins

We Galvins define leadership as 'taking people elsewhere.' — Christopher Galvin

We must act as if our institutions are ours to create, our learning is ours to define, our leadership we seek is ours to become. — Peter Block

Leadership is defined not by the position you hold but by the people who follow you. — Charlene Li

Now that we are recognizing more fully the value of the individual, now that management is defining more exactly the function of each, many are coming to regard the leader as the man who can energize his group, who knows how to encourage initiative, how to draw from all what each has to give. — Mary Parker Follett

A just society will appear less spectacular, and less clearly defined, than a society with totalitarian leadership, theocratic goals. — B. W. Powe

Among the many factors that make a return to halcyon days of the first decades of the postwar era virtually impossible is the decline of clearly defined political leadership. — Robert Gilpin

Let's remember that our leadership is defined not just by our defense against threats, but by the enormous opportunities to do good and promote understanding around the globe – to forge greater cooperation, to expand new markets, to free people from fear and want. And no one is better positioned to take advantage of those opportunities than America. — Barack Obama

It has always been my thought that the most important single ingredient to success in athletics or life is discipline. I have many times felt that this word is the most ill-defined in all of our language. My definition isas follows: 1. Do what has to be done; 2. When it has to be done; 3. As well as it can be done; and 4. Do it it that way all the time. — Bobby Knight

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