10 Quotes (and Mini-Takeaways) That Explain How to Be a Great Leader

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Over the past 10+ years, I’ve collected thousands of quotes. I love quotes because the best ones can whittle a massive, complex topic into a poignant sentence or two that deftly summarizes a core lesson.

If you want to learn more about leadership, meditate on these ten quotes and how you can apply them to your life and work:

“Leadership is not a position to earn, it’s an inherent power to claim…Leader is not a title that the world gives to you?—?it’s an offering that you give to the world.” -Abby?Wambach

The biggest realization any employee can have is that you don’t have to be a “manager” to lead other people. Analysts, office managers, and janitors can be seen as leaders by how they act and benefit others. Don’t wait for a title?—?just begin caring for those around you.

“Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.” -Harvard Business?School

So what is leadership, exactly? Harvard offers the best definition I’ve heard. Do you know someone who whenever you’re around them, they make you want to become a better person? That person is a leader. Leaders are those whose influence encourages others to be more and do more.

“Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself. It is precisely that simple and it is also that difficult.” -Warren?Bennis

Over the years, I’ve realized that the more I get in touch with who I am as a human, the better I’m able to lead others. By finding your identity and expressing that identity authentically, others will gravitate toward you and want to learn from you. Why? Because we all want to be around someone who’s confident in their own skin.

“People get to leadership positions with titles because earlier in their career they were leaders without a title.” -Sam?Hawgood

Eventually, your implicit leadership (the way you act) may earn you the right to become an explicit manager (a title you’re given). The former is more important, but the latter can be fulfilling because it’s a platform you can use to impact more people and play a role in helping others develop into their best selves.

“Leadership, it turns out, is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge.” -Simon?Sinek

If and when you are awarded a management title, don’t let it go to your head. Managers aren’t better than anyone else, and the purpose of management isn’t to accrue and wield power. Your role as a manager is to become a servant and help those around you.

“Don’t tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.” -General George?Patton

The best leaders trust their people to figure things out. Managers serve as a backstop to support team members whenever they need help, but most of the manager’s job is to explain what needs to be done and why it’s important, then leave the team to decide how to execute it.

“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.” -Steve?Jobs

Sometimes people will hand in subpar work. When that happens, every leader has a choice: (A) settle for mediocrity or (B) encourage the person they can do better. Strong leaders opt for the latter path: they show others what’s possible and help them achieve more than they realized they could.

“Brave leaders are never silent around hard things. Our job is to excavate the unsaid.” -Brené?Brown

As a leader, you’re expected to do the hard things. Anyone can handle the easy stuff, but you’re there to handle the difficult stuff?—?and that includes jobs like giving feedback and speaking up with unpopular opinions. Author Susan Scott says every company buys into shared lies (easy, popular ideas she refers to as a company’s “official truth”), but that a leader’s job is to ask the tough questions to determine the “ground truth” of any situation?—?what’s actually going on and what needs to be improved.

“As a leader, you’re probably not doing a good job unless your employees can do a good impression of you when you’re not around.” -Patrick?Lencioni

The most successful founders, CEOs, and leaders feel like they’re repeating themselves incessantly (because they are!). The only way to help everyone around you internalize something is to repeat it frequently. That’s one of the most important and most neglected roles of a leader.

“The key to becoming an effective leader is not to focus on making other people follow, but on making yourself the kind of person they want to follow.” -John?Maxwell

At the end of the day, you can’t make anyone follow you. But if you act with integrity and produce results, others will want to be part of what you’re doing. You’ll begin to see people volunteer to serve on the same projects as you, want to move over to your team, or ask to be mentored by you. Each of these situations is a signal you’re becoming someone worth following.

Anyone can be a leader. What will you do to step into your leadership potential today?

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