Being a leader can be exhausting. You’re getting pulled in a million directions and likely rarely have a moment to sit and think. As a result, it can be hard to find the time to reflect on leadership and think of areas in which you can improve.
Here are my Top 10 quotes on leadership (in no particular order) that inspire me to be a better leader and that hopefully will resonate with you.
1. The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. — William Arthur Ward
2. Power isn’t control at all — power is strength, and giving that strength to others. A leader isn’t someone who forces others to make him stronger; a leader is someone willing to give his strength to others that they may have the strength to stand on their own. — Beth Revis
3. 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
4. Become the kind of leader that people would follow voluntarily; even if you had no title or position. — Brian Tracy
5. Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm. — Publilius Syrus
6. As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others. — Bill Gates
7. If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. — John Quincy Adams
8. Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other. — John F. Kennedy
9. A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be. — Rosalynn Carter
10. Presenting leadership as a list of carefully defined qualities (like strategic, analytical and performance-oriented) 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
Do you have a favorite quote you turn to for inspiration? Share it in the comments.
Rachel Zabonick is the Editor of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@clubsolutionsmagazine.com. Reach out to her about exciting events or programs your club has implemented, or to share the amazing accomplishments of a member.
