Quotes in leadership

You can't command people to do their best; they can only command that of themselves.

There are three kinds of leaders. Those that tell you what to do. Those that allow you to do what you want. And Lean leaders that come down to the work and help you figure it out.

The frequency of leadership going to the gemba is inversely proportional to the number of walls separating them from the gemba.

Lead yourself, lead your superiors, lead your peers, and free your people to do the same. All else is trivia.

A leader isn't good because they're right. They're good because they're willing to learn and to trust.

Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out.

All the President is, is a glorified public relations man who spends his time flattering, kissing and kicking people to get them to do what they are supposed to do anyway.

A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.

Most corporate mission statements are worthless. They consist largely of pious platitudes such as: "We will hold ourselves to the highest standards of professionalism and ethical behavior." They often formulate necessities as objectives; for example, "to achieve sufficient profit." This is like a person saying his mission is to breathe sufficiently.

Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.