Leadership Quotes

Using Leadership Quotes Effectively.

From a very young age collecting quotes and quotations was my favorite hobby. They serve as a historical perspective on today's problems. Leadership quotes tell us what great minds thought (and did) in times of trouble (or victory). It gives us  glimpse of how it felt like when you look at things when everything was rosy or when all the hell broke loose.

So what do we do with these quotes?

It is easy to grab a book of quotes, read some and say wow. But I believe there is a better use for these quotes. I have seen many leaders use this very subtly (as well as overtly) with a lot of effect. If you turn on the TV ad listen closely to any of the ell contested seats. be it congress or the presidential poll. you may being to notice how the same message is being delivered, to get a similar response, but just using a different lingo.

George Bush is known for creating many quotes. He slows down and pauses before making verbal history( or should I say History of Mockery). Most of his quotes fit well with comedy shows. In fact, there is a term for them now, Bushism. It is up to you to decide yourself if they qualify as leadership quotes or not. After almost 7 years in office, you may say one usually expects to get good at speaking. But he seem to be an exception. There is no end to is sabre rattling idiotism ( I do not if the word exists, if it did, it surely needs to be used to describe him).

Wonder why I don't like him very much. Here are a few pieces of bushism.

"I heard somebody say, 'Where's (Nelson) Mandela?' Well, Mandela's dead. Because Saddam killed all the Mandelas." --George W. Bush, on the former South African president, who is still very much alive, Washington, D.C., Sept. 20, 2007

Take a look at the blabbering idiot... no offense...

Ok I cannot take any more of those. More at Bushism.

Nevertheless, we all have come across these striking samples of human compassion, motivation and leadership. It is very easy to get emotional when you come across such quotes. Usually that feeling is a short lived one and thus rendering the quote powerless.

Leadership quotes were used in past to pass on wisdom, from father to son, from the king to heir etc. As we progress into an individualistic society where we find ourselves alone at many points, this age old wisdom can help a little.e.

My university professors used a lot of leadership quotes to show the depth of their knowledge. My 5^th grade Teacher used to make us go through leadership quotes to show us what all we can be and to inspire. In your opinion, who is a better leader of the two?

My heart and mind is with my 5th grade teacher.

Let's try to find a way to use these leadership quotes more usefully than letting them go after the initial emotional feeling.

A quote is like a pearl of wisdom. It is entirely up to us to find the vision in that and implement it. Any quote which can satisfy this criterion is a leadership quote, in my opinion.

 Some people think that in order to qualify as a leadership quote; it needs to have the word leader or leadership in it. That's simply absurd. Let me give you some examples. Two quotes from two well known people. Tell me which one you feel qualifies as a leadership quote?

1. "If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea."

2. "Leadership is action, not position."

Which one would you pick?

A leadership Quote is like a Loaded Bullet, when fired from the correct angle, it can penetrate through the toughest of the armors.

Leadership quotes are good to use especially in speeches or communication training or even in a simple conversations where you need a different perspective. A few advantages of using leadership quotes:

1. It tells the people listening that you are well learned.

2. It also gives them a new perspective (that is what quotes are supposed to do)

3. You can use it as a filler

4. It works well as an effective transition device or as an introduction to metaphors while speaking.

 One thing not to ever do: Do not pass on somebody's quote as your own. There are chances you could be caught. Don’t worry, it won't put you behind bars but, people will know that you are pretentious.

Now, let's examine some of the quotes that can make us move in new directions.

Important: This page will be changed often. So if you like something, write it down. I will try to help you get a new direction of thought or will give some examples to help you understand them better.

"Leader is best when people barely know he exists"
Lau Tzu

"Good end justifies any means."
Machiavelli

This great Teacher is well known for his quotes which have always been blown out of context. Machiavelli was way ahead of his time when it came to ideas of leadership. He made no efforts to keep his thoughts a secret, even if they were not accepted at his time. Pay special attention to his quotes, and always take it with a pinch of salt because most of the time, it would be a half truth because the other half is ignored by many.

"The human race is governed by its imagination."
Napoleon Bonaparte

If you thought all this progress was because of science and technology, you are partially right. The real hero is us, each and every one of us. Even the greatest marvels of science started as fiction, as a figment of someone’s imagination. So, the next time you find yourself putting aside your dreams and imaginations, think again. You are given the gift so you can spread it across.....why waste it?

"It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education."
Albert Einstein:

This quote goes on so well with the last one. Two leaders from two totally different arenas, but the universal truth prevails across time and space. Doesn't it?

"Believe those who are seeking the truth; doubt those who find it."    -  Andre Gide

During this New Age, probably the most susceptible are those who do not have beliefs of their own. They succumb to the ones who think they have all the answers. We should avoid falling into this trap. Here is a video full of some really good Quotes.

If you have not yet gone through the pages on the definition of leadership, leadership traits and others do so now. Come back often to relish more of leadership quotes.