46 Leadership Quotes from Top Leaders, Thinkers & Executives

"Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.”

- Warren Bennis, Business Professor

“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, Management consultant and author

“Leadership is influence.” 

- John C. Maxwell, Bestselling author and speaker

“The art of leadership is saying no, not saying yes. It is very easy to say yes.” 

- Tony Blair Former Prime Minister of the UK 

“The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision. It's got to be a vision you articulate clearly and forcefully on every occasion. You can't blow an uncertain trumpet.” 

- Reverend Theodore Hesburgh, former President of the University of Notre Dame 

“The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.”

- Kenneth Blanchard, Author & business consultant

“The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.” 

- Jim Rohn, Entrepreneur

“Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” 

- Dwight Eisenhower, American President

“Don't necessarily avoid sharp edges. Occasionally they are necessary to leadership.”

- Donald Rumsfeld, Former U.S. Secretary of Defense

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

- Stephen Covey, Author & speaker 

“It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.” 

-Nelson Mandela, Former President of South Africa

"Every time you have to speak, you are auditioning for leadership." 

-James Humes, Former presidential speechwriter

"Leadership is the art of giving people a platform for spreading ideas that work." 

- Seth Godin, Author and business executive

"I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people." 

- Mahatma Gandhi, Indian lawyer

"True leadership lies in guiding others to success--in ensuring that everyone is performing at their best, doing the work they are pledged to do and doing it well." 

- Bill Owens, former Governor of Colorado 

“Leadership is influence.” 

- John C. Maxwell, Bestselling author and speaker

"Control is not leadership; management is not leadership; leadership is leadership. If you seek to lead, invest at least 50 percent of your time in leading yourself--your own purpose, ethics, principles, motivation, conduct. Invest at least 20 percent leading those with authority over you and 15 percent leading your peers." 

- Dee Hock, Founder & former CEO of Visa

"The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership." 

- Harvey S. Firestone, founder of Firestone Tire 

"Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right thing." 

- Peter Drucker, Management consultant and author

"The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers." 

- Ralph Nader (American political activist, author & lecturer)

"Success isn’t about how much money you make; it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.”

- Michelle Obama, former First Lady of the United States

“Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes.” 

- Peter Drucker, Management consultant and author

"Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other." 

- John F. Kennedy, former President of the United States

 "Real leadership is leaders recognizing that they serve the people that they lead." 

- Pete Hoekstra former United States Ambassador to the Netherland

“I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.” 

- Ralph Nader, American politician 

“Leadership is not a popularity contest; it's about leaving your ego at the door. The name of the game is to lead without a title.” 

- Robin S. Sharma, Canadian writer

“For the success of any mission, it is necessary to have creative leadership. Creative leadership is vital for government, non-governmental organizations as well as industries.”

 - A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Former President of India  

“Leadership is a choice, not a position.”

- Stephen Covey, American businessman & author

“Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or conclude you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.”

- Colin Powell, Former U.S. Secretary of State 

“Leadership is about empathy. It is about having the ability to relate to and connect with people for the purpose of inspiring and empowering their lives.” 

- Oprah Winfrey, American talk show host

“Leadership is having a compelling vision, a comprehensive plan, relentless implementation, and talented people working together.” 

- Alan Mulally, Former CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes

 “I think one of the keys to leadership is recognizing that everybody has gifts and talents. A good leader will learn how to harness those gifts toward the same goal.”

- Ben Carson, Doctor & former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 

“Leadership to me means duty, honor, country. It means character, and it means listening from time to think we need the feminine qualities of leadership, which include attention to aesthetics and the environment, nurturing, affection, intuition, and the qualities that make people feel safe and cared for.” 

- Deepak Chopra, Author

“The first job of leadership is to love people. Leadership without love is manipulation.” 

- Rick Warren, Christian pastor & author

“True leadership stems from individuality that is honestly and sometimes imperfectly expressed… Leaders should strive for authenticity over perfection.” 

– Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook

“Leadership is something you earn, something you’re chosen for. You can’t come in yelling, ‘I’m your leader!’ If it happens, it’s because the other guys respect you.”

 – Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback

“To have long term success as a coach or in any position of leadership, you have to be obsessed in some way.” 

– Pat Riley, President of the Miami Heat and former Lakers coach

“Leadership is a matter of having people look at you and gain confidence, seeing how you react. If you’re in control, they’re in control.” 

– Tom Landry, Former Dallas Cowboys coach

“In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better.”

– Harry Truman, Former U.S. President

“Leadership consists of nothing but taking responsibility for everything that goes wrong and giving your subordinates credit for everything that goes well.”

– Dwight D. Eisenhower, Former U.S. President

“If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.”

– Dolly Parton, Singer and songwriter

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.” 

– Amelia Earhart, Pilot

“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.”

– Leonardo da Vinci, Scientist, artist, astronomer, and mathematician

“To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; credible we must be truthful.”

– Edward R. Murrow, Broadcaster & journalist

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson, Poet and essayist