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

A good leader leads the people from above them. A great leader leads the people from within them.

A good objective of leadership is to help those who are doing poorly to do well and to help those who are doing well to do even better.

A great person attracts great people and knows how to hold them together.

A leader is a dealer in hope.

A leader is a person you will follow to a place you would not go by yourself.

A leader is not an administrator who loves to run others, but someone who carries water for his people so that they can get on with their jobs.

A leader is one who sees more than others see, who sees farther than others see, and who sees before others see.

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.

A leader. . .is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind.

A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent.

All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership.

An organization’s ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage.

Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.

As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.