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 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.