Leadership Skill Quotes & Sayings

To prepare youth for success in entrepreneurial (and free) cultures, education tends to emphasize originality, creativity, breadth, depth and leadership skills rather than rote memorization, standardized curricula or socialization. The latter skill set is vital in societies with strong upper classes employing the lower castes, but the former is essential to free democratic nations. — Oliver DeMille

Leadership is understanding people and involving them to help you do a job. That takes all of the good characteristics, like integrity, dedication of purpose, selflessness, knowledge, skill, implacability, as well as determination not to accept failure. — Arleigh Burke

A serious athlete to me is one who is committed to excellence at any level, at any age, in any endeavor and in either sex. This commitment begins with a dream and a sense of talent and skill and determination to make that dream come true. — Carol Mann

A bridge-like CIO has the mind to think via the multidimensional lens, the gut to innovate fearlessly; the strategy to lead wisely and the skill to move progressively. — Pearl Zhu

Learning how to respond to and master the process of change - and even to excel at it - is a critical leadership skill for the twenty-first century. Constant, rapid change will be a fact of life for all of us. — Jennifer James

Leadership is a dynamic process that expresses our skill, our aspirations, and our essence as human beings. — Catherine Robinson-Walker

For myself the delay may be compared with a reprieve; for in confidence I assure you, with the world it would obtain little credit that my movements to the chair of Government will be accompanied by feelings not unlike those of a culprit who is going to the place of his execution: so unwilling am I, in the evening of a life nearly consumed in public cares, to quit a peaceful abode for an Ocean of difficulties, without that competency of political skill, abilities and inclination which is necessary to manage the helm. — George Washington

When a manager openly expresses his faith in an employee's skill, he doesn't just improve mood and motivation; he actually improves their likelihood of succeeding. — Shawn Achor

The knowledge of the worker is often called 'skill', for it requires manual dexterity and training. The knowledge of the manager is 'academic' as it can be taught in colleges and universities. However, the knowledge of the leader is 'creative' which can generally not be taught, and must come from within. — Awdhesh Singh

Very few people are able to organize and direct followers, which is a far more subtle and multifaceted skill. Leadership is really a form of temporary authority that others grant you, and they only follow you if they find you consistently credible. It's all about perception - and if teammates find you the least bit inconsistent, moody, unpredictable, indecisive, or emotionally unreliable, then they balk and the whole team is destabilized. — Pat Summitt

After you acquire knowledge and skill, aim to be a practitioner. Time for practice on the job or in life will still test your authenticity. Knowledge is one of the greatest sources of confidence, and you will need that confidence to do your work and demonstrate you know what you have been trained for. — Archibald Marwizi

The will to win is more important then the skill to win. It is possible to achieve only what you actively pursue. Cogito, ergo sum. I think, therefore I am. Keep your head high and work hard everyday, because you'll never get that day back — Lloy Ball

Self-promotion is a leadership and political skill that is critical to master in order to navigate the realities of the workplace and position you for success. — Bonnie Marcus

Leadership: The skill of influencing people to work enthusiastically toward goals identified as being for the common good. — James Hunter

Decision-making is a skill. Wisdom is a leadership trait. — Mark Miller

Many rules could be made for the giving of orders. Don't preach when you give orders. Don't discuss matters already settled unless you have fresh data. Make your direction so specific that there will be no question whether they have been obeyed or not. Find out how to give directions and yet to allow people opportunity for independent thinking, for initiative. And so on and so on. Order-giving requires just as much study and just as much training as any other skill we wish to acquire. — Mary Parker Follett

My height doesn't define my skill set. To be a great quarterback, you have to have great leadership, great attention to detail and a relentless competitive nature - and I try to bring that on a daily basis. — Russell Wilson

Your leadership skill-set might be what we have been waiting for, to bring order and finality to major challenges that affect the global village. The vast hydroelectric generation capacity in Africa, particularly the Great Lakes region and along the Nile River, still remains unutilized potential not benefiting the people of Africa most of whom continue to live in darkness and depleting the forests looking for wood fuel and more fertile farming land. — Archibald Marwizi

While CEO of P&G, John Pepper was once asked in an interview which skill or characteristic was most important to look for when hiring new employees. Was it leadership? Analytical ability? Problem solving? Collaboration? Strategic thinking? Or something else? His answer was integrity. He explained, "All the rest, we can teach them after they get here. — Paul Smith

It often happens that less depends upon the valor of an army than the skill of the leader. — Aristophanes

If the challenge is far beyond their skill level, they tend to get frustrated; if it's far below their skill level, they tend to get bored. Leaders need to strike the right balance. — Teresa Amabile

Practice transforms a skill into an art — Siddharth Joshi

Most people who want to get ahead do it backward. They think, 'I'll get a bigger job, then I'll learn how to be a leader.' But showing leadership skill is how you get the bigger job in the first place. Leadership isn't a position, it's a process. — John C. Maxwell

Depending on the skill and will of the individual, the right leadership style may be coaching, motivating, or directing rather than delegating. A leader has to pick the right style of leadership for each employee, and it is not one-size-fits-all, — Thomas Lee

Authenticity is a practice we choose in each present moment. It is not a plan or a destination to get to. The choices we make in the now are most important because in a fast-changing world, flexing to what's happening now, and creating from it is a critical leadership skill. — Henna Inam

Making good decisions is a crucial skill at every level. — Peter Drucker

When you harness your leadership skill to your broken heart change happens. — Andy Stanley

There could be nothing more fortunate for human affairs than that by the mercy of God they who are endowed with true piety of life if they have the skill for ruling people should also have the power. — Augustine Of Hippo

Every single achievement you make, every single life you change and every single skill you acquire brings you one step closer to becoming a better leader. Every day you can improve the leader in you to become a better person and a greater leader. — Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Tis skill, not strength, that governs a ship — Thomas Fuller

Leadership is a skill learned through many venues. — Todd Stocker

You must understand something, George. The world's leaders create catastrophes and resolve them
all at their own whimsy
every single day. It is how the world runs. Lacking anything else to believe in, common people need to believe in their leaders' abilities to save them. It's true! Their emotional well-being
and yes, their fate
depends on the intelligence and skill of those who manipulate the days' disasters. And it should go without saying that the one who succeeds in taking the reins of leadership
by whatever means
is the most intelligent and skillful, and therefore most qualified to lead. — Trenton Lee Stewart

Listening (the first competence of leadership) is not a skill, it is a discipline. All you have to do is keep your mouth shut. — Peter Drucker

Many 'experts' don't possess the imagination or vision or any of the logistical expertise required to achieve malaria eradication. Their opinions shouldn't be allowed to hold back men and women who do possess these qualities from achieving the 'impossible. — T.K. Naliaka

Winning isn't enough. The acme of all skill is to defeat your enemy before taking the field. — Sun Tzu

You won this job because you were the best for the job. You are smart, quick to learn, and can quickly acquire any skill you might be lacking. — Carla Harris

Some people are known, they have the platform and presence, but still remain irrelevant. They know you and what you do, but they don't need you or your offering. I see too many people with a platform but without substance, again this is not sustainable. Lack of substance can only relegate your talent or skill towards the league of the mediocre, if at all you become much by superficial branding then you will become the best of the worst. You don't have what it takes but you depend on your ability to sell substandard offerings to the market. It will not last for long, but quickly become irrelevant. — Archibald Marwizi

In my experience, the skill of success breaks down into three things. The skill of marketing. The skill of sales. And the skill of leadership. — Michael Ellsberg