John Maxwell quotes: here are some memorable quotes on leadership and success from author John C. Maxwell.
“When the leader lacks confidence, followers lack commitment.”
“A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position.”
“You don’t overcome challenges by making them smaller but by making yourself bigger.”
“The greatest day in your life and mine is when we take total responsibility for our attitudes. That’s the day we truly grow up.”
“Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.”
“Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.”
“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”
“Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.”
“The greatest mistake we make is living in constant fear that we will make one.”
“A leader who produces other leaders multiplies their influence.”
“Doing the right thing, daily, compounds over time.”
“A successful person finds the right place for himself. But a successful leader finds the right place for others.”
“Real leadership is being the person others will gladly and confidently follow.”
“The leader’s attitude is like a thermostat for the place he or she works. If their attitude is good, the atmosphere is pleasant, and the environment is easy to work in. But if their attitude is bad, the temperature is insufferable.”
“If you wouldn’t follow yourself, why should anyone else?”
“As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behavior. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to become. Take action on your behavior. Too many people want to feel, then take action. This never works.”
“Great leaders always seem to embody two seemingly disparate qualities. They are both highly visionary and highly practical.”
“The secret of your success is determined by your daily agenda.”
“The higher you want to climb, the more you need leadership. And the greater the impact you want to make, the greater your influence needs to be.”
“The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.”
“If you can’t influence people, then they will not follow you. And if people won’t follow, you’re not a leader. That’s the law of influence.”
“Earn the right to be heard by listening to others. Seek to understand a situation before making judgments about it.”
“Anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course. Leaders who are good navigators are capable of taking their people just about anywhere.”
“If you are a leader, the true measure of your success is not getting people to work. It’s not getting people to work hard. It is getting people to work hard together. That takes commitment.”
“If you want to be a leader, the good news is that you can do it. Everyone has the potential, but it isn’t accomplished overnight. It requires perseverance.”
“Talent is a gift, but character is a choice.”
“Stay focused instead of getting offended or off track by others.”
“If you really want to be an uncommon leader, you’re going to have to find a way to get much of your vision seen, implemented, and added to by others.”
“Managers work with processes; leaders work with people.”
“Everything rises and falls on leadership.”
“Good leaders know when to display emotions and when to delay them.”
“Do you know the difference between leaders, followers, and losers? Leaders stretch with challenges. Followers struggle with challenges. Losers shrink from challenges.”
“Reaching the top is a monumental achievement, but remaining there may be the most spectacular feat of all.”
“Most good leaders want the perspective of people they trust.”
“To lead any way other than by example, we send a fuzzy picture of leadership to others. If we work on improving ourselves first and make that our primary mission, then others are more likely to follow.”
“There are two paths people can take. They can either play now and pay later, or they can pay now and play later. Regardless of the choice, one thing is certain: life will demand a payment.”
“All true leaders have learned to say no to the good in order to say yes to the best.”
“The timing of your decision is just as important as the decision you make.”
“The best leaders are humble enough to realize their victories depend upon their people.”
“Leaders see everything with a leadership bias. Their focus is on mobilizing people and leveraging resources to achieve their goals rather than on using their own individual efforts. Leaders who want to succeed maximize every asset and resource they have for the benefit of their organization. For that reason, they are continually aware of what they have at their disposal.”
“You must do right before you feel good.”
“It’s not the position that makes the leader; it’s the leader that makes the position.”
“Make a point to continually search for a better way of doing things, even when things are going well, to ensure that a better alternative has not been overlooked and to keep your creative talents in practice.”
“When leaders fail to empower others, it’s usually due to one of three main reasons: (1) desire for job security; (2) resistance to change; or (3) lack of self-worth.”
“When people respect you as a person, they admire you. When they respect you as a friend, they love you. When they respect you as a leader, they follow you.”
“One of the major keys to success is to keep moving forward on the journey, making the best of the detours and interruptions, turning adversity into advantage.”
“Leadership has less to do with position than disposition.”
“If you want to be the best leader you can possibly be, no matter how much or how little natural leadership talent you possess, you need to become a serving leader.”
“Success for the leader is a single victory. However, when the protégé experiences success, it becomes a double win.”
“The challenge of leadership is to create change and facilitate growth.”
“A difficult time can be more readily endured if we retain the conviction that our existence holds a purpose — whether that’s a cause to pursue, a person to love, or a goal to achieve.”
“Speak the truth. Transparency breeds legitimacy.”
“The measure of a leader is not the number of people who serve him but the number of people he serves.”
“The rewards leaders give are counterbalanced by the results that their people give in return.”
“We all stand on the shoulders of the past generation.”
“The bottom line in leadership isn’t how far we advance ourselves but how far we advance others.”
“A leader with confidence is a leader who brings out positive changes in people.”
“As a leader, you will never get ahead until your people are behind you.”
“Generally speaking, there are two kinds of learning: experience, which is gained from your own mistakes, and wisdom, which is learned from the mistakes of others.”
“Leaders who are effective are leaders who are disciplined in their daily lives.”
“Don’t hide bad news. With multiple information channels available, bad news always becomes known. Be candid right from the start.”
“There are five nonnegotiable characteristics that every effective leader must have: (1) a sense of calling, (2) an ability to communicate, (3) creativity in problem solving, (4) generosity, and (5) consistency.”
“A leader is great, not because of his or her power, but because of his or her ability to empower others.”
“The respect that leadership must have requires that one’s ethics be without question. A leader not only stays above the line between right and wrong, he stays well clear of the gray areas.”
“Your ultimate goal as a leader should be to work hard enough and strategically enough that you have more than enough to give and share with others.”
“Most people have a desire to look for the exception instead of the desire to become exceptional.”
“As a leader, you don’t earn any points for failing in a noble cause. You don’t get credit for being right as you bring the organization to a halt. Your success is measured by your ability to actually take the people where they need to go. But you can do that only if the people first buy into you as a leader. That’s the reality of the law of buy-in.”
“People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude.”
“You build trust with others each time you choose integrity over image, truth over convenience, or honor over personal gain.”
For more quotes like this, check out Zig Ziglar’s best advice next.
