Leaders love quotes. The capture what we feel intuitively and allow our thoughts to then be multiplied. In an effort to clean out some of my files here at year-end and also add value to you, the following is An Early Christmas Present For Leaders: 15 Quotes About Great Leadership:
Sports Illustrated – December 1st
- Great Leaders Work Very, Very Hard – “Jordy [Nelson] is a hardworking farm boy. His physical set is second to none, but he’s smart, he works at his craft, he studies the game. He’s a hardworking farm boy in his life, and he’s a hardworking farm boy on the field.” – former Green Bay teammate Greg Jennings.
- Great Leaders Take Nothing For Granted – “Farming teaches you that nothing is handed out. If you take a day off, you have to work twice as hard the next day.” – Nelson
Sports Illustrated – November 24th
- Great Leaders Build Great Teams – “What you’re trying to do is mesh your best players. I’ve used three centers at the same time because those were my best players.” – Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari
- Great Leaders Create And Are Radically Committed To Process – “Everybody comes to work. They know what the schedule is. They stay late. They put in extra time. It’s about winning and it’s not about winning. It’s about the process.” – New England Patriots running back Jonas Gray
- Great Leaders Gain Credibility Through Accomplishment – “We do our jobs. We win games. Because all we have to know is that Bill [Belichick] has the formula to win. All we have to do is follow it.” – Patriots cornerback Darrell Revis
Sports Illustrated – November 10th
- Great Leaders Construct Unified Leadership Teams – “Nothing is more important in sports than the relationship between the general manager and the manager or coach. It works here because they respect each other…They know the other one has the final decision, but they know their opinion is respected.” – World Series champion San Francisco Giants president Larry Baer
USA Today – October 20th
- Great Leaders Are Optimistic And Point To A Brighter Tomorrow – “Ned’s a very thick-skinned person. He’s an incredible leader and very passionate. He’s the most competitive person I know. He’s very positive. He’s always optimistic. He loves the competition, and the way he approaches the game has allowed our players to go out and do what they do.” – Kansas City Royals general manager Dayton Moore on manager Ned Yost
- Loyalty Does Not Make A Great Leader But Disloyalty Disqualifies All Leaders – “He’s [Yost] a very loyal person. He has always stuck with me through good times and bad. It doesn’t matter how stupid of a mistake you might make, he’s still always positive and supportive.” – Pitcher Danny Duffy
- Great Leaders Create A Sense Of Family – “He’s [Yost] like my dad. We are like on big family on this team, and Ned is our dad. He loves us like we were his own children, and you want to play hard for someone like that.” – Catcher Salvador Perez
Sports Illustrated – October 13th
- Great Leaders Are Flexible – “Buck [Showalter] has done a great job tailoring our style to the personnel we have.” – Baltimore Orioles hitting coach Jim Presley
Sports Illustrated – September 15th
- Great Leaders Adapt To Change – “Change is always going to happen in this sport. How quickly you adapt to it will affect the dynamic of [a race team].” – Eddie D’Hondt
- Great Leaders Show Grace By Giving Second Chances – “Racing will give you that second life if you have the talent and haven’t lost any of the skills.” – Rick Hendrick
Sports Illustrated – June 2nd
- Great Leaders Know Winning Does Not Satisfy Your Soul – “You become a champion and you don’t know how to behave. What do you dream about once the nightmares are gone?” – 1994 New York Rangers general manager Neil Smith
- Great Leaders Know Leadership Is Influence, Not A Title – “You don’t need a letter to lead.” – Rangers current head coach Alain Vigneault on team captains
Sports Illustrated – June 17, 2013
- Great Leaders Are Grateful – “Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder are very fond of Mr. [Mike] Ilitch, they’re very respectful of what he’s done for the organization and the amount of money he’s paid them. They believe they have an obligation to him.” – Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland
What is one thing you learned from these quotes which will make you a better leader? Oh, and one more thing – Merry Christmas!!!
To subscribe to this site and get my latest FREE eBook 999 Leadership Quotes On Leadership: Wise Words And Timeless Truths From The 2014 ARC, Passion, Orange, and Leadercast Conferences (and others) click here or on the image to the left.