Thoughts on leadership

If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in port forever.
—Thomas Aquinas

I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.
—Alexander The Great

Only the guy who isn’t rowing has time to rock the boat.
—Jean-Paul Sartre


I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.
—Ralph Nader


A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit.
—Arnold H Glasow


Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.
—William Penn


If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities.
—Maya Angelou

So much of what we call management consists in making it diffi cult for people to work.
—Peter Drucker


People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. The leader leads, and the boss drives.
—Theodore Roosevelt

In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.
—Thomas Jefferson


A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a moulder of consensus.
—Martin Luther King Jr


Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.
—John C Maxwell




Images: Aquinas, Drucker, Luther King, Sowell: Getty Images; Nader:Reuters; Angelou: Gary Hershorn / Reuters